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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-08 12:04 1 San Francisco Police Fatally Shoot Man Carrying Knife Two police officers shot and killed a man carrying a knife in the San Francisco's bustling Mission District on Thursday, the city's police chief said. San Francisco police Chief Greg

(4.01/5) Suhr said officers shot the unidentified Latino man after he refused demands to drop a knife... 2016-04-08 12:03 4KB abcnews.go.com 2 Reuters: World News - powered by FeedBurner ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish and Israeli teams made progress towards finalising an agreement to mend ties between the two countries in talks... 2016-04-08 00:11 644Bytes (3.01/5) feeds.reuters.com 3 Man accused of torture killing escapes psychiatric hospital SEATTLE (AP) — A man accused of torturing a woman to death but found too mentally ill

(2.00/5) for trial was on the loose Thursday after crawling out a window in a locked, lower-security unit of… 2016-04-08 12:03 6KB wtop.com 4 1 psych hospital escapee caught, other on lam Authorities have caught Mark Alexander Adams but not Anthony Garver. Both men (2.00/5) escaped from Western State Hospital, a psychiatric facility. 2016-04-08 06:17 1KB rss.cnn.com 5 Arrests prompt policy study on teacher-student contact Should teachers be able to text and message their students online through Facebook and Twitter? 2016-04-08 10:41 4KB www.washingtontimes.com (2.00/5)

6 Anne Hathaway gives birth to son Anne Hathaway is a first-time mother. 2016-04-08 10:40 900Bytes www.washingtontimes.com

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7 Turkey, Israel near normal relations: Ankara Turkey and Israel have agreed to rapidly reach a deal on normalising ties after a bitter falling-out in 2010, the Turkish foreign ministry announced early Friday after talks in (2.00/5) London. 2016-04-08 09:12 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 8 Workplace Diversity Job Fair, Thursday, April 21, 2016 Workplace Diversity Job FairThursday, April 21, 2016The Colonnade Hotel120 Huntington Ave., Boston10:00-4:00Job SeekersDon’t miss this exciting opportunity 2016-04-08 12:03 1KB www.bostonherald.com 9 Catholic archdiocese vs. insurer in priest sex abuse cases HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Roman Catholic archdiocese in Connecticut is taking its dispute with an insurance company to trial, seeking reimbursement of more than $1 million in payments made to settle sexual misconduct cases… 2016-04-08 12:03 1KB wtop.com 10 How to get by in Beijing without a wallet China's fast-developing mobile commerce industry is estimated to dwarf that of the U. S., so CNN set out to see how far a phone would go in Beijing. 2016-04-08 12:03 4KB rss.cnn.com 11 PH fields 11 shorts in Cannes fest Since 2004, the Cannes Short Film Corner has been inviting promising young filmmakers to participate in the annual event in the south of France, from May 11 to 22. At presstime, 11 works by 2016-04-08 12:03 5KB entertainment.inquirer.net

14 Jennifer Lawrence leads female stars’ fight for equal treatment Many female stars complain that the biggest and best film roles today are written for male stars and protagonists, often limiting actresses to “love interest” or “sexy eye candy” 2016-04-08 12:03 3KB entertainment.inquirer.net 15 Tarasenko powers Blues to 2-1 win over Blackhawks CHICAGO (AP) — The battle for the top spot in the Western Conference was almost over. Then Vladimir Tarasenko stepped up for the St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko scored his second goal of the game at… 2016-04-08 12:03 5KB wtop.com 16 Sniper kills last doctor in besieged Syrian town Mohammed Khous was walking from the field hospital heading for his son's house nearby to rest between operations. He would never make it: a sniper's bullet to the head felled the 70-year-old in the street. With that, the Syrian town of Zabadani... 2016-04-08 12:03 6KB mynorthwest.com 17 Charlie Puth to return to Manila on August 14! Manila will be enthralled again as the voice behind the hit songs “Marvin Gaye”, “See You Again”, “One Call Away”, and “Suffer” --- Charlie Puth takes the stage on August 14, 2016 2016-04-08 12:03 4KB entertainment.inquirer.net 18 Fishing amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea CATO, Philippines — As Asian countries jostle for territory in the South China Sea, one Filipino fisherman is taking a stand. He has faced down Chinese coast guard rifles, and even 2016-04-08 12:03 10KB globalnation.inquirer.net 19 Steep hike in fees boon for IITs, bane for students Yearly fees for IITs will now be Rs 2 lakh, but the decision has seen mixed reactions from students, who say they already have to pay lakhs in coaching fees to get into the coveted institutes 2016-04-08 12:01 2KB www.mid-day.com 20 Pastor of China's largest Protestant church released: Report A U. S.-based Christian group says Chinese authorities have released the pastor of the country's largest Protestant church after he was detained for more than two months following protests against the government's removal of crosses from churches. 2016-04-08 12:00 1KB mynorthwest.com 21 Formerly homeless man adjusts to apartment living in Ogden Doug Harding is conducting a tour of his tiny apartment. 2016-04-08 11:55 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 22 Reinstalled neon light to brighten historic Carthage motel When the iconic Boots Court opened in Carthage in the 1940s, the green neon lighting that outlined the structure was an important part of the allure. 2016-04-08 11:55 3KB www.washingtontimes.com

23 NY comptroller stops $25 million in questionable tax refunds The New York comptroller reports stopping $25 million in questionable or fraudulent personal state income tax refunds so far in 2016. 2016-04-08 11:54 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 24 How firefighters fought the biggest Kansas fire in a century On March 22, Bruce Stansberry was welding a piece of pipe just outside Freedom, Oklahoma. 2016-04-08 11:54 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 25 NIA officer murder: Two cops suspended Two police officials were today suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the murder of NIA officer Tanzil Ahmed, who was involved in the investigation of several high- profile cases including the attack on Pathankot airbase 2016-04-08 11:46 1KB www.mid- day.com 26 Heat wave claims 111 lives in Telangana, Andhra At least 111 people have died due to sunstroke in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during last few days as the two states are experiencing intense heat wave conditions, officials said 2016-04-08 11:43 3KB www.mid-day.com 27 Topeka program helps sex trafficking victims recover Jane remembers how a sex trafficker choked her, raped her and smiled sadistically as he attacked her in 2014. 2016-04-08 11:42 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 28 From Ronnie to a fan: more than 100 Reagan letters for sale Long before he was president of the United States or even governor of California, Ronald Reagan had an army of star-struck movie fans who wrote him letters - and who to their surprise often got a personal reply. 2016-04-08 11:42 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 29 Personal exoskeleton helps Hutchinson man walk again Joey Ralph fell 30 feet off of a balcony and was told he’d be confined to a wheelchair. But this week, three years later, he was able to do what felt like the impossible - being able to walk again. 2016-04-08 10:44 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 30 NY Public Library installs recreation of century-old mural It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill package delivery. 2016-04-08 10:44 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 31 High winds knock out power to thousands in Maine Utility crews are working to restore power to thousands of electric customers after high winds caused widespread outages. 2016-04-08 10:40 999Bytes www.washingtontimes.com 32 Ohio to launch helpline for sexual, relationship violence A new, statewide helpline for survivors of sexual and relationship violence will soon be launching in Ohio. 2016-04-08 10:40 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 33 Water utility alerting Cincinnati customers about lead pipes Thousands of customers of a Cincinnati-area water utility are being alerted that some city-owned water lines are made out of lead. 2016-04-08 10:40 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 34 Amid shuttered Blockbusters, Top Hat Video going strong In a world where most video rental stores are abandoned and look like sets from an episode of “The Walking Dead,” one store in Utah is still going strong. 2016-04-08 10:40 2KB www.washingtontimes.com

35 High alert across Odisha after intel input about entry of terrorists into state Security beefed up following intelligence input about three armed terrorists entering the state 2016-04-08 10:05 1KB www.mid-day.com 36 Now, bidi industry to stop production over pictorial warnings Within days of many cigarette companies stopping production after the implementation of 85 percent pictorial warnings, the All India Bidi Industry Federation on Thursday said it will stop production of bidis as it was impossible for them to continue with the new norm 2016-04-08 09:56 2KB www.mid-day.com 37 Sisulu descendants and other children of ANC exiles speak out against Zuma‚ want new party elections “Children of exiles” have thrown their weight behind calls for action against President Jacob Zuma‚ for embarrassing the ruling party and flouting the country’s supreme law. 2016-04-08 09:33 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 38 IPL 9: Bombay HC lambasts BCCI for guzzling water during drought Mumbai will witness at least one IPL match, and it will be the opening game tomorrow, no less. However, the Bombay High Court came down heavily on the cricket authorities 2016-04-08 09:20 3KB www.mid-day.com 39 Non-bailable warrant issued against Union Minister in a loan default case A local court today issued a non-bailable warrant against Union Minister Y S Chowdary as he 2016-04-08 09:12 2KB www.mid-day.com 40 Kolkata flyover collapse: Another IVRCL official arrested Another senior official of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL, responsible for construction of the Vivekananda flyover which partially collapsed on March 31, was arrested today 2016-04-08 08:58 2KB www.mid-day.com 41 Gov. Scott Signs Bill Making Florida 12th State to Defund Planned Parenthood KMorgan 1192 posts 2016-04-08 07:46 3KB www.thetribunepapers.com 42 Yahoo - Yahoo Appoints Two New Board Members --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that its board of directors has increased its size from seven to nine directors and appointed the following two new independent directors, effective. With the additions of Cathy and Eric, the board returns to the size it was on , prior to the resignations of and Charles Schwab..... 2016-04-08 07:42 3KB investor.yahoo.net 43 Seoul: 13 North Koreans workers at foreign restaurant defect SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thirteen North Koreans working at the same restaurant in a foreign country have defected to South Korea, Seoul officials said Frida... 2016-04-08 08:51 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 44 Cuba Gooding Jr: Worried pastor prayed for me over O. J. role Cuba Gooding Jr revealed Thursday his role as football star-turned murder suspect O. J. Simpson had taken him to such a dark place that his pastor prayed over his soul. 2016-04-08 08:48 4KB www.timeslive.co.za 45 Ted Cruz Makes Matzah In Brooklyn Ted Cruz learned to make matzah from scratch with the help of a dozen children at a Brighton Beach, Brooklyn bakery on Thursday, April 7, 2016. 2016-04-08 08:05 1KB newyork.cbslocal.com 46 Hillary Clinton needs five swipes to enter NYC subway On her subway tour of New York Thursday morning, Hillary Clinton failed on her first four attempts at swiping her Metrocard. On the fifth swipe, the finicky turnstile finally let her through. 2016-04-08 11:20 1002Bytes www.cbsnews.com 47 Man shot dead in northwest Charlotte One person was fatally shot at a house in northwest Charlotte Thursday morning. CMPD detectives are canvassing the area for witnesses. 2016-04-08 07:55 2KB www.charlotteobserver.com 48 Moms plan thrift shop to support CMS Key Resale group wants to turn castoffs into cash for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. 2016-04-08 02:08 1KB www.charlotteobserver.com 49 Pirates' boss Khoza confirms Meyiwa insurance money to be paid out next week The issue of Senzo Meyiwa’s insurance payout is set to be concluded next week‚ a year and a half after the death of the former Orlando Pirates and Bafana captain. 2016-04-08 08:25 1022Bytes www.timeslive.co.za 50 Ship runs aground at decommissioned Swedish nuclear plant STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish authorities say a ship used to transport nuclear waste has run aground at a decommissioned nuclear power in southern Sweden. The Swe... 2016-04-08 08:18 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 51 Kasich binge eats way through NYC Contact WND (London Daily Mail) John Kaisch did not leave his appetite at home during a campaign stop in the Bronx on Thursday. The Republican hopeful paid a visit to Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue and wowed bystanders as he consumed an Italian feast all by himself – and even washed it all down with a little […]... 2016-04-08 08:13 1KB www.wnd.com 52 Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years - CNN.com NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington. 2016-04-08 08:13 5KB rss.cnn.com 53 VIDEO: Rainiers debut wiffle ball park at season opener A new feature at Cheney Stadium is a wiffle ball field behind the stands along the right field line. 2016-04-08 09:04 2KB www.thenewstribune.com 54 Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise - CNN.com Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft. 2016-04-08 08:13 2KB rss.cnn.com 55 Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base - CNN.com Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at California's Edwards Air Force Base after NASA waved off two opportunities for a Florida landing because of poor weather. 2016-04-08 08:13 3KB rss.cnn.com 56 Probing the cosmos: Is anybody out there? - CNN.com From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe. 2016-04-08 08:13 6KB rss.cnn.com

57 Torture victims commemorate historic case against Marcos Victims of the martial law regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos are commemorating the filing of the historic case against the dictator 30 years ago. 2016-04-08 10:09 3KB news.abs-cbn.com 58 Palace keeps distance from plunder rap vs Bongbong MANILA – The Palace on Thursday said it had nothing to do with the plunder complaint filed against Senator Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. in connection with the pork barrel scam. 2016-04-08 10:09 3KB news.abs-cbn.com 59 Dashcam footage shows traffic warden moving cone before issuing ticket Father-of-two Harvey Saunders left his dashboard camera running after receiving suspicious parking tickets in Hull, East Yorkshire - he caught a warden moving the cone before issuing the ticket 2016-04-08 07:57 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 60 Dev Patel: 'I get paid to play for a living' Bafta-nominated Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel explains why his latest film is a "mathematical bromance" and why being typecast is "more a blessing than a curse". 2016-04-08 06:42 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 61 The tragedy that 'chemsex' drugs can cause Barrister Henry Hendron had it all. But then a terrible mistake changed everything. 2016-04-08 06:42 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 62 PH, Monaco expand bilateral cooperation MANILA - The Philippines and Monaco agreed to expand cooperation in various areas following the visit of His Serene Highness Albert II, the sovereign prince of Monaco. 2016-04-08 07:56 2KB news.abs-cbn.com 63 Prince Albert II ng Monaco, nasa Pilipinas na Lumagda siya sa kasunduan para paigtingin ang pagtutulungan ng Monaco at Pilipinas lalo na sa pangangalaga sa kapaligiran. 2016-04-08 07:56 836Bytes news.abs-cbn.com 64 Categories Archives Prince has postponed his two Thursday concerts at Atlanta's Fox Theatre due to illness (he reportedly has the flu). The dates are expected to be rescheduled and any tickets purchased for either of tonight's shows will be valid for the new date. Refunds are... 2016-04-08 01:53 1KB music.blog.ajc.com 65 Lena Dunham talks about THAT Basic Instinct scene on Girls The 29-year-old appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday, where she talked about the scene in which she showed her private parts. 2016-04-08 07:43 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 66 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times Carter said in Washington earlier this week, “What we are looking for is a closer relationship and a stronger relationship… because it is geo... 2016-04-08 06:23 8KB atimes.com 67 Alvarez tips the scales at 163lbs during the WBC's 30-day weigh-in With the Amir Khan fight less than a month away, Canelo Alvarez looked in tip-top condition as he took part in the WBC's mandatory 30-day weigh-in. 2016-04-08 07:26 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 68 Yahoo - National Association of Realtors® Sponsors "Now I Get It" Video Series on Yahoo Finance New Campaign Helps Demystify the Home Buying Process and Highlight the Value Realtors® Bring to the Consumer Journey --(BUSINESS WIRE)-... 2016-04-08 10:20 3KB investor.yahoo.net

69 Jon Snow's death is confirmed in Game Of Thrones synopsis It is the cliffhanger that has kept Game Of Thrones fans huddled around water coolers for the past year. 2016-04-08 07:24 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 70 Man who was raped at the age of five confuses his wife with attacker Paul Remmer, 37, from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, was raped by his babysitter at the age of five. Years later, during a night terror, he mistook his wife for his attacker and tried to suffocate her. 2016-04-08 07:16 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 71 Afghan insurgency battle marred by political dysfunction KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When the spokesman for an Afghan government ministry was asked why he wasn't answering his phone, he said he was on strike as he ha... 2016-04-08 07:13 6KB www.dailymail.co.uk 72 One more weekend of summer before autumn sets in The summer that never ends! If you needed one last hot day at the beach you're in luck! The forecast has a hot weekend ahead for much of New South Wales and Queensland. 2016-04-08 07:06 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 73 Inside the glamorous Malibu Airbnb that Selena Gomez visited Earlier this week, the 23-year-old songstress gave her 73million fans a sneak peek of the ocean-facing porch in a jaw-dropping Californian rental she had visited with friends. 2016-04-08 07:04 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 74 The one percent always ate us alive: How human sacrifice led to our society’s gross inequality Elites knew the value of fearmongering even way back when 2016-04-08 02:58 2KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 75 Schwarber sprains ankle in violent OF collision Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber will have a follow-up MRI on Friday after initial tests showed he suffered a left ankle sprain in a big outfield collision with teammate Dexter Fowler. 2016-04-08 06:59 3KB espn.go.com 76 John Kasich Visits The Bronx, Brooklyn John Kasich feasted on Italian delights in Belmont, the Bronx, and held a town hall in Brooklyn, on Thursday, April 7, 2016. 2016-04-08 08:05 1KB newyork.cbslocal.com 77 Why are old banks hooking up with younger models? As tech start-ups muscle in to financial services, banks are realising they have to team up or risk being marginalised in the new mobile economy. 2016-04-08 02:57 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 78 BBC reporter takes Antarctic dip While reporting from the Antarctic, the BBC's Victoria Gill takes a dip in the near-freezing sea. 2016-04-08 02:57 888Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 79 Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon keep things casual on rainy set Their last movie together was the hit science fiction film The Martian. But Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon's latest collaboration, Downsizing, is going to be a more lighthearted affair. 2016-04-08 06:51 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 80 Ashley Greene dazzles in coral flared dress for Jungle Book screening The 29-year-old looked incredible in a peach hued flared frock in NYC on Thursday. The actress wore the dress, which featured a fitted waist, to a screening of The Jungle Book. 2016-04-08 06:43 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 81 The lingerie brand changing perceptions of what an underwear model is An Australian lingerie brand is challenging perceptions by showcasing a range of diverse models of different ages, sizes, races and genders in their advertising. 2016-04-08 06:42 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 82 Pack again chasing Jordan Spieth at Masters AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A pack of lesser-known players is pursuing Jordan Spieth at the Masters, and some other big names are lurking not too far behind. Danny L... 2016-04-08 06:41 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 83 Frozen - In Photos: The Highest Grossing Animated Movies $1.27 billionDisney took a big gamble with 'Frozen,' an original take on Hans Christian Anderson's 'Snow Queen' story. The gamble paid off and 'Frozen' is now the highest- grossing animated movie of all time. 2016-04-08 05:24 949Bytes www.forbes.com 84 Motherwell boss Mark McGhee wary of Leigh Griffiths' threat Mark McGhee has witnessed the finishing power of Leigh Griffiths at close enough quarters to know his recent absence from the scoresheet will be a very temporary phenomenon. 2016-04-08 06:31 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 85 Here's how London's next mayor can make a big difference for single parents When to take a leak, abuse in Ambridge, and Ian McEwan’s identity supermarket Making childcare affordable is therefore essential in for supporting more single parents back into work and ensuring that it pays to work. 2016-04-08 05:30 10KB www.newstatesman.com 86 Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 8 PRAGUE, April 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech... 2016-04-08 06:24 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 87 Video shows a pregnant shop assistant brutally assaulted by a man A man who brutally assaulted a pregnant shopkeeper in Rockhampton and trashed the store over a $15 handbag has been caught on camera in a cowardly attack on Wednesday. 2016-04-08 06:24 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 88 Livonia - News Livonia - News 2016-04-08 01:38 2KB rssfeeds.hometownlife.com

89 Migrant crisis: Deportations resume from Greece to Turkey A second group of migrants leaves Greece on a ferry for Turkey as part of an EU deal to reduce the numbers reaching Europe. 2016-04-08 04:17 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 90 Silicon Valley techies see opportunity at GOP convention Contact WND (Los Angeles Times) Few things scream throwback like a contested political convention, an event that calls to mind conniving party bosses, clouds of stale cigar smoke and throngs of activists in Uncle Sam hats passionately waiving homemade signs. But while some of those retro touches will surely present themselves if Republicans arrive in Cleveland for […]... 2016-04-08 06:17 1KB www.wnd.com

91 A scream of moral outrage Contact WND In response to reader feedback to a question posed by WND Managing Editor David Kupelian – “Is it moral for the Ted Cruz campaign to woo Arizona delegates away from Donald Trump should he fail to win the Republican nomination on the first ballot?” – Joseph Farah makes the... 2016-04-08 06:16 1KB www.wnd.com 92 NHL standings April 8 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the NHL on Thursday WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Dallas 49 23 9 264 228 107 2. St. L... 2016-04-08 06:15 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 93 The Times & The Sunday Times News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times 2016-04-08 05:07 562Bytes www.thetimes.co.uk 94 Female school teacher resigns after performing oral sex on a student A female high school teacher from Hamilton in New Zealand has resigned from her position after she allegedly performed oral sex on a year-13 student after his school leaver's formal. 2016-04-08 06:08 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 95 Warriors down Spurs to keep NBA record chase alive The Golden State Warriors made a statement with an 112-101 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, clinching home court advantage throughout the playoffs in a cl... 2016-04-08 06:07 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 96 Kanye West shows sensitive side as he plants sweet kiss on North The 38-year-old rapper looked happy as he cosied up with his two-year-old daughter North on Thursday during their family ski trip to Vail, Colorado. 2016-04-08 06:05 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 97 Michelle Bridges goes on a bitter rant after getting slapped with fine The TV star went on a bitter Twitter rant after she received a hefty car fine, on Friday afternoon. 2016-04-08 06:04 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 98 We are blind to an epidemic of domestic abuse The Archers storyline is melodrama. The reality of an issue inflamed by political neglect is far worse 2016-04-08 06:00 7KB www.theguardian.com 99 Social mobility hindered by ‘culture of inequality’ in school system – peers Lords report says curriculum focuses too much on academic route, leaving those who do not go to university unprepared for world of work 2016-04-08 06:00 4KB www.theguardian.com 100 Allison Williams wows in a low-cut top and floral skirt for DVF Awards The 27-year-old wowed in Diane Von Furstenberg for the 2016 DVF Awards in New York City on Thursday. The actress wore a black low-cut top tucked into a floor-length floral skirt. 2016-04-08 06:00 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk Articles

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-08 12:04

1 San Francisco Police Fatally Shoot Man Carrying Knife (4.01/5) Two police officers shot and killed a man carrying a knife in the San Francisco's bustling Mission District on Thursday, the city's police chief said. San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr said officers shot the unidentified Latino man after he refused demands to drop a knife and after the suspect was shot four times with nonlethal beanbags full of pellets. The incident was the third fatal shooting of a minority suspect not carrying a gun in the last two years and the second since December. The previous two shootings along with two separate scandals involving officers exchanging homophobic and racist emails has led to several protests, calls for the chief's firing and wrongful death lawsuits. The U. S. Department of Justice recently agreed to requests from Suhr and Mayor Ed Lee to review the department's procedures and policies. Suhr has called in outside law enforcement experts to help the department develop less lethal responses to suspects not carrying guns. The latest incident began Thursday morning when city homeless outreach officials checking on residents living in tents called police to report a man carrying a knife, Suhr said. Suhr didn't identify the man, who officers reported charging at them before firing. Seven bullets casings were found and the kitchen knife recovered, Suhr said. The blade was 10 inches to 12 inches long, and witnesses described it as a chef's knife, he said. Two witnesses say a language barrier may have contributed to the shooting. John Visor and Stephanie Grant said they lived in a tent in the same encampment as the suspect and say he spoke only Spanish and that the officers barked their commands to drop the knife in English. Visor, 33, and Grant, 31, say the man was confused and walking in a circle when the officers hit him with the beanbags and then opened fire with guns. They say the man had stuffed the knife into his waistband before he was shot. "Everybody carries something for protection here," Visor said. "He didn't have the knife in his hand when he was shot. " Visor and Grant knew the man only as Jose. They said Jose liked to collect bottles and cans for recycling and enjoyed kicking a soccer ball, sometimes late into the night and to the occasional annoyance of pedestrians. "He never hurt anybody," Visor said. "He just liked to pick up cans. " The mayor said in a statement that "we are all striving to make sure officer involved shootings are rare and only occur as a last resort. " Lee said he has requested an independent investigation from the Office of Citizen complaints in addition to the customary investigations by the Police Department and district attorney. The last previous fatal shooting that involved San Francisco police occurred on Dec. 2, when five officers fatally shot Mario Woods 20 times, including six times in the back, in an incident caught on video. Woods' family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. On Wednesday, the city's police commission agreed to reconsider its ban on arming San Francisco police officers with stun guns because of the Woods incident and the 2014 police shooting death of Alex Nieto, a college student carrying a stun gun that officers mistook for a handgun. Nieto carried a stun gun for his job as a security guard. A federal grand jury earlier this year ruled the officers acted appropriately and refused to award Nieto's family any damages after a trial in San Francisco. San Francisco is one of only two of the nation's largest cities in the country that do not equip officers with stun guns. ——— Associated Press writer Lisa Leff contributed to this story from San Francisco.

State police shoot, wound man armed with shotgun at Wal-Mart washingtontimes.com

Man charged in fatal shooting in North Little Rock washingtontimes.com San Francisco police fatally shoot man carrying knife washingtontimes.com 2016-04-08 12:03 By abcnews.go.com

2 Reuters: World News - powered by FeedBurner (3.01/5) ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish and Israeli teams made progress towards finalising an agreement to mend ties between the two countries in talks and agreed a deal will be finalised in the next meeting to be convened very soon, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Friday.

FOXNews.com - powered by FeedBurner feeds.foxnews.com

AdWeek : All News - powered by FeedBurner feeds.adweek.com Reuters: U.S. - powered by FeedBurner feeds.reuters.com 2016-04-08 00:11 feeds.reuters.com

3 Man accused of torture killing escapes psychiatric hospital (2.00/5) SEATTLE (AP) — A man accused of torturing a woman to death but found too mentally ill for trial was on the loose Thursday after crawling out a window in a locked, lower-security unit of a Washington state psychiatric hospital already facing federal scrutiny over safety problems. Anthony Garver, 28, escaped Wednesday night with Mark Alexander Adams, 58, a patient who had been accused of domestic assault in 2014 and was captured Thursday morning, officials said. Authorities believe Garver bought a bus ticket from Seattle across the state to Spokane. Spokane Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Ellis told the Spokesman-Review Garver was spotted in the city’s East Valley and authorities were searching Thursday evening with police dogs, a SWAT team and helicopters. Deputy U. S. marshals told KHQ-TV that Garver showed up at his parents’ home in the area and that Garver’s mother called 911. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich described the search as “a pretty intense situation.” Western State Hospital says the men were discovered missing 45 minutes after they were last seen, but police said it took an hour and a half. There was no immediate way to reconcile the different timelines. Garver was charged in 2013 with tying a 20-year-old woman to her bed with electrical cords, stabbing her 24 times in the chest and slashing her throat, Snohomish County Assistant Prosecutor Craig Matheson said. Garver, who also has a history of running from authorities, was moved to a lower-security unit of the state’s largest psychiatric hospital after a judge said treatment to prepare him to face criminal charges was not working. The escape is the latest in a litany of problems at the 800-bed hospital south of Tacoma, where violent assaults on both staff and patients have occurred. U. S. regulators have repeatedly cited the facility over safety concerns and threatened to cut millions in federal funding. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently extended the hospital’s deadline for fixing the problems from April 1 to May 3. A federal judge also has said the hospital has failed to provide timely competency services to mentally ill people charged with crimes. A bus driver picked up a man he believed was Garver on Wednesday evening, said police, who urged anyone who spots him to stay away and contact authorities. Garver has been convicted of multiple charges and twice fled from authorities by stealing a car or leading a high-speed chase. Garver’s lawyer, Jon Scott, said he hopes Garver “is found quickly and safely.” Adams also got on a bus and asked the driver how to get to the airport. Someone recognized Adams, and officers picked him up without incident in a town just south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Lakewood police Lt. Chris Lawler said. The men were last seen at 6 p.m. Wednesday during dinner and found missing 45 minutes later during a routine patient check, said Carla Reyes, assistant director of the Department of Social and Health Services’ Behavioral Health Administration, which oversees mental health services in the state. Police said the absence was discovered at 7:30 p.m. and officers were alerted just after 7:45 p.m. Patients in the hospital’s lower-security unit are checked every hour, Reyes said. Garver and Adams were not placed in the high-security unit because a judge granted a state request to hold them as a danger to themselves or others after treatment failed to restore their ability to understand the criminal charges against them. Officials are conducting a safety review of the hospital and will bring in outside experts to help, Reyes said. “We can never have too many fresh eyes reviewing a situation as serious as this,” Reyes said in a statement. Nursing supervisor Paul Vilja said he was amazed to hear the men who escaped were assigned to a unit with hourly checks, because some of the more-dangerous patients are in units with checks every 15 minutes. Vilja and other hospital workers objected when the hospital first required the 15-minute checks two years ago because they said staffing levels were not adequate to handle the extra duties. Workers were required to fill out forms for each check but often fell behind, so not all of them were done, Vilja said. The state has tried to fix some of the problems by increasing funding to hire more workers. But the hospital has struggled with recruiting and retaining staffers. The state has a history of underfunding its mental health programs, including its facilities, said Lauren Simonds, executive director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Washington. Despite increased federal scrutiny, assaults have persisted at the hospital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. A patient with a history of violent behavior choked and punched a mental health technician on March 26, according to an internal report. Another report on March 23 said a male patient slipped out of his monitors and was found in a bathroom with another male patient, who said he was sexually assaulted. Injured employees missed 41,301 days of work between 2010 and 2014, and on-the-job injuries forced staff to move to other jobs, like desk work, for 7,760 days during that period, according to state Occupational Safety and Health Administration records. Workers’ compensation insurance paid $6 million in wage and medical costs for claims to injured hospital workers between January 2013 and September 2015, according to records acquired by the AP. ___ Follow Martha Bellisle at https://twitter.com/marthabellisle . Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Fans headed to Nationals Park will find a slew of new food and drink options on Opening Day.

Psychiatric hospital men escaped from under federal scrutiny dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-08 12:03 The Associated wtop.com

4 1 psych hospital escapee caught, other on lam (2.00/5) (CNN) One dangerous man who'd escaped a Washington state psychiatric hospital is now back in custody. But the man he fled with -- who'd been committed after being charged with murder -- remains on the loose, and a real threat to anyone in his path. ADAMS was just picked up in Des Moines without incident! He is on his way back to Lakewood to be interviewed by detectives! CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report.

Psychiatric hospital men escaped from under federal scrutiny dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-08 06:17 Greg Botelho rss.cnn.com

5 Arrests prompt policy study on teacher-student contact (2.00/5) LAS VEGAS (AP) - Should teachers be able to text and message their students online through Facebook and Twitter? It’s an issue that’s attracting attention at the Clark County School District as more teachers are arrested on allegations of being sexually involved with students, the Las Vegas Sun reported (http://bit.ly/1S9poee). The connection couldn’t be clearer. A 2015 investigation by The Sunday found that a vast majority of recent teacher sex abuse cases - around 80 percent - involved some type of private communication between the student and the teacher. And out of the five teachers arrested since that investigation was published, four were found to have communicated privately with students without the knowledge of their parents. Experts say private contact with students often encourages and magnifies “grooming” behavior, where would-be abusers lower a student’s resistance through constant “friendly” communication. Charles Young, a 29-year-old teacher’s assistant at Sedway Middle School, reportedly messaged the student for weeks over Facebook and sent nude photos over chat, according to the police. Young was arrested for lewdness last August after he reportedly admitted to police that he lured the boy to his apartment for sex. Jillian LaFave, a 25-year-old English teacher at Valley High School, was arrested in January on allegations that she had kissed a special ed student. Police said they later found LaFave and the student had sent over 13,000 texts to each other in just three months. In early March, 23-year-old teacher Robyn-Lea Gentile reportedly exchanged 800 text messages with a student at Harney Middle School before she was arrested on allegations that she had kissed him several times. Then, on April 1, Legacy High School teacher Frank Bayer was arrested on allegations that he had sex multiple times with a student in his classroom and the back of his van. Bayer reportedly told police they had exchanged “hundreds” of messages over Facebook and engaged in cybersex. When the police questioned the girl, she reportedly told them the chats also included innocent conversations about school and homework assignments. In response to the rise of these cases and the media coverage they inevitably bring, CCSD is looking at ways to provide students and teachers a safer way to communicate, though they haven’t offered specifics. “CCSD is exploring multiple technology platforms and applications that allow students and teachers to communicate in a setting that protects both the students and staff members from inappropriate and private messaging while still allowing a means for communicating critical information pertinent to academic achievement,” district spokeswoman Michelle Booth said in a statement. The district is also looking at what other school districts have done to address the issue. Meanwhile, officials in the teachers union say they are open to changes to conduct policy. Teacher conduct rules currently negotiated by the district and union hold that “the personal life of a teacher is not an appropriate concern of the district.” Another regulation states that “activities that may be construed as . abusive, offensive, and/or sexually explicit communications are not acceptable and have no place in the District,” though that applies only during school hours or using district devices. “We would support a policy that made that kind of behavior and activity prohibited,” said John Vellardita, CCEA executive director. “And we would tell educators that’s off limits.” Story Continues →

Stanford students want Western Civilization studies back Contact WND wnd.com 2016-04-08 10:41 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

6 Anne Hathaway gives birth to son (2.00/5) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Anne Hathaway is a first-time mother. E! reported Thursday that the Oscar-winning star of “Les Miserables” and husband Adam Shulman welcomed a son named Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman on March 24. Hathaway’s spokesman Stephen Huvane confirmed the report. The Academy Award-winning star of such films as “The Devil Wears Prada,” ”The Intern” and “Love & Other Drugs” posted a close-up photo of her baby bump with her Oscar statue on Instagram on Feb. 28. Hathaway and actor-producer Shulman married in 2012.

Jo-Ann Strauss gives birth to a baby girl timeslive.co.za 2016-04-08 10:40 FILE- www.washingtontimes.com

7 Turkey, Israel near normal relations: Ankara (2.00/5) "The teams made progress towards finalising the agreement and closing the gaps, and agreed that the deal will be finalised in the next meeting which will be convened very soon," the ministry said in a statement. The two sides held a fresh round of talks Thursday in a bid to repair ties between countries that were key regional allies until 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza. Ten Turkish aid activists were killed in the storming of the Mavi Marmara, which led to years of bitter accusations between the two countries. Ankara said the latest talks in London brought together powerful Turkish foreign ministry official Feridun Sinirlioglu, Joseph Ciechanover, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli National Security Advisor Jacob Nagel. The two sides met in December in secret talks to seek a rapprochement, with another round of high-level talks taking place in February in Geneva. Turkey had already said in February that the former allies were "close to concluding a deal". But they had yet to agree on all of Turkey's conditions, with the main hurdle appearing to be the lifting of Israel's blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Turkey has already received an apology for the storming of the Mavi Marmara, and talks have advanced on the subject of compensation for the victims. Analysts have suggested that Turkey's desire for a rapprochement has been accelerated by the drastic worsening in ties with Moscow since the shooting-down of a Russian warplane wrecked several joint projects. Ankara relies on Russia for more than half its natural gas imports and Turkey now has its eyes on Israeli gas reserves. Turkey, Israel expected to restore ties soon dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-08 09:12 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

8 Workplace Diversity Job Fair, Thursday, April 21, 2016 Workplace Diversity Job Fair Thursday, April 21, 2016 The Colonnade Hotel 120 Huntington Ave., Boston 10:00-4:00 Job Seekers Don’t miss this exciting opportunity The Boston Herald is hosting the 24th bi-annual Workplace Diversity Job Fair on Thursday, April 21. Companies from the Greater Boston area will be in attendance looking for candidates to fill positions in areas including sales, business, medical, retail, technology and more! Look for a special pull-out section on Wednesday, April 20 for all the information you will need to make the job fair a success for you. There is no cost or obligation for attending. Proper attire is suggested. The following companies are participating in the Thursday, April 21 Workplace Diversity Job Fair: Arbour Hospital AT&T Boston Senior Home Care Eliot Community Human Services Feeney Brothers Excavation Frito-Lay Grand Circle Corporation Keolis Commuter Service Old Town Trolley Tours of Boston Shaw’s Supermarkets United States Postal Service VNA of Boston WGBH and many, many more………… The Workplace Diversity Job Fair is conducted in accordance with federal laws advocating employment for all individuals. The Workplace Diversity Job Fair is handicapped accessible. If special arrangements are required, please call 617-619-6168 no later than 2 days prior to the event.

2016-04-08 12:03 www.bostonherald.com

9 Catholic archdiocese vs. insurer in priest sex abuse cases HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Roman Catholic archdiocese in Connecticut is taking its dispute with an insurance company to trial, seeking reimbursement of more than $1 million in payments made to settle sexual misconduct cases involving priests and minors. The case is one of many around the country in which insurance companies have balked at paying claims related to lawsuits over priest sex abuse. The Hartford archdiocese says Interstate Fire & Casualty has breached its contract by refusing to reimburse church officials for payments made in four abuse cases after the company reimbursed them previously in other abuse settlements. The trial is scheduled to begin Friday in federal court in New Haven. A lawyer and a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based insurance company declined to comment. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Fans headed to Nationals Park will find a slew of new food and drink options on Opening Day.

2016-04-08 12:03 DAVE COLLINS wtop.com

10 How to get by in Beijing without a wallet But in China's largest cities, you can definitely survive without carrying a pocket full of cash and credit cards -- as long as you've got your smartphone. When I lived in the United States, I didn't pay cash very often but I always carried my credit or debit cards. I wrote checks for my rent and paid most of my bills online. China's fast-developing mobile commerce industry is estimated to dwarf that of the U. S., so I set out to see how far a phone would get me in the country's capital. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical about going an entire day Beijing without my wallet, but I was surprised to discover just how easy and convenient it is. I pay for breakfast by scanning a QR code on the window of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that sells jianbing, a delicious fried crepe that's one of China's most popular street breakfasts. My purchase costs 6 yuan (about 93 cents) and takes just a few seconds. All I have to do is input a password and the transaction is complete. At a nearby coffee shop, the barista scans a QR code on CNN news assistant Shen Lu's phone. As we sip our coffee, Shen Lu pays her household water bill at the table. In seconds, she is able to transfer funds from one of several linked accounts. She regularly uses the same simple process to pay other bills and even her rent. In Beijing, I can also pay by phone for movie tickets, takeout food and to shop for goods for delivery. I use my phone to hail a taxi so I can meet Gu Yu, co-founder of a new payment app, Mileslife. Ride sharing using a mobile payment app allows us to save money by ordering multiple taxi stops and splitting the fare at the end. Related: China's 'Cyber Monday' smashes records ... again Gu says many urban Chinese don't even bother with credit cards because they prefer to pay by phone. "It's what I'd call a late development advantage. China doesn't have a really lucrative credit card system," he says. "So Chinese just skipped credit cards and went to mobile payments. " As we ride around Beijing, Gu points out the advantages of mobile payments. No coins or crumpled bills that can be lost or stolen, electronic receipts, the ease of keeping track of spending -- and of course, no bulky wallet. After arriving at our destination in Beijing's trendy Sanlitun area, we eat lunch and split the check -- also using our phones. From tiny street vendors to large chains, a huge number of businesses in Beijing accept mobile payments, mostly through popular apps Alipay and WeChat. Alipay is tied to Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce titan. WeChat, developed by Tencent, is one of the biggest standalone messaging apps in the world with nearly 700 million active users. Hundreds of millions of Chinese use Alipay and WeChat to make payments with their phones, and the market is growing fast. Research firm eMarketer has estimated retail sales on mobile devices in China rose 85% to around $334 billion in 2015. That makes the Chinese market more than four times the size of the U. S. one, the firm says. Related: Apple and Samsung are taking on Alipay in China Part of the appeal of mobile payments for companies is the ability to track customers' spending habits. But in China, the government heavily monitors and censors social media apps, including mobile commerce. "I think normal citizens don't worry" about their activities and spending being monitored, Gu says. "I think human rights activists have huge concerns. " The next frontier for the industry is expansion beyond big Chinese cities. Much of rural China still relies on cash. Despite China's slowing economy, the huge untapped population of hundreds of millions of people represents a big opportunity for mobile payment companies. 2016-04-08 12:03 Will Ripley rss.cnn.com

11 PH fields 11 shorts in Cannes fest Since 2004, the Cannes Short Film Corner has been inviting promising young filmmakers to participate in the annual event in the south of France, from May 11 to 22. At presstime, 11 works by Filipino directors have been accepted to join the program: Emil Ray Alviz’s “Maria,” Allison Barretto’s “Re-,” Rod-Michael Tumbaga’s “Neon,” Khalil Joseph Bañares’ “Hail the Queen,” Thop Nazareno’s “Lope,” Christian Lat’s “Séjour,” Dwight Galang’s “Yapak,” James Robin Mayo’s “September at Simon,” Richard Webb’s “Kulimlim,” Jordan dela Cruz’s “Panaginip ni Nida Chua (May 25, 1985),” and Eli Razo’s “Crossroads.” According to its website, this short film program is “an essential rendezvous” for filmmakers from 105 countries. Lat, who worked as a waiter in Canada, never imagined that his film would make it to Cannes. “We shot most of the film with just me and my producer [actor] Leon Miguel,” recalled Lat, who returned to the country to pursue filmmaking two years ago. “For me, finishing ‘Séjour’ was an accomplishment in itself. I didn’t expect it would be invited to a festival abroad.” In France, Lat plans “to watch films, meet other aspiring filmmakers” and learn from them, as well. “Each film has its own obstacles. It’s amazing what we can achieve if we put our hearts, minds and souls into it.” Tumbaga was just as incredulous upon receiving the acceptance letter from Cannes. “I read [somewhere] that the program would only choose films with cinematic, artistic values. I thought my film was somewhat outrageous.” Tumbaga described “Neon” as “a love letter” to his old self, his previous beliefs on life and living. “If ever I get to Cannes, I hope to network with industry players, meet fellow filmmakers and share my burning passion for creating ‘outrageous’ films.” Alviz, who now works as a director in Dubai, likewise hopes to actively participate in this year’s fest. “Cannes will be a milestone in my career and can allow me to touch base with potential investors who can help me in my future projects.” Alviz’s “Maria,” which topbills Chynna Ortaleza and Glaiza de Castro, was previously shown at the Cinemalaya and QCinema fests. “I need to get to France first,” Alviz explained. “The big challenges are preparing a pitch for a future project and building a network with financiers and colleagues from all over the world.” Bañares, whose film “Hail the Queen” is an “erotic thriller” that tackles women’s rights, was “pleasantly surprised” to be given this “huge opportunity.” “In Cannes, you’ll not only get to showcase your film, you’ll meet a lot of people and get a good feel of festivals and film markets, too,” Bañares pointed out. “All these will contribute to our growth [as directors]. But what’s more important is that this will give me and the other Filipinos in the program a chance to represent our country in France.” “Every year, Cannes accepts thousands of short films,” Barretto remarked. “Hopefully, this experience will open more doors to young filmmakers like me.” Barretto, whose film “Re-” is about Facebook and modern technology, hopes that their inclusion would “encourage other young people, especially those from developing countries, to tell their stories to the world.” Galang agreed: “It’s a great place for young filmmakers to showcase their works. It’s a prestigious institution. But I wish more Filipinos would have the means to submit their films.” Galang explained that his film, “Yapak,” is precisely about the challenges of life. “My intention is to drive home the point that there is always a bigger picture … a bigger struggle.” Mayo clarified: “Although the Short Film Corner is very different from the competition, it’s still a great opportunity to screen our films. I submitted ‘September at Simon’ hoping that someone will notice it. Whatever the platform, it is an honor to be part of it.” Mayo pointed out: “It’s not about the prestige, but more importantly, about the possibilities of having a broader network, so you can learn from other filmmakers and different audiences.” Nazareno admitted: “As a newcomer, it’s always a struggle to get your work noticed. Cannes gives us the chance to meet industry professionals from all over the world. Nazareno confessed, however, that traveling to Europe can be a challenge in itself. “I’m still unsure if I could attend, but I remain hopeful that my film ‘Lope’s’ participation will connect me to the right people who will believe in my ability and storytelling style.”

2016-04-08 12:03 Bayani San entertainment.inquirer.net

12 Padres outfielder, 2 others banned for drug violations NEW YORK (AP) — San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Urena and two free agent players have been suspended for violating baseball’s minor league drug program. The commissioner’s office announced Thursday that Urena has been penalized along with outfielder Henry Charles and right-handed pitcher Adam Reifer. Urena was handed an 80-game ban, effective immediately, after testing positive for a metabolite of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance. The 21-year-old Urena is on the roster at Class A Fort Wayne in the Midwest League. He batted.258 with seven homers, 45 RBIs and a .390 on-base percentage in 63 games for low-A Tri-City last season. Charles also tested positive for a metabolite of Nandrolone and was given a 76-game suspension. Reifer received an 80-game punishment following a positive test for Ostarine, also a performance-enhancing substance, the commissioner’s office said. The suspensions for Charles and Reifer will take effect when they sign with another major league club. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Fans headed to Nationals Park will find a slew of new food and drink options on Opening Day.

2016-04-08 12:03 The Associated wtop.com

13 Today in History: April 8 Today is Friday, April 8, the 99th day of 2016. There are 267 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking Babe Ruth’s record. On this date: In 1820, the Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos. In 1864, the United States Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in Jan. 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in Dec. 1865.) In 1904, Longacre Square in Manhattan was renamed Times Square after The New York Times. In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for popular election of United States senators (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures), was ratified. President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, which provided money for programs such as the Works Progress Administration. In 1946, the League of Nations assembled in Geneva for its final session. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman seized the American steel industry to avert a nationwide strike. (The Supreme Court later ruled that Truman had overstepped his authority, opening the way for a seven-week strike by steelworkers.) In 1961, a suspected bomb exploded aboard the passenger liner MV Dara in the Persian Gulf, causing it to sink; 238 of the 819 people aboard were killed. In 1973, artist Pablo Picasso died in Mougins (MOO’-zhun), France, at age 91. In 1981, General of the Army Omar N. Bradley died in New York at age 88. In 1990, Ryan White, the teenage AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance had gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18. The cult TV series “Twin Peaks” premiered on ABC. In 1994, Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist for the grunge band Nirvana, was found dead in Seattle from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27. Ten years ago: The Rolling Stones made their debut in mainland China with a censored – but still raucous – concert in Shanghai. Harley-Davidson Inc. opened its first dealership in China. Eight members of the Toronto chapter of the Bandidos biker gang were found dead in a remote wooded area of a farmer’s property in Shedden, Ontario, Canada; six Bandidos from Winnipeg were convicted in 2009 of murdering them. Five years ago: Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting an embarrassing federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending. One year ago: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR’ tsahr-NEYE’-ehv) was convicted by a federal jury on all 30 charges against him in the Boston Marathon bombing and found him responsible for the deaths of the three people killed in the 2013 attack and the killing of an MIT police officer three days later. (He was sentenced to death the following month.) Today’s Birthdays: Comedian Shecky Greene is 90. Actor-turned-diplomat John Gavin is 85. Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh is 79. Former U. N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan is 78. Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek is 76. “Mouseketeer” Darlene Gillespie is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer J. J. Jackson is 75. Singer Peggy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 75. Songwriter-producer Leon Huff is 74. Actor Hywel Bennett is 72. Actor Stuart Pankin is 70. Rock musician Steve Howe is 69. Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay is 69. Movie director John Madden is 67. Rock musician Mel Schacher (Grand Funk Railroad) is 65. Actor John Schneider is 56. “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch is 55. Rock musician Izzy Stradlin is 54. Singer Julian Lennon is 53. Actor Dean Norris is 53. Rock singer-musician Donita Sparks is 53. Rapper Biz Markie is 52. Actress Robin Wright is 50. Actress Patricia Arquette is 48. Rock singer Craig Honeycutt (Everything) is 46. Rock musician Darren Jessee is 45. Actress Emma Caulfield is 43. Actress Katee Sackhoff is 36. Actor Taylor Kitsch is 35. Rock singer-musician Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) is 32. Actor Taran Noah Smith is 32. Actress Kirsten Storms is 32. Rock musician Jamie Sierota (Echosmith) is 23. Actress Sadie Calvano is 19. Thought for Today: “The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.” – Gen. Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981).

2016-04-08 12:03 The Associated wtop.com

14 Jennifer Lawrence leads female stars’ fight for equal treatment Many female stars complain that the biggest and best film roles today are written for male stars and protagonists, often limiting actresses to “love interest” or “sexy eye candy” status. Is their complaint valid, or is it just a sign of the feminist times? “Flashbacking” way back to Hollywood in the ’20s and ’30s, we learn that female stars topped the box office, since filmgoing in those early days was mainly a female activity. It was important to women that they be given lovely and/or feisty female stars to identify with— and the movie studios did their bidding, with alacrity! Then came the 1940s and World War II—and the situation changed dramatically, and swiftly. The war years placed a premium on heroism in battle, thus prompting producers, scriptwriters and directors to rush the production of war dramas and epics, topbilling newly popular male leads. The Second World War was fought, won and ended in less than a decade. But, when the dust and smoke cleared the movie theaters were no longer the near-exclusive preserve of female fans. Fast-tracking now to 2016, our movie screens are dominated by big action blockbusters like the “Star Wars,” “James Bond” and Marvel Comics juggernauts. They make hundreds of millions of dollars for their producers and still largely male action stars, today’s movie kings and princes like Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, Robert Downey Jr., Vin Diesel and Gerald Butler. Some female stars have made inroads into their macho territory, like Daisy Ridley as the female protagonist in the “Force Awakens,” but 2015’s top hits, like “Jurassic World,” “Spectre,” “Rogue Nation, “Furious 7,” “The Martian” and “Fury Road” were still dominated by male superstars. It makes sense, therefore, that the current fight for better roles and more equable talent fees for female stars is being led by Jennifer Lawrence. Like Ridley, she’s topbilled more than her share of blockbusters, paced by the “Hunger Games” film series—so Lawrence has the industry “cred” to insist on equal treatment and meatier roles for women, starting with productions slated for release next year. With Lawrence and Ridley setting the pace, that could begin to happen—but, the money part could be a tougher row to hoe. Top earners last year were mostly male, with Downey Jr. setting the pace with $75 million, all told; followed by Leonardo DiCaprio ($45M), Liam Neeson ($40M) and Bradley Cooper ($35M). For her part, Lawrence was able to keep up with $35M, but other top female leads had to settle for much less—Cameron Diaz made $18M, Scarlett Johansson got $17M, and Jennifer Aniston grossed $15M. Lawrence was able to demand and get top-dollar compensation due to her series of hit films, but other female stars can’t cite her grosses, so they’ve had to settle for considerably less. Still, Lawrence’s example—and gutsy insistence on respect and financial recompence for her key contributions at the box office (not to mention her slew of acting awards) could be—the way to go!

2016-04-08 12:03 Nestor U entertainment.inquirer.net

15 Tarasenko powers Blues to 2-1 win over Blackhawks CHICAGO (AP) — The battle for the top spot in the Western Conference was almost over. Then Vladimir Tarasenko stepped up for the St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko scored his second goal of the game at 3:37 of overtime, and the Blues cooled off the Chicago Blackhawks with a 2-1 victory Thursday night in a possible playoff preview. St. Louis (49-23-9) won for the eighth time in nine games to remain tied with Dallas for the Central Division lead. The Stars, who finished off a 4-2 victory over Colorado right before Tarasenko’s winner, own the first tiebreaker heading into their season finale against Nashville on Saturday, while the Blues host NHL-leading Washington in their finale on the same night. “We want home ice the whole way,” said Brian Elliott, who made 24 saves. “Obviously, Washington is going to win that. But in our conference, in our division there, if we can get that home-ice advantage, that’s a big thing. Especially if we get past the first couple of series.” Tarasenko also tied it with 1:16 left in regulation with a laser from the left circle on a rebound attempt off a shot from Kevin Shattenkirk. His team-best 39th goal was an easy one, with Alex Pietrangelo making a nice pass to set up an open net in overtime. “I was calling for it and thanks, Petro,” Tarasenko said. Jonathan Toews scored for Chicago (47-27-7) which had won five of six. Scott Darling, subbing for the injured Corey Crawford, made 33 saves. The Blackhawks are locked into the third spot in the Central and will face the Blues or the Stars in the first round. “Hurts, hurts for sure,” forward Patrick Kane said. “I thought we played a great game up to that point against a good team. You give one up with 1:15 left and then you’re in a position where you have to score in that 1:15 to basically put yourself in a good position to try and get home ice. It obviously didn’t happen.” Elliott made three stops in overtime. He is 11-0 in his last 13 games, matching a franchise record for consecutive wins. “You just try to feel good and just play and take your mind out of it and let your body work and trust in your instincts and preparation and just go out and play,” he said. “That’s the mindset.” Moments after a pair of penalties sent off a player from each team in the second, Toews made the most of the extra space on the ice. The captain skated into the left circle and sent a shot between Elliott’s legs at 12:40. Toews’ 28th goal of the season extended his points streak to six games. He had a goal and two assists in Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory against Arizona. Before Toews put Chicago in front, the Blackhawks had been stymied by Elliott all night long. The goaltender also got some help in the first when Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester blocked a shot by Teuvo Teravainen with most of the net uncovered. Elliott also stopped a penalty shot for Andrew Ladd with 4:58 left in the third. The Blues struggled to generate many prime opportunities. A streaking Paul Stastny got to the net early in the third, but was unable to corral an airborne pass in time to get off a good shot. Darling stopped Magnus Paajarvi’s rebound attempt with about three minutes left, and Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk then swept away the loose puck from the goalmouth. Bouwmeester returned for St. Louis after missing six games with an upper-body injury, but rookie Robby Fabbri was sidelined for the fourth straight game with a lower-body injury. Forward David Backes and goaltender Jake Allen also were held out with lower-body injuries, but could return for the playoffs. The Blackhawks played without Crawford and forwards Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw due to injuries. Duncan Keith missed the game due to a suspension that runs through the playoff opener. “I don’t mind the way we’re playing here,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’re missing five guys in a game I thought we played pretty good and did some good things in a lot of ways, in a lot of areas. I didn’t mind it.” Crawford and Hossa participated in the morning skate, and it looks as if Crawford will return for Saturday’s season finale at Columbus for his first game since a 5-0 loss to the Kings on March 14. If Hossa doesn’t return against the Blue Jackets, he is expected to be ready for the start of the playoffs. Shaw and Anisimov also are expected to be ready for the start of the postseason next week. NOTES: The 39 goals for Tarasenko are a career high. He had 37 last season. … Chicago went 26-12-3 at home. … The Blackhawks killed off two power-play opportunities for the Blues and have killed off 21 straight overall. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Fans headed to Nationals Park will find a slew of new food and drink options on Opening Day.

2016-04-08 12:03 JAY COHEN wtop.com

16 Sniper kills last doctor in besieged Syrian town BEIRUT (AP) -- Mohammed Khous was walking from the field hospital heading for his son's house nearby to rest between operations. He would never make it: a sniper's bullet to the head felled the 70-year-old in the street. With that, the Syrian town of Zabadani -- under heavy siege by government forces and allied Hezbollah militia -- lost its last doctor. His killing last month drew attention to the continuing severity of Syria's blockades, despite international efforts to defuse them as part of ongoing peace negotiations in Geneva. Dozens of people have died in the past year from starvation or illness related to malnutrition in besieged areas across Syria. Nearly half a million Syrians are trapped in sieges, according to the United Nations, and humanitarian aid convoys have only been able to reach 30 percent of them this year. Most are besieged by government forces and another 200,000 by the Islamic State group, the Secretary General's office told the U. N. Security Council on March 23. "The daily misery in these areas shames us all," Stephen O'Brien, the U. N.'s Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council. Conditions in Zabadani -- once a popular mountain resort -- are a microcosm of the cruel reality that has beset Syrians across the country. Dr. Khous was known to Zabadani residents as a generous and skillful surgeon who would recite poetry at the town' s cultural center before he was sucked into the country's spiraling civil war. "He had a knack for verse," said Amer Burhan, the administrator of the town's field hospital. "He loved Zabadani. He would sing about it. " After security forces launched a brutal crackdown against anti-government protests in 2011 in the prelude to the country's bloodstained conflict, Dr. Khous began quietly treating wounded demonstrators in his clinic in the nearby town of Baqin. Security forces were tracking down medical personnel who treated demonstrators, and he could not afford to attract the attention of government informers. In 2012, the Free Syrian Army, which is aligned with the protesters, expelled government forces from Zabadani. When the last surgeon left the town in 2015, Dr. Khous moved there to staff the operating room. One employee of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports medical facilities in the country, said rebels forced Dr. Khous to fill the vacancy. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions. It was there that Dr. Khous became trapped in one of the harshest sieges of the war, after Lebanon's Hezbollah militia alongside government forces waged a pitiless campaign to dislodge rebel militias from the town. The Hezbollah campaign sent almost all of the town's civilians fleeing to neighboring Madaya, which also fell under siege to government and Hezbollah forces last year. Engineers mined the areas around the two towns, and snipers took up positions to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. For a while, Dr. Khous worked with Dr. Amal Awad Tatari, who did not have surgical training. But in January, she agreed to leave as part of a deal brokered by the U. N. between government and opposition forces to release injured people from four besieged towns across Syria. She didn't want to go, but she had sustained an injury a year earlier and the suffocating siege became too much for her to bear. "It really exhausted us and my health deteriorated. I have a wound to my head, shrapnel in my hand and a slipped disk. It reached a point where I couldn't walk," she said from Turkey, where she is receiving treatment. Tatari said the conditions inside the hospital were dire. "We would have to ration the sterilization kits," she said. "You can't believe how difficult it was. " Dr. Khous remained collected and professional, but the siege was taking its toll. "You could sense he was living in another world, sometimes. We would be in the hospital for example, and there is shelling, but there are no injuries, and he's sitting writing poetry," Tatari said. "We want to rebuild you, a paradise / O', my heart, Zabadani," he wrote in one poem shared by the SAMS with The Associated Press. Dr. Khous continued to treat the gunshot and shelling wounds that regularly afflicted the 500 or so remaining residents on his own. SAMS was debating whether to cut support to the hospital, because most of those remaining in Zabadani were fighters. Then, on March 25, Dr. Khous was shot by a sniper on his way back from work. "We received a phone call that there was a martyr and we went and found Dr. Khous on the road," said the hospital administrator, Burhan. "He was shot in the head -- it was aimed to kill. " The bullet came from the direction of the siege, said Burhan. "We are 95 percent sure he was killed by a government or Hezbollah sniper," he said. Tatari said two others in Zabadani were killed by snipers that day. She said there was no way Dr. Khous could have been confused for a militant. He never carried a weapon, she said, and he was always dressed as a civilian. "You could tell, too, that he was advanced in age. It was clear from a distance," she said. It took rescue workers three hours to remove his body from the street as snipers forced them to take cover. A few days later, another man was shot in Zabadani. Ibrahim Ahmad Deeb was a close friend of the hospital administrator, Burhan. "He suffered a pretty serious wound, and as we do not have doctors, we didn't know how to treat him," Burhan said. "We watched him pass away. " ___ Follow Philip Issa at https://twitter.com/philiptissa Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2016-04-08 12:03 Associated Press mynorthwest.com

17 Charlie Puth to return to Manila on August 14! Manila will be enthralled again as the voice behind the hit songs “Marvin Gaye”, “See You Again”, “One Call Away”, and “Suffer” — Charlie Puth takes the stage on August 14, 2016 at the Kia Theater. In support of the pop singer’s debut album, Nine Track Mind – it’s worth looking back at the extraordinary ride this multi-talented vocalist, musician, producer, and versatile songwriter has been on ever since 2014. Signed with Atlantic Records, he co-wrote, co-produced, and featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Furious 7 ballad “See You Again” — a 4x-platinum smash that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks, tying the record for the longest run at No. 1 for a rap song, and became No. 1 in over 100 countries, while its video racked up more than a billion YouTube views. He followed that up with the British chart-topper “Marvin Gaye,” featuring Meghan Trainor, which gave Puth another platinum record and his second Top 40 hit in the U. S. In 2015 he ended up with an array of accolades including two Teen Choice Awards, a Hollywood Film Award, two American Music Award, MTV Video Music Award, and MTV Europe Award nominations, plus a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Original Song’. Puth also received an impressive three GRAMMY nominations including the coveted ‘Song of the Year’ category that specifically recognizes songwriters. Along the way, Puth wrote and produced songs for an array of A-list pop and urban artists, including Lil Wayne, Jason Derulo, Stevie Wonder, Trainor, Trey Songz, and Fergie, among others. Entertainment Weekly called him “the next big thing in music,” while Forbes predicted Puth would become “a global superstar” — a forecast that seemed to be borne out during his promo tours in Europe and Asia, complete with the paparazzi chasing him in France and thousands of fans screaming for him in the Philippines. “I couldn’t believe that many people knew me as an artist,” Puth marvels. “I played for 7,000 people in the Philippines, and they knew every single word to all of the songs, even the ones that haven’t come out yet.” As to his debut album, Puth says “The album reflects me as a person by showing how closed off yet open I can be with people,” he says. “Even though I don’t appear shy times at times, I do consider myself to be a pretty shy person. This is very personal music and I’m opening myself up by sharing it with the world.” In addition to the sultry “Marvin Gaye,” which Puth says he wanted to be like musical courage for an unassuming guy like him, every song on the album was written to express something he was feeling at the time, whether it was concern for a friend he couldn’t be there for in person because his hectic schedule (“One Call Away”), loving someone although he knew it wasn’t smart (“Dangerously”), or overwhelm from the pressure of trying to finish the album (“Losing My Mind”). Nearly every song was initially produced in his bedroom, though he did collaborate with a few select songwriters and producers. “My Gospel” was written with Nashville veteran Josh Kear (Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan). He also worked with accomplished songwriter Breyan Isaac (David Guetta, Pitbull) on the sexy track “Suffer” about the pain and torture you go through when someone you want to be with is playing hard to get. As the final touch on the album, Charlie’s good friend and pop singer Selena Gomez added her vocals to the song “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” which is about cutting off all communication after a break up. “I played this song for Selena and she loved it.” For more information on tickets and reservations, you may visit Ticketnet online: www.ticketnet.com.ph www.ticketnet.com.ph or call (02) 911-5555.

2016-04-08 12:03 INQUIRER.net entertainment.inquirer.net

18 Fishing amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea CATO, Philippines — As Asian countries jostle for territory in the South China Sea, one Filipino fisherman is taking a stand. He has faced down Chinese coast guard rifles, and even engaged in a stone- throwing duel with the Chinese last month that shattered two windows on his outrigger. “They’ll say, ‘Out, out of Scarborough,'” Renato Etac says, referring to Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcropping claimed by both the Philippines and China. He yells back, “Where is the document that shows Scarborough is Chinese property?” At one level, the territorial disputes in the South China Sea are a battle of wills between American and Chinese battleships and planes. At another level, they are cat-and-mouse chases between the coast guards of several countries and foreign fishermen, and among the fishing boats themselves. Indonesia seized a Chinese fishing boat last month and arrested eight fishermen, only to have a Chinese coast guard vessel ram the fishing boat as it was being towed, allowing it to escape. Vietnam’s coast guard chased away more than 100 Chinese boats over a two-week period, its state media reported this week, and made a rare seizure of a Chinese ship carrying 100,000 liters (26,400 gallons) of diesel oil, reportedly for sale to fishing boats in the area. The South China Sea, a hodgepodge of overlapping territorial claims in the Pacific, is both strategically important and a vital shipping route for international trade. It may also contain valuable oil and natural gas reserves. As tensions ratchet up, though, it is perhaps those who make a living at sea who feel it the most. Here are some stories from fishermen around the region: Philippines: The Guardian of Scarborough Shoal Renato Etac has had dozens of encounters with Chinese ships. More than once, a small team of Chinese coast guardsmen on a rubber boat approached his boat and pointed their rifles at him, but he says he knew they would not fire and risk starting a war. At other times, the Chinese will surge as if to hit his boat, but the 37-year-old fisherman uses his keen knowledge of Scarborough Shoal — where he has fished for Spanish mackerel, trevally and grouper since he was a teenager — to outmaneuver them. Etac says he just wants to defend his livelihood in waters that used to be open to all. China took control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012 after a two-month standoff with Philippine government ships. It sits about 230 kilometers (145 miles) west of the Philippines, and 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Chinese coast. “It’s like quarreling, like playing games,” he says. “Yelling, dirty finger, everything’s there. Sometimes I use expletives in different dialects and I get to laugh when I see them, because they don’t understand what I’m saying.” He enjoys what he calls the territorial “debates” in the high seas, though his earnings from a weeklong fishing expedition have dropped by more than half to 3,000 pesos ($63), because of both the Chinese disruptions and competition. “He’s like the guardian of Scarborough, sir,” said Greggy Etac, a relative and a fellow fisherman. “I used to sail with him, but now, I’m scared.” — Jim Gomez in Cato, Philippines. READ: South China Sea: Fish wars China: Coast guard to the rescue Chinese fishermen working out of the Hainan island port of Tanmen say they now enjoy much greater support from their country’s beefed-up coast guard. They have been forced to range further out to sea because of the heavy depletion of coastal fisheries, says Li Xianchuan, a 64-year-old crew member who has been fishing in and around Scarborough, the Spratly islands and the closer-in Paracels — claimed also by Vietnam — for 40 years. “There are many more fish in the Nansha islands, particularly Huangyan island,” he says, using the Chinese terms for the contested Spratly group and Scarborough Shoal. In previous years, Chinese government ships would issue radio warnings about the presence of Philippine patrol ships around Scarborough Shoal. “It was very dangerous and scary,” he says, as his 90-ton vessel takes on fresh water in preparation for a foray into the South China Sea. “We had to run around the reefs to get away from big (Philippine) boats. Thanks to the shallow water and submerged reefs, their big boats could not enter the reefs. We played hide-and-seek inside the reef until their boats gave up and left.” Conditions for Chinese fishermen have vastly improved with the addition of new and larger Chinese coast guard vessels and a more proactive approach, Li says. A call to the coast guard will bring help within two to three hours, he says. Fishing in the South China Sea remains perilous, Li says. Fishermen must contend with rogue sailors from Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia who might try to rob them of their catches and fishing equipment. Li says he has been fired on once, and knows of several fishermen killed in encounters with Philippine boats. — Zhang Weiqun in Tanmen, China Taiwan: Fear of banditry at sea Heightened competition, and even banditry, is making it ever-harder to make a living, says Taiwanese fishing boat owner Hong Huai-jen. “Now, they are not only fishing in the South China Sea, but have also broken into our territorial waters,” Hong says, standing by his boat in the southern Taiwan port of Donggang, which looks out on the Taiwan Strait. His boat was surrounded last November by a group of Vietnamese fishing boats in waters off Taiwan, presumably for the purpose of robbing him. He managed to give them the slip and called the Taiwanese coast guard for help. The Vietnamese boats had dispersed by the time help arrived. “Taiwanese fishermen don’t have any weapons,” Hong says. “Once they board our boats, there’s nothing we can do. We would be detained and we have to pay for our release.” He has been fishing for 14 years from his home port on Xiaoliuqiu, an island in the Taiwan Strait. “There’s a big difference compared with the business we had before,” he says. “My father has worked as a fisherman for about 40 years. The fishery resources were rich, and there were fewer fishing boats before. But now, the resources are thin and there are lots of boats.” — Johnson Lai in Donggang, Taiwan Indonesia: Ancestral disputes Fish-rich waters around Indonesia’s Natuna Islands have a long history of being contested, says Anton Leonard, a fisherman and exporter who is secretary-general of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association representing traditional fishermen. “Fishermen that come from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and China have told native fishermen that Natuna waters are their traditional fishing grounds since the time of their ancestors,” says Leonard. “Local fishermen in Natuna could not resist their presence because some of them believe the claims, others because such vessels are much bigger, more advanced and sometimes also carrying weapons.” Native fisherman haven’t been directly affected by South China Sea incidents that involve Chinese patrol boats, likely because they don’t venture far out into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone, he says. But Indonesia’s crackdown on foreign fishing vessels in its waters and a policy against “transshipment” of fish between boats at sea has affected the livelihood of traditional fisherman because they have fewer opportunities to sell their catch. At the same time, the government lacks a comprehensive strategy to empower the fishermen and improve their industry, Leonard says. “We are not afraid to face foreign boats coming into our territory,” Leonard said. “We’re eager to help the government and waiting to be involved in the defense of the country, even if only to be able to inform the local authorities about their presence within our waters.” — Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia Vietnam: Fearing China For five generations, Tran Lan’s family has been fishing in the South China Sea. He was 17 when he started going out in a small boat with his father. The family did well enough to buy two wooden trawlers for $90,000 each. His four sons, now aged 19 to 30, joined him. The decades-old routine changed in the early 2000s when their boat was threatened and nearly rammed by Chinese maritime police four times near the Paracel Islands in South China Sea. They switched their fishing grounds to the less bountiful Tonkin Gulf, but still work in constant fear of being attacked by the Chinese. “We have equipped GPS and navigation to identify Chinese boats so we can avoid them,” Lan says. “The last thing I want is to get too close to Chinese boats. They have bigger boats and definitely would outrun us.” His boats were among about 1,000 anchored at Tho Quang terminal, the biggest in the central port city of Danang. He and others were busily readying their boats to go back to sea. Each expedition lasts up to 30 days, punctuated by two to three weeks in port to rest and repair boats and gear. Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Paracel Islands, which have been controlled by China since 1974. Vietnam has accused China of harassing and attacking its fishermen in what it says are traditional fishing grounds near the Paracels that they have been working for generations. “I was fishing near the Paracel Islands for a long time, but the Chinese have sealed it off,” Lan says, whose family earns about $27,000 a year catching squid. “It was a good area for fishing.” — Hau Dinh in Danang, Vietnam READ: Chinese vessels ram PH fishers’ boat at Panatag

2016-04-08 12:03 Associated Press globalnation.inquirer.net

19 Steep hike in fees boon for IITs, bane for students In addition to its high cut-off percentages, paying the fees to study at an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will prove to be a costly affair from the coming academic year. The annual fee structure for undergraduate engineering course in all IITs will now be R2 lakh, as opposed to the existing Rs 90,000. Representational pic The proposal from the IIT council to hike fees was approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). However, SC/ST candidates, differently-abled persons and candidates from economically weaker sections have been provided with a total fee waiver. While IITs are looking forward to greater financial autonomy with this decision, there are mixed reactions from students and other stakeholders. The panel, headed by IIT Roorkee chairman Ashok Misra met last month and approved a proposal for a three-fold increase in tuition from present R90,000 to R3lakh per annum. However, the final decision was taken by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who chairs the IIT Council, the highest decision-making body for all 16 IITs. As per the plan, the fee-hike was proposed with a properly devised system in which needy students will be able to get a bank-loan on the basis of an admission letter from an IIT. Existing students feel the increase in fee structure was much needed. But they also feel that it will be difficult for students wanting to pursue research or entrepreneurship. Steep hike Sumit Rao, an aspiring IITian who has just appeared for Joint Entrance Examination (main), said, “This is a steep hike. This means the total course will then be of R8 lakh.” His mother Meenal Rao said, “Already one has to pay coaching institutes in lakhs in order to get admission into IIT. Now, further expenditure to complete the course in IIT is certainly going to be a burden, even if there are options made available such as bank loan.” A student from IIT-B’s civil engineering stream however feels that s huge fee-structure on one side and complete waiver on the other will lead to certain amount of discrimination on campuses. He said, “If I am paying Rs 2 lakh for a seat and the same education is given to another candidate for free just because they belong to a certain category, it can lead to anguish among some.”

2016-04-08 12:01 By Pallavi www.mid-day.com

20 Pastor of China's largest Protestant church released: Report BEIJING (AP) -- A U. S.-based Christian group says Chinese authorities have released the pastor of the country's largest Protestant church after he was detained for more than two months following protests against the government's removal of crosses from churches. China Aid said Joseph Gu Yuese has been confined to his home since his March 31 release and barred from meeting or communicating with others without permission. Gu was formally arrested on Feb. 6 on embezzlement charges that supporters said were invented to punish him for his public opposition to a campaign by Zhejiang province officials to forcibly remove hundreds of rooftop crosses from churches. Gu was also banned from the pulpit of his Chongyi Church and removed as head of the provincial state-sanctioned Protestant church association. Calls to the church rang unanswered Friday. Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2016-04-08 12:00 Associated Press mynorthwest.com

21 Formerly homeless man adjusts to apartment living in Ogden OGDEN, Utah (AP) - Doug Harding is conducting a tour of his tiny apartment. “I found this in a dumpster,” he says, pointing to a coffee table in the center of the living room/dining room/kitchen. Then, pointing to the wall, he says, “I found that in a dumpster, too. Can you believe somebody threw out a Grateful Dead flag?” As he works his way around the three-room apartment, it quickly becomes apparent that virtually everything he owns is something that, at some point, somebody didn’t want, the Standard- Examiner reported (http://bit.ly/1qrKkra). “Most of it comes from either a dumpster or D. I.,” he says, using the abbreviation for Deseret Industries thrift store. Harding is proudest of his armoire, which holds his television and DVD player. “I have an armoire,” he says with a grin. “I can’t even spell armoire, but I have one.” When last we saw Doug Harding, he had just gone from long-term homeless person to apartment-dweller. Harding was so unaccustomed to housing that at first he pitched his tent in the bedroom and dragged the mattress in there. The tent is now packed away in a closet. “I kept it up for about a week and a half,” he says. Harding, 57, spent nearly three decades as a hobo nicknamed “Boy Scout,” hopping freight trains and living in a tent. But in January, the Weber Housing Authority - working with the Cooperative Agreement to Benefit Homeless Individuals - helped get Harding into an apartment using something called Shelter Plus Care, a state program for the chronically homeless with disabilities. Harding’s disability relates to a substance abuse problem. Now nearly two months later, Harding is still successfully housed in the Highland Apartments. He admits it’s taken some time getting used to. “It don’t feel quite like home yet,” he says. “I’m scared to get comfortable, because then you get hit.” “Hit”? Hit with an eviction notice, for breaking one of the many rules in assisted housing. One lapse in judgment, and Harding could find himself back out on the streets. It’s already happened to a number of his hobo friends. Laura Peters, Harding’s case manager with Weber Housing Authority, says the formerly homeless man is doing “great” in his new surroundings. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 11:55 ADVANCE FOR www.washingtontimes.com

22 Reinstalled neon light to brighten historic Carthage motel CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) - When the iconic Boots Court opened in Carthage in the 1940s, the green neon lighting that outlined the structure was an important part of the allure. The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/25NeF3i ) reports that the neon, along with the building, fell into disrepair over the years until the Boots was purchased in 2011 by sisters Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw. The two are restoring the historic motel and will mark another milestone Saturday by celebrating the return of the architectural feature that was designed to catch the eyes of weary travelers on Route 66. The new neon lights and other electrical upgrades are being accomplished with the help of a Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program grant from the National Park Service, Harvey said. Some of the neon lights had been removed and some did not work when the two sisters purchased the building. “We took off the rest and saved what we thought we could reuse, but the connections were too old,” she said. “We were able to use the stand-outs that hold the neon. That made it helpful because you could see where it was around the windows.” Harvey noted the style of the building is Streamline Moderne, but original owner Arthur Boots added fanciful neon curls at the windows of the front office. “He had his own ideas about how he wanted it to look,” she said. After 1978, then-owner Rachel Aslin put on gabled roof and added pink neon lighting. Returning the building to its original flat roof was the first restoration project, completed with an earlier Route 66 preservation grant. Both are matching grants that will pay 50 percent of actual costs after the projects are complete. David Hutson, of Neon Time in St. Charles, did the neon restoration, Harvey said. “He’s done lots of restorations along Route 66. He has a lot of knowledge, and he knew the Boots,” she said. The neon lighting over the office door includes the traditional vacancy information and advertises available lodging as “cabins.” “That’s history,” Harvey said. “He didn’t want to say ‘motel’; that word wasn’t even in use at that time, except for California. So he (Arthur Boots) put up something to recall tourist cabins,” which had been a popular form of lodging along Route 66. The grant also is helping with electrical work in the front of the building that will allow four more rooms to be opened in the motel, though Harvey said when that will happen depends on funds available for the restoration. Six rooms at the back of the motel are restored and were reopened to guests in 2012. Harvey said business gets better every year. “We were so busy last year, and this week, we had guests from Germany and Spain, and five Chinese students from Clemson University,” she said. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 11:55 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

23 NY comptroller stops $25 million in questionable tax refunds ALBANY, N. Y. (AP) - The New York comptroller reports stopping $25 million in questionable or fraudulent personal state income tax refunds so far in 2016. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says his office has paid out 4.5 million state refunds totaling $4.2 billion. Another 152,000 refunds totaling $134 million are expected to be paid in the coming days. The comptroller’s office audits New York personal income tax refunds before payment. Most stopped returns claimed refundable credits based on incorrect information like extra dependents or understated income. Auditors also stopped more than $3.5 million in refunds they say were linked to unscrupulous tax preparers filing false returns. Other noted scams include using questionable social security numbers and intentionally misstating deductions. 2016-04-08 11:54 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

24 How firefighters fought the biggest Kansas fire in a century WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - On March 22, Bruce Stansberry was welding a piece of pipe just outside Freedom, Oklahoma. He was on a small hill, facing south, when his wife, Dixie, called. She had been carefully kneading flour into egg whites for an angel food cake, so it wasn’t until the local fire department called that she looked up through her kitchen window and saw the wall of flames. She sounded hysterical, he said, and when he saw the flames he knew she was right. “This isn’t good,” he said he told her. “This is a bad situation.” There was nothing but dry grass and canyons north of their house, he thought. And inside those canyons, like a long line of giant matchsticks winding its way toward Kansas, were scattered thickets of red cedar trees, which, when ignited, firefighters and ranchers say, explode. The fire had already consumed a couple of football fields of pasture land into flames 15 feet high, Stansberry said. Seventy-nine-year-old Stansberry grabbed a shovel and a bucket and drove his motorized cart to Anderson Creek, where he started throwing water on the reeds under the highway bridge. He was the first of hundreds of people to play the role of firefighter in this blaze. But he, unlike many of the other better trained firefighters over the next few days, had Mother Nature on his side: Strong winds were blowing the fire away from his house. Those winds and that fire would, over the next couple of days, trap firefighters, kill hundreds of cattle, rip apart fences, knock over power lines, burn up tractors, eviscerate bridges, reduce more than 40 buildings to rubble, force the evacuation of entire towns and cause millions of dollars in damage. Kirk Trekell, the fire chief in Alva, Oklahoma, a town about 25 miles east of Stansberry’s home, said he’s always a little anxious with weather like that on March 23. The humidity was about 10 percent, so the grass and trees were dry and brittle. The winds were blowing steadily between 30 and 40 miles per hour, with gusts near 60. The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1MeCHxP ) reports that before setting out for the fire, around 5:30 p.m., Trekell checked the weather predictions on OK-Fire, a local fire website. What caught his eye was the prediction for the next day: Instead of coming from the south, the winds were going to shift and start pushing from the west. That meant that, however far north the fire reached on Tuesday, it would turn into an equally furious but longer wall of flames moving eastward on Wednesday. So however dangerous the fire might be, it could be even more dangerous the next day. While the firefighters kept the fire off of Highway 64, the rest of them had trouble even catching up with the fire. It’s not just the wind, but in the Red Hills there aren’t many roads. Firefighters ran into ravines too deep to cross and had to take long, circuitous routes to get in front of the flames. Trekell and other firefighters finally found a bare patch a half-mile wide, he said, where they could take a stand against the fire. The vegetation was short and there was a break in the cedar trees, so they thought they might have a chance, wetting down the grass and bulldozing the vegetation. But the cedar trees were burning so hot, he said, the heat carried pieces of burning wood the size of golf balls into the sky and the wind dropped them three quarters of a mile in front of the fire’s edge. “There was literally clumps of fire dropping out of the sky, igniting all the grass around us,” Trekell said. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 11:54 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

25 NIA officer murder: Two cops suspended Bijnor: Two police officials were today suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the murder of NIA officer Tanzil Ahmed, who was involved in the investigation of several high- profile cases including the attack on Pathankot airbase. Tanzil Ahmed Sahaspur Chowki in-charge Surendra Singh and constable Budh Singh have been put under suspension, Superintendent of Police Subhash Singh Baghel said. Tanzil Ahmed was shot dead on April 3 by two unidentified assailants when he was returning home from a wedding near Bijnor.

2016-04-08 11:46 By PTI www.mid-day.com

26 Heat wave claims 111 lives in Telangana, Andhra Hyderabad: At least 111 people have died due to sunstroke in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during last few days as the two states are experiencing intense heat wave conditions, officials said. As many as 66 people died in Telangana while 45 succumbed in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Most of the deaths were reported during last one week. According to Telangana's disaster management department, Mahabubnagar district accounted for highest number of deaths at 28, while 11 people died in Medak district. Heat wave conditions claimed seven lives in Nizamabad, five each in in Khammam and Karimnagar, four each in Adilabad and Warangal and two in Nalgonda. No deaths have been reported from Hyderabad and neighbouring Ranga Reddy district. According to the met department, there ws appreciable rise in maximum temperatures at one or two places in Telangana on Thursday. The highest maximum temperature of 41 degree Celsius was recorded in Nalgonda, Hanamakonda, Khammam, Mahabubnagar and Ramagundam. In Andhra Pradesh, 45 people died of sunstroke during last one week. Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinna Rajappa told reporters in Vijayawada that 16 of the deaths were reported from YSR Kadapa district while Prakasam accounted for 11 deaths. Four died in Anantapur, three each in Vijayanagaram, Chittoor and Kurnool, two each in Srikakulam and Krishna districts and one in West Godavari district. He said the government would extend all possible help the families of the heat wave victims. He said hospitals across the state had been alerted to be prepared to tackle the situation. "People have been advised to avoid venturing out of their houses during day times, especially between 12 noon and 3 p.m.," he said. According to the met department, the temperature was above normal at many places over Rayalaseema and appreciably above normal at one or two places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The highest maximum temperature of 42 degree Celsius was recorded at Anantapur and Nandyal. Disaster Management Commissioner Dhanunjaya Reddy on Thursday briefed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of the situation and the steps taken to brace the heat wave. He said the district administration along with the medical and health department has undertaken a massive awareness campaign and makeshift medical camps. Oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids have been made available at public places. Construction workers and labourers have been instructed not to work between 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Officials said all precautionary measures were taking in view of the forecast that the summer will be warmer. The heat wave had claimed nearly 2,000 lives in the two states last year.

2016-04-08 11:43 By IANS www.mid-day.com

27 Topeka program helps sex trafficking victims recover TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Jane remembers how a sex trafficker choked her, raped her and smiled sadistically as he attacked her in 2014. But Jane also remembers Sarah, the woman she credits with saving her life. Sarah is the director of Restore Hope, a division of the Topeka Rescue Mission which aids sex trafficking victims to recover from the trauma of that abuse. The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1SARWxP ) isn’t identifying victims or two key members of Restore Hope because of potential danger to them. Without Sarah, Jane said, she probably would be dead. Jane calls herself a “survivor” of more than 20 years of sex trafficking. She is 40. In 2015, Restore Hope assisted 45 sex trafficking victims, linking them with the services they need, said Barry Feaker, the mission’s executive director. “No one was born to be a prostitute or with aspirations to be a slave,” Feaker said. “We want to help them to go beyond being a victim to being a victor. Christ can help them to be victorious and to be a victor.” With Restore Hope, “we try to reach out, rescue and restore the hope that we believe they have (lost) as victims of exploitation, as well as sex trafficking,” Sarah said. “As far as the rescue,” she added, “we say they’re worth it even if they’ve lost the fight for themselves. (In the restoration phase) we do believe they can overcome the trauma and the abuse and become a very valuable part of our community.” Of the people rescued, about half arrived on their own at the mission, and others were referred there by agencies, including the YWCA, Valeo Behavioral Health Care and family members. Of the 45: - 42 were women, and three were men. - Nine were juveniles, most 16 or 17 years old and some “significantly younger.” - Fifteen youngsters, who were several months old to 10 years old, were the children of victims. - Three were in the “grooming” stage, meaning the trafficker was trying to manipulate them into working in the sex trade. The remainder were being “pretty significantly trafficked” for sex to make money for a trafficker, Sarah said. - Some worked for traffickers in Topeka, others worked for traffickers based in other states, and other victims had fled sex trafficking, Sarah said. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 11:42 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

28 From Ronnie to a fan: more than 100 Reagan letters for sale LOS ANGELES (AP) - Long before he was president of the United States or even governor of California, Ronald Reagan had an army of star-struck movie fans who wrote him letters - and who to their surprise often got a personal reply. For one writer in particular the replies added up to well more than 100 as Zelda Multz evolved from teenage president of the Ronald Reagan International Fan Club to a lifelong literary friend of the man who, 40 years after she first wrote to him, became the nation’s 40th president. His letters to her range from brief thank-yous for birthday cards Multz sent him to expressions of frustration at being relegated to roles in movies he knew weren’t very good to expressions of heartbreak at the dissolution of his first marriage and to anguish over the failing health of his elderly mother. “I wish she didn’t need to suffer so much all the time, but you don’t hear her complain, always smiling and saying, ‘I’m fine.’ That’s my Mom Nelle,” Reagan says in one handwritten letter. As the years pass, the letters come to include the future president’s thoughts on politics, his concern for the health of Multz’s own elderly mother and his joking responses about his mortality, noting in one missive that he prefers to think of his 81st birthday as the 42nd anniversary of his 39th. They are variously signed “Ron,” ”Ronnie” and “Dutch,” the latter a nickname reserved for close friends. “This shows a completely different side of his life, it shows Ronald Reagan the man,” says Profiles in History President Joe Maddalena, whose Calabasas-based auction house is putting the collection on the block April 18. “It’s his personal views on life, relationships, families and, think about it, there are even fan-club cards signed by the guy. It’s kind of surreal.” The collection also includes more than 350 photos, among them candid shots of Reagan performing such mundane chores as working in his yard. It is being sold intact by a historical documents collector who declines to be identified, Maddalena said. He said the collector acquired it a few years ago from Multz, who still lives in New York, where she became a Reagan fan when she saw him playing undercover G-man Brass Bancroft in the 1940 spy thriller “Murder By Air.” “I just thought he was cute,” Multz, 89, said with a laugh as she spoke recently by phone. “It was just one of those little girlie things.” So she wrote him a letter, not really expecting a reply. Four years later she was in charge of Reagan’s international fan club and the two would maintain a steady correspondence for decades. Multz and another longtime pen pal, Lorraine Wagner, would also meet Reagan several times, in California, New York and even in his hometown of Dixon, Ill., where he and his mother invited them to join him in a parade in his honor. Wagner’s own collection of letters is at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, donated by a buyer who acquired them through a previous Profiles in History auction. Maddalena says Multz’s archive is the only other known such collection and has never been displayed publicly. A couple of the letters were referenced in Kiron K. Skinner’s 2004 book, “Reagan: A Life in Letters.” The pair’s correspondence slowed during Reagan’s White House years, and letters during that time appear robo-signed. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 11:42 In this www.washingtontimes.com

29 Personal exoskeleton helps Hutchinson man walk again HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - Joey Ralph fell 30 feet off of a balcony and was told he’d be confined to a wheelchair. But this week, three years later, he was able to do what felt like the impossible - being able to walk again. Ralph is paralyzed from the bellybutton down, and since his accident, he’s been able to regain sensation throughout his lower body. He has reclaimed quite a bit of function and control in his hips and groin, but not enough to walk on his own. “I can’t stress enough how valuable the gift of walking is. It was something that was taken away from me for the longest time,” Ralph, of Hutchinson, said about his injury on Nov. 2, 2012, in Lawrence. The Hutchinson News (http://bit.ly/208bXkZ ) reports that officials with ReWalk Robotics Inc. brought Ralph the first exoskeleton for personal use in Kansas. The exoskeleton allows people with lower-limb disabilities to stand upright, turn and walk through powered hip and knee motions. There are only 45 to 50 of these for personal use in the United States. Ralph’s mother, Hutchinson Clinic Family Practice physician Cynthia Mills, saw her son take some of his first steps after the accident. Mills said it was fantastic after such a fall. She said he’s lucky to be alive. “I think this is going to be great for him psychologically and physically,” she said. “We’ve done so much rehab and so many different things where they move his legs, but this is special. He’s weight bearing, which as a doctor, I know how good that is for his bones and muscles. I think we’re just going to see so much benefit from it.” Also watching Ralph was his father, Lloyd, who said “it’s very impressive and been very emotional. It’s been a long hard road.” Getting the device wasn’t an easy path for Mills as she tried and tried again to get Ralph’s insurance to cover the $78,000 device. She had no luck with insurance coverage, and was turned down twice, even after an appeal process. She knew the device would increase Ralph’s quality of life, mobility, sleep, bowel function, bone density, a reduction in pain and help his physiological health. The doctor and mom knew this because not only does she research spinal cord injury and rehabilitation weekly because of her son, but her son used the exoskeleton a couple of times during re-evaluations at Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado. It had access to the innovative technology as one of the world’s leading hospitals in the neuro-rehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injury. Ralph said he still remembers the first time he used a rehab exoskeleton. “I forgot how tall I was,” he said. He’s now 5-foot-11. He was 6-foot before the injury. After seeing him use the rehab exoskeletons and how well he slept afterwards - a real issue for those with paralysis - Mills wanted one. But they weren’t FDA approved for personal use until June 2014. When that happened, she decided to move ahead and pay for it through private funds. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 10:44 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

30 NY Public Library installs recreation of century-old mural NEW YORK (AP) - It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill package delivery. A truck that pulled up to the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue this week delivered a 33-foot-by-27-foot mural depicting soft billowy clouds, a recreation of the century-old ceiling painting in its Bill Blass Public Catalog Room. It arrived in two sections - canvases tightly rolled up like rugs - and hoisted up 50 feet to a massive scaffold “dance floor” that ran the length of the ceiling where conservators and other artists were still busy working. On Thursday, the canvases were rolled out, measured and over many hours installed over the existing mural that experts had determined was beyond repair. Centered over the 75-by-80-foot room, the mural is surrounded by ornamental elements of cast plaster finished in a faux wood grain as if in a Baroque frame. The catalog room is adjacent to the majestic nearly triple-sized Rose Main Reading Room, whose mural ceiling was similarly replicated in the 1990s by the same firm commissioned for the current project, EverGreene Architectural Arts. The original murals are the work of renowned American muralist and Tiffany Studios designer James Wall Finn, which he created in 1911, the year the grand Beaux Arts-style library, officially known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, opened. Both historic rooms have been closed since May 2014 when a 16-inch plaster rosette dropped from the reading rooms’ ornate ceiling. That precipitated an inspection of the catalog room where the mural was found to have suffered irreparable discoloration, overpainting and water damage during its 105-year history. “It is important, as great stewards of this beloved landmark, to ensure those ceilings are as inspiring now as they were when the building opened in 1911,” said NYPL President Tony Marx. Both rooms are slated to open in the fall. Standing on the scaffold platform just feet from the ceiling, the project manager and architectural conservator described the painstaking work of readying the site for the new mural. “We’ve touched every inch of the ceiling,” said Neela Wickremesinghe. “We vacuumed and hand-cleaned the entire ceiling … and in the process anything that has been loose has been secured.” Wickremesinghe and her team of decorative painters, conservation technicians and other artists began working on site on Feb. 1, everything from securing plaster elements to “in-painting,” matching colors of missing paint in the decorative cast plaster perimeter. They also secured all the rosettes, drilling imperceptible holes in them and then fastening them to the attic side with small steel cables. And in case it was ever needed, the special wallpaper primer and clay-based adhesive used for affixing the new mural also make the whole process reversible. “In conservation work you want to make sure that you can always go backward,” said Wickremesinghe. Work on the mural replication began at the EverGreene’s Manhattan studios in January. Story Continues →

2016-04-08 10:44 Mural director www.washingtontimes.com

31 High winds knock out power to thousands in Maine PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Utility crews are working to restore power to thousands of electric customers after high winds caused widespread outages. Emera Maine says customers began losing power Thursday evening. By early Friday, 11,500 were still in the dark. The utility says the storm’s wind and rain pummeled Maine, “wreaking havoc on the electric system.” Waldo, Androscoggin and Penobscot counties are among the hardest hit.

2016-04-08 10:40 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

32 Ohio to launch helpline for sexual, relationship violence COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new, statewide helpline for survivors of sexual and relationship violence will soon be launching in Ohio. Attorney General Mike DeWine is joining the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio to announce the initiative on Friday in suburban Columbus. The network is operating the helpline, which is funded with a $1.2 million grant provided by DeWine’s office. The network is a sexual violence intervention and prevention program serving Franklin County, which includes Columbus. The helpline is being announced as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

2016-04-08 10:40 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

33 Water utility alerting Cincinnati customers about lead pipes CINCINNATI (AP) - Thousands of customers of a Cincinnati-area water utility are being alerted that some city-owned water lines are made out of lead. The Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/1YhG1Jv ) reports that some Greater Cincinnati Water Works customers are getting letters informing them about the lead pipes. The Cincinnati City Council’s Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee voted last week to send letters to about 16,000 homeowners. Councilman Christopher Smitherman had pushed for that notification following the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Utility data show about 17 percent of Cincinnati’s service lines that lead to homes are made of lead. It was a popular building material when early systems were constructed. Removing those pipes can cost thousands of dollars per property. The utility and the homeowner would split the cost. ___ Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

2016-04-08 10:40 - Associated Press - Friday, April 8, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

34 Amid shuttered Blockbusters, Top Hat Video going strong BOUNTIFUL, Utah (AP) - In a world where most video rental stores are abandoned and look like sets from an episode of “The Walking Dead,” one store in Utah is still going strong. Lee and Lona Earl have been married for 51 years and do nearly everything together. They jumped into the home video rental business as a pair, back in the stone age of home entertainment, KSL-TV reported (http://bit.ly/1SMojw5). “We started in 1983,” Lona Earl said. “A friend of ours offered a franchise, and it was called ‘Adventureland Video.’” Most people didn’t own a VCR; some had never even heard of one. “We would take a VCR, take it to somebody’s house with a couple of movies and say, ‘Would you like to have this just for the weekend, or for the night?’” she said. A few years later they renamed the store Top Hat Video. Not only did the name of the store change, its location did too. After several moves, they are in their permanent home at 521 W. 2600 South in Bountiful. It’s a business that’s changed many times, but they’re still here. “Business is staying consistent and doing very well,” she said. They admit they’ve had some concerns, but it comes with the territory. Theirs is a business that’s constantly been in flux. “Beta/VHS to just VHS was difficult,” Lee Earl said, thinking of their first transition. “VHS to DVDs, and people got a little freaked about that.” This store’s fended off some heavyweight contenders. “Blockbuster comes in, and then Hollywood comes in,” she said. “We could never bring in as many as they brought in,” he said. “They would have like a hundred copies of one movie and being an independent, we couldn’t afford that,” Lona Earl said. He says he’ll never forget the day he heard Blockbuster was going out of business. “I was here at work,” he said. “We heard that they were going out, I was kind of shocked. I didn’t believe that at first. I thought, ‘Well, they’d close down stores around us.’ I didn’t think they were really all going.” Story Continues →

2016-04-08 10:40 Lona and www.washingtontimes.com

35 High alert across Odisha after intel input about entry of terrorists into state Bhubaneswar: An alert was sounded across Odisha yesterday following intelligence input about the entry of three armed terrorists into the state. “Based on threat information received from Intelligence Bureau and other security agencies, we have issued high alert across Odisha,” Director General of Police (DGP) B K Singh told reporters. Security has been beefed up near key installations, he said, adding security arrangement has been made at the airport, Hirakud Dam and religious places. All district collectors and superintendents of police have been asked to stay alert and additional security measures have been taken for Maoist-affected districts of the state, a senior police official said. Security personnel are frisking and checking vehicles, while vigilance has been enhanced at vital installations like police buildings and defence establishments, religious places and crowded places like markets, malls, railway stations and educational institutions. Also, five members of the outlawed SIMI group were arrested from Rourkela in February.

2016-04-08 10:05 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

36 Now, bidi industry to stop production over pictorial warnings New Delhi: Within days of many cigarette companies stopping production after the implementation of 85 percent pictorial warnings, the All India Bidi Industry Federation on Thursday said it will stop production of bidis as it was impossible for them to continue with the new norm. "As per the new notifications, bidis cannot be produced without the new enhanced pictorial warnings from April 1, 2016. It is impossible to print the warning, as stipulated, as the curved area and wrapping paper edges prevent printing on a reasonably large area of the curved surfaces," said a statement from the federation. The government's 85 percent pictorial warnings on all tobacco products including cigarette and bidis came into enforcement from April 1. Following the decision, many cigarette brands decided to stop production, citing ambiguity in the rule. The government decision came even after recommendations of a parliamentary committee advocating pictorial warnings be brought down to 50 percent from 85 percent, saying the latter will be too harsh on the tobacco industry. The bidi federation said: "Being a law abiding industry, there is no option but to stop production. This being a traditional industry, it cannot be closed down overnight. The government has been indifferent to the plight of the bidi industry, despite repeated representations from various stakeholders. " According to the federation, the bidi industry is the third largest employer after agriculture and construction. It employs 80 lakh bidi rollers, mostly women at their homes, majority in remote rural areas.

2016-04-08 09:56 By IANS www.mid-day.com

37 Sisulu descendants and other children of ANC exiles speak out against Zuma‚ want new party elections This is contained in a letter signed by about 40 former members of “Masupatsela” or “young pioneers” — those who were born or raised in exile — sent to African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe on Wednesday‚ Business Day reported on Friday. They called for a special conference where new party elections would be held‚ arguing that Zuma showed no remorse and had flouted the ANC’s disciplinary code. “We are extremely unsettled by his disingenuous and contradictory assertion that he had always been willing to pay for the nonsecurity features at Nkandla‚” reads their memorandum. This move comes as pressure is intensifying for the ANC to take action against Zuma for flouting the Constitution in relation to the Nkandla scandal. The signatories include descendants of ANC stalwart Walter Sisulu: Vuyisile‚ Ayanda and Shaka Sisulu. The group strongly states that Zuma’s apology last Friday night was not sufficient and warns of the consequences for the liberation movement should nothing be done‚ including loss of moral standing in the eyes of the public. “The press conference that was held by our President after the judgment was handed down was also deeply unsettling as he extended no apology for the abuse of public funds for his personal benefit. They also criticised the party’s top structures for the manner in which they have defended Zuma. “We are particularly perturbed by the developments within our movement‚ which appear to demonstrate a conflation of loyalty to our revolutionary cause with loyalty to individuals — at the expense of the integrity and moral standing of our movement. “The President acted illegally in failing to uphold‚ defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and demonstrated scant regard for the remedial action taken against him by the public protector in terms of her constitutional powers.”

2016-04-08 09:33 Sam Mkokeli www.timeslive.co.za

38 IPL 9: Bombay HC lambasts BCCI for guzzling water during drought Mumbai will witness at least one IPL match, and it will be the opening game tomorrow, no less. However, the Bombay High Court came down heavily on the cricket authorities for trying to justify the use of lakhs of litres of water to maintain the pitches at a time when the state is reeling under drought. Groundsmen water the pitch at the Wankhede stadium on Wednesday. The opening match will be held here this weekend. Pic/PTI The HC bench, comprising justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik, was hearing a PIL by the Loksatta Movement, demanding that IPL matches be shifted out of Maharashtra to avoid wastage of water. The court has permitted the cricket authorities to host the opening match (Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants) at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, but also questioned from where it was getting water supply. Senior counsel for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Rafique Dada told the bench that other sports venues like golf clubs and turf clubs also require water. “If water is not supplied to pitches, they will die,” he said. To this, Justice Kanade replied, “Here, people and cattle are dying due to unavailability of water, and you are concerned about gardens and pitches. Who will use them? We are sorry if you have this view, we differ on it.” The BCCI counsel told the court that the use of water to prepare the pitches had already been stopped at the stadium. “We initially pour water on pitches and grass but stop 24 hours before the match as wet pitches can’t be used to play.” The state’s Acting Advocate General Rohit Deo was also present yesterday, and he told the bench that BMC was supplying 22,000 litres of water per day to Wankhede Stadium and the water supply had been further reduced by 8 per cent due to water scarcity. Then Justice Kanade pointed out: “We are not staying the first match but we want to know from where the water is coming to Wankhede Stadium, as only around 22,000 litres of water is supplied daily by the BMC. The state should inquire whether there is a water mafia lobby operating. The state should submit a report to the court by Tuesday on the same.” On the same day, ie April 12, the court will decide the fate of the other matches slated to be played in Maharashtra. In the previous hearing, the lawyer for the Mumbai Cricket Association had said that the pitches were being watered with non-potable water ferried by tankers. The court desired to know the source of this supply. BCCI counsel Dada pointed out that the petitioner had purposely filed the petition late to create a loss for the organisers. “We accept your argument, but the issue raised by them is very large,” observed Justice Kanade. The bench also turned its gaze to other large events such as weddings and gala ceremonies that guzzle water and said the time has come to keep tabs on such usage.

2016-04-08 09:20 By Vinay www.mid-day.com

39 Non-bailable warrant issued against Union Minister in a loan default case Hyderabad: A local court today issued a non-bailable warrant against Union Minister Y S Chowdary as he "failed" to appear before it in connection with a criminal complaint filed by Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd. The XII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Nampally, Hyderabad) issued the warrant against Chowdary, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology. Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd had filed the complaint in the court accusing Chowdary and others of "defaulting in repayment of loan of Rs 106 crore". The bank had submitted that it had lent Rs 100 crore to Heistia Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Sujana Universal Industries Ltd, and had secured a decree from a London court. Chowdary is now a Non-Executive Director of Sujana Universal Industries Ltd. According to the counsel of the Bank, the company stood as guarantor for the loan availed for Heistia Holdings Ltd, which is its subsidiary and the company has to repay Rs 106 crore to it. Subsequently, the Bank had filed several litigations against Sujana Universal Industries Ltd. In the past, Chowdary had been asked to remain present in the court after issuing summons based on the criminal complaint. However, Chowdary "failed" to remain present before the court on three successive occasions. "We submitted before the court today that the minister was taking excuses and flouting the orders of the court on a regular basis. We also argued that this was a fit case for issuance of NBW as the accused was evading the process of the court and the court was pleased to issue non-bailable warrant against the minister," Sanjeev Kumar, Partner Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, a Delhi-based law firm that is representing the Mauritian Bank, said in a statement. On the other hand, a statement issued by Y S Chowdary said "I have been just informed that a NBW has been issued against me by the Court of the XII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Nampally, Hyderabad). Owing to pressing public duties in public interest, I was unable to appear on the previous dates. I have the highest regard for the judiciary and never had any intention to evade or avoid appearing in the court. The orders of the court will be complied with. " The matter has been posted for hearing on April 26.

2016-04-08 09:12 By PTI www.mid-day.com

40 Kolkata flyover collapse: Another IVRCL official arrested Kolkata: Another senior official of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL, responsible for construction of the Vivekananda flyover which partially collapsed on March 31, was arrested today. Nine other IVRCL officials had been arrested earlier. Manager, Civil Execution of IVRCL Niloy Roy was arrested by Kolkata Police sleuths from the central part of the city this evening when he was waiting to meet somebody, a senior police officer said. Investigations have revealed that Roy was present at the site on the dreadful day when concrete laying was on, he said. "Labourers who were working there have told us they had informed Roy about problems with the metal bolts. But, now Roy is denying that he was informed of it," the officer said, adding Roy had been involved in the project since it started. Roy was on the run since a portion of the under-construction flyover collapsed killing 26 people and injuring around 90. "We have found discrepancies in his version. He has not come out when asked to specify about his role he had in the construction of the flyover. We will continue questioning him," the IPS officer said. Meanwhile, Kolkata Police today conducted search operations at an IVRCL office and one mixing plant, both in the southern part of the city and seized several documents. So far IVRCL Director Operations Gopal Krishnamurthy, Deputy General Manager of Project Monitoring Cell S K Ratnam, Assistant General Manager Mallikaarjun Rao, Assistant Manager Debjyoti Manjumdar, Structure Manager Pradip Kumar Saha, Project Manager Tanmoy Sil and senior engineers Shyamal Manna and Bidyut Manna have been arrested. All have been charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

2016-04-08 08:58 By PTI www.mid-day.com

41 Gov. Scott Signs Bill Making Florida 12th State to Defund Planned Parenthood By Barbara Hollingsworth- Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that defunds his state’s abortion clinics – including those run by Planned Parenthood (PP) – making Florida the 12th state to block state taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s largest abortion provider. The Termination of Pregnancy bill (HB 1411), sponsored by state Rep. Colleen Burton (R- Lakeland), was passed by the Republican-led Florida House (76-40) and state Senate (25-15), and was included in a batch of 67 bills sent to Scott for his signature. The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, prohibits any state funding to groups that own, operate or are affiliated with licensed abortion facilities. Florida law currently allows state funding for non-abortion services. Abortion clinics are not allowed to “purchase, sell, donate, or transfer fetal remains obtained from an abortion… excluding costs associated with certain transportation of remains… Advertising, purchase, sale, or transfer of human embryos or fetal remains [are] prohibited” under the new law. The legislation also “requires that physicians performing or inducing a termination of life procedure have admitting privileges at a hospital within a specified distance of location where the procedure is performed or induced.” It also requires monthly reports by, and annual state inspections of, all Florida abortion clinics, which must meet the state’s regulatory standards for ambulatory surgical centers, including “emergency resuscitative and life support” equipment. PP president Cecile Richards called the legislation “a cruel bill…designed to rip health care away from those most at risk.” Richards warned that “thousands of people across Florida may no longer be able to access essential reproductive health care, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams.” But John Stemberger, president and general counsel of the Florida Family Policy Council, applauded the governor’s action. “This is a historic victory and we are thrilled to have been an active part of this effort,” Stemberger said in a statement. Stemberger had urged Scott to sign the legislation in a March 23 letter, pointing out that “there are 636 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites and Rural Health Clinics in the state of Florida which are required by federal law to provide either directly or through established arrangements” obstetric, gynecological and preventive health services, among others. “These FQHCs provide far more care, not less, than the limited services that Planned Parenthood and similar abortion-centric facilities provide,” Stemberger pointed out. Besides being “morally disqualified” from receiving taxpayer funding, he noted that “no Planned Parenthood facility offers the same level of care as FQHCs are required by law to provide.” Besides Florida, legislators in nearly a dozen other states, including Texas and Ohio, have also voted to restrict state funding for Planned Parenthood after the Center for Medical Progress released undercover videos showing PP officials allegedly discussing the sale of aborted baby parts. However, PP still receives hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, the abortion provider received $553.7 million in “government health services grants and reimbursements,” according to its 2014-2015 annual report. In January, President Obama vetoed a congressional attempt to defund PP. Congress’ attempt to override the veto the following month failed.

2016-04-08 07:46 www.thetribunepapers.com

42 Yahoo - Yahoo Appoints Two New Board Members --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that its board of directors has increased its size from seven to nine directors and appointed the following two new independent directors, effective . With the additions of Cathy and Eric, the board returns to the size it was on , prior to the resignations of and Charles Schwab. "Eric and Cathy are both highly respected, experienced practitioners in their fields, and we welcome them to Yahoo's board of directors," said , chairman of the board at. "Today we are at an important juncture in Yahoo's transformation, as we execute on our refined strategy and explore strategic alternatives for the company. " "Today we are expanding our board of directors with additional expertise to help advance our strategic goals as continues its transformation. We are pleased to welcome and to our board," said , CEO of. "I am honored to join the board of a company I have observed and admired over the course of my career," said. "As the technology landscape continues to change, I am excited to work with the board and management during this important time. " "I am delighted to have the privilege to serve on the board. The opportunity to work with my fellow directors and the management team to guide into its next chapter is exciting," said Ms. Friedman. held numerous positions over a 23-year investment banking career with Morgan Stanley, including Managing Director and Head of and Co-Head of the Biotechnology Practice, where she was strategic and transaction advisor to many of the most important companies in the sector. Friedman is a director of XenoPort, Inc., EnteroMedics Inc., GSV Capital Corp., Innoviva, Inc. (formerly Theravance, Inc.), and Radius Health, Inc. served as the Chief Financial Officer of until its acquisition by Avago in February of this year, the President and Chief Executive Officer of , and as the Chief Financial Officer of Brandt also served as Vice President and Partner at. Brandt is a director of Lam Research Corporation and Dentsply Sirona Inc. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

2016-04-08 07:42 investor.yahoo.net

43 Seoul: 13 North Koreans workers at foreign restaurant defect SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thirteen North Koreans working at the same restaurant in a foreign country have defected to South Korea, Seoul officials said Friday. People working in North Korean-operated restaurants overseas have previously defected, but this is the first time multiple workers have escaped from the same restaurant, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee told reporters in Seoul. North Korean defections are a bitter point of contention between the rival Koreas. Pyongyang usually accuses Seoul of enticing North Korean citizens to defect, something Seoul denies. Overseas North Korean workers are usually thought to be chosen largely because of their loyalty. Jeong said one male and 12 female North Korean workers arrived in the South on Thursday. He didn't reveal the country where they were working to avoid diplomatic problems and possibly endanger North Koreans still working in the country. The North Koreans told South Korean officials that they learned about the South and began to distrust North Korean propaganda by watching South Korean TV dramas and movies and from searching the Internet while living overseas, Jeong said. The Unification Ministry's website says more than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea as of March.

2016-04-08 08:51 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

44 Cuba Gooding Jr: Worried pastor prayed for me over O. J. role The 48-year-old described at a celebrity charity event in Hollywood how filming FX's The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story had taken a heavy emotional toll. "I was in a dark place with it. It's overwhelming the reception I get from people I don't know, famous or not," said Gooding Jr, who won an Oscar for his role in Cameron Crowe's 1996 sports comedy Jerry Maguire. "I went to church one Sunday and the pastor asked for me to stay after the service. And then he and his wife prayed over me because they thought there was darkness in my spirit. "I mean it's things like that were, I'm like, 'Man, this show has really affected people.'" The 10-part series, which finished this week, followed Simpson's prosecution for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. The pair were found stabbed to death outside her home and the former American football star endured one of the most highest-profile trials in US legal history. Simpson was acquitted in the case but is now serving time in prison for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. Gooding Jr was among a number of A-listers at the annual Motion Picture and Television Fund's "Reel Stories, Real Lives" gala evening, hosted by Adam Scott of "Parks and Recreation. " He was joined on the red carpet by Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas, and Bryce Dallas Howard for the event, where actors share stories written by industry members who have benefited from the MPTF's outreach programmes. In July Gooding Jr marks 25 years since starring in John Singleton's seminal social drama Boyz N The Hood, about black youths surviving violence and deprivation in South Central, one of the poorest parts of Los Angeles. "We're always fighting the good fight for diversity and always trying to break down doors, so I don't think that fight will ever end," the actor told AFP. "And that movie is always almost at the top of the list for me. This was my first lead. " Gooding Jr described himself as "a young, black kid coming up in Los Angeles who had negative and positive interactions with the police. " The MTPF cause is close to the heart of "Jurassic World" actress Howard, whose mother Cheryl volunteered as a young woman at the organisation's residential home in Los Angeles for retired film industry workers. "It's not charity, it's a community. This is all about community building and finding a way to support one another through the difficult moments, through illnesses (and) aging, upsets, changes in the economy," she said. Howard shared memories of being raised on movie sets by her mother and father, film director Ron Howard, who has made more than 20 films, including Parenthood, Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon. "I felt more comfortable with the crew. No one was pushing us to spend time with the actors because they need to have their space, and not a little redhead who can't stop talking," she said. The 35-year-old is set to begin filming the sequel to box office smash "Jurassic World," due for release in 2018, and said she was expecting the film to be "awesome, from everything I've heard so far. " "Of course, it's a work in progress. We're all so damn excited to get back together again next year," she added. Star of the night was undoubtedly Michael Douglas, who was receiving a a special tribute for his work to support the Hollywood community. "Celebs get asked to do charity stuff all the time. It's always the easiest hook for an event -- try to get a celeb to go -- and we're usually pretty good about this as an industry, as a whole," said Douglas, 71. "To be able to do an event for yourselves, for your own people, really means a lot as you get a little older and you realize not everybody's career is going to be autographs and sunglasses, It's not all going to be a dream. " Douglas hailed the MPTF's 95-year history of supporting the film industry, but noted that the organization was nevertheless younger than his father, 99-year-old Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas.

2016-04-08 08:48 Frankie TAGGART www.timeslive.co.za

45 Ted Cruz Makes Matzah In Brooklyn Ted Cruz Matzah Making Ted Cruz made matzah at a Brooklyn bakery with this group of children on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Credit: CBS2) Ted Cruz Matzah Making In Brooklyn Ted Cruz made matzah at a Brooklyn bakery with this group of children on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Credit: CBS2) Ted Cruz Matzah Making In Brooklyn Ted Cruz made matzah at a Brighton Beach, Brooklyn bakery on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Credit: CBS2) Ted Cruz Matzah Making In Brooklyn Ted Cruz made matzah at a Brooklyn bakery with this group of children on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Credit: CBS2) Ted Cruz Matzah Making In Brooklyn Ted Cruz made matzah at a Brighton Beach, Brooklyn bakery on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Credit: CBS2)

2016-04-08 08:05 newyork.cbslocal.com

46 Hillary Clinton needs five swipes to enter NYC subway |On her subway tour of New York Thursday morning, Hillary Clinton failed on her first four attempts at swiping her Metrocard. On the fifth swipe, the finicky turnstile finally let her through.

2016-04-08 11:20 Hillary Clinton www.cbsnews.com

47 Man shot dead in northwest Charlotte

Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor in connection with an illegal vote the convicted felon filed in the November 2014 election. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police release the 911 call in the homicide of 82-year-old Ina Feldman. Irwin Feldman is charged with his mother's 2014 death. Elmurray “Billy” Bookman was cutting hair at his barber station, the second chair from the door, when two masked men, one wielding a pistol and the other carrying a shotgun, entered Next Up Barber Surveillance video from the early morning break-in at JJ Aim Right Gun Shop on Massey Street in Fort Mill. Two men smashed through the glass door and then stole 14 handguns. CMPD Chief Putney talks about fatal shooting at North Lake Mall on Christmas Eve One person shot fatally at Northlake Mall, the mall has been evacuated. Huntersville police need help identifying two suspects in an early-morning armed robbery Tuesday at the Circle K in the 4500 block of Hylas Lane. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are looking for a person who robbed and shot a man around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 7100 block of Barrington Drive. Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 704-334-1600. Deputy chief Katrina Graue said department data shows violent crime is up 17.6 percent through Sept. 30. Overall crime is up 10.6 percent through the first three quarters of 2015. Two men pulled guns on each other and fired during an argument in east Charlotte, leaving both men dead, police said. Daquan Alston, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene on Ilford Road, which intersects the The Plaza near Milton Road. A second man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where he died, according to Lt. Jeff Harless. The deaths were the 51st and 52nd homicides in Charlotte this year, a 26 percent increase from last year, when police investigated a record low number of killings.

2016-04-08 07:55 www.charlotteobserver.com

48 Moms plan thrift shop to support CMS Red Ventures' Ric Elias is one of more than fifty athletes, actors, founders, and philanthropists who announced a surprise “flash funding” of classroom projects posted on DonorsChoose.org. Elias is funding projects in the greater Charlotte area, including Mecklenburg and Lancaster (S. C.) counties. VIDEO: A group students and faculty members staged a walkout of classes on campus in Chapel Hill in protest of new UNC system president Margaret Spellings' first day on the job. Tuesday meeting starts bond planning for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Matthews meeting draws support for neighborhood schools. A public hearing was held Tuesday 02.09.16 at the boards meeting. CMS board meets at Carolinas Aviation Museum to discuss how quickly to start a superintendent search. Munro Richardson, Read Charlotte executive director, and Superintendent Ann Clark gave books to third-grade students at Lebanon Road Elementary School. Cary High School student Lauren Muir created a popular parody video on exam stress using Adele's smash hit "Hello". Belk Tower at UNCC is being removed Sonja Gantt, a well-known local television personality on WCNC takes a new job with little-known Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Foundation. Gantt read to almost 40 fifth graders at Stoney Creek Elementary on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.

2016-04-08 02:08 www.charlotteobserver.com

49 Pirates' boss Khoza confirms Meyiwa insurance money to be paid out next week Many South African businesses are effectively giving the Consumer Goods & Services Ombud (CGSO) the middle finger‚ by failing to register with his office‚ while some refuse to cooperate when the office investigates a complaint against them‚ or comply with its rulings.

2016-04-08 08:25 Tshepang Mailwane www.timeslive.co.za

50 Ship runs aground at decommissioned Swedish nuclear plant STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish authorities say a ship used to transport nuclear waste has run aground at a decommissioned nuclear power in southern Sweden. The Swedish Maritime Administration says M/S Sigrid has no dangerous cargo aboard and was on its way into the harbor outside the now-decommissioned Barseback nuclear plant. The government agency said in a statement Friday that the cause of the grounding was unclear. There were no reports of leakages from the ship, nor had the hull been damaged. The two reactors were closed in 1999 and 2005, and the plant is set to be dismantled starting in 2023. All nuclear fuel, which contained most of the radioactive substances, has already been removed, according to the plant's website. 2016-04-08 08:18 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

51 Kasich binge eats way through NYC Contact WND

(London Daily Mail) John Kaisch did not leave his appetite at home during a campaign stop in the Bronx on Thursday. The Republican hopeful paid a visit to Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue and wowed bystanders as he consumed an Italian feast all by himself – and even washed it all down with a little wine. Among the foods Kasich took some time to sample were Italian cold cut sandwiches, a selection of meats and cheeses and some pasta. Kasich somehow had two servings of the pasta, and then followed that up with some pasta fagioli. ‘This is like being so alive being in New York,’ said Kasich at one point during his meal.

2016-04-08 08:13 www.wnd.com

52 Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years - CNN.com WASHINGTON (CNN) -- NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington. The mission had been scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009. The Mars Science Lab is a large, nuclear- powered rover designed to traverse long distances with a suite of onboard scientific instruments aboard. It is, according to NASA's Web site, part of a "long-term effort of robotic exploration" established to "study the early environmental history of Mars" and assess whether Mars has ever been -- or still is -- able to sustain life. The delay of the launch, according to NASA, is due to a number of "testing and hardware challenges that must (still) be addressed to ensure mission success. " "The progress in recent weeks has not come fast enough on solving technical challenges and pulling hardware together," said Charles Elachi, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Changing to a 2011 launch "will allow for careful resolution of any remaining technical problems, proper and thorough testing, and avoid a mad dash to launch," argued NASA Associate Administrator Ed Weiler. The overall cost of the Mars Science Lab is now projected to be roughly $2.1 billion, according to NASA spokesman Dwayne Browne. The project originally carried a price tag of $1.6 billion. NASA's entire budget for the current fiscal year, according to Browne, is approximately $15 billion. According to NASA, the Mars rover will use new technologies and be engineered to explore greater distances over rougher terrain than previous missions to the planet. This will be done in part by employing a new surface propulsion system. "Failure is not an option on this mission," Weiler said. "The science is too important and the investment of American taxpayer dollars compels us to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission. " Weiler asserted that, based on the agency's preliminary evaluations, additional costs tied to the delay of the Science Lab launch would not result in the cancellation of other NASA programs over the next two years. He did, however, concede that it would result in other unspecified program delays. Critics have charged that the delay and cost overruns associated with the Mars Science Lab are indicative of an agency that is plagued by a lack of accountability and inefficiency in terms of its management of both time and taxpayer dollars. "The Mars Science Laboratory is only the latest symptom of a NASA culture that has lost control of spending," wrote Alan Stern, a former NASA associate administrator, in a November 24 op- ed in the New York Times. "A cancer is overtaking our space agency: the routine acquiescence to immense cost increases in projects. " Stern charged that the agency's cost overruns are being fueled by "managers who disguise the size of cost increases that missions incur" and "members of Congress who accept steep increases to protect local jobs. " Browne replied in a written statement saying that NASA administrators are "constantly working to improve (the agency's) cost-estimating capabilities. ... We continually review our projects to understand the true risk in terms of performance, cost and schedule. " "The fact of life at NASA, where we are charged with creating first-of-a-kind missions of scientific discovery, is that estimating the costs of... science can be almost as difficult as actually doing the science," Browne said. NASA's most recent Mars project -- the mission of the Phoenix Mars Lander -- came to an end last month after the solar-powered vehicle's batteries ran down as the result of a dust storm and the onset of Martian winter. It had operated two months beyond its initial three-month mission. NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable environment. Scientists were able to verify the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface, find small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life, and observe snow descending from the clouds, NASA said Thursday.

2016-04-08 08:13 Alan Silverleib rss.cnn.com

53 VIDEO: Rainiers debut wiffle ball park at season opener Tacoma police use new technology to make composite sketches of men suspected of killing two Tacoma children in 1986. Previously the two crimes were believed to have been committed by the same person. Washington Huskies defensive end Elijah Qualls talks Wednesday with reporters about his boxing background. Behind the scenes with trainer Candi Tollett, who helped owner John Parker finish second in the owner standings at Emerald Downs last season with 15 wins. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid talks about red cards in MLS. Longtime quarterback Jeff Lindquist discusses his switch to tight end this season for the Washington Huskies. Emily Oliver of Spanaway Lake High School is chosen as the 2016 Daffodil Queen at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma. Conquerors, Lions face off in 10th annual High School Baseball Classic Skiers take advantage of good snow and warmer spring temperatures to get a few more runs in before the end of season. Jonathan the Giant Tortoise, the oldest known living land animal on Earth, estimated to be 184- years-old, was washed for the first time in recorded history by vet Dr. Joe Hollins. This historic event took place in the grounds of Plantation House, St. Helena Island on March 19, 2016. Bathing him was purely for aesthetic reasons. "We want visitors and tourists on the Island to witness the tortoises in their true form, without the obstruction of moss and lichen on their shells... and we want all who visit him to see him at his best,” said Hollins, who has been hand-feeding him over the past few years. Gov. Jay Inslee meets with 4th grade students from McCarver Elementary School in Tacoma after signing into law a bill to help homeless students.

2016-04-08 09:04 www.thenewstribune.com

54 Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise - CNN.com NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft. Mylswamy Annadurai, the project director for the lunar mission, told CNN that temperatures onboard Chandrayaan-1 had risen to 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). The increase occurred as the craft, the moon -- which it is orbiting -- and the sun lined up, a phenomenon which Annadurai said was not unexpected and which would likely last until the end of December. "We have switched off the systems (aboard) that are not needed to be on," Annadurai said, ruling out the possibility of damage and adding that the temperature was now down to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Heat on board the Chandrayaan-1 should not exceed 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), Annadurai said -- but insisted the orbiter is designed to withstand up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). The Chandrayaan-1 -- Chandrayaan means "moon craft" in Sanskrit -- was successfully launched from southern India on October 22. Watch the launch of India's first lunar mission » Its two-year mission is to take high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the moon's surface, especially the permanently shadowed polar regions. It also will search for evidence of water or ice and attempt to identify the chemical composition of certain lunar rocks, the group said. Earlier this month the Moon Impact Probe detached from Chandrayaan-1 and successfully crash-landed on the moon's surface. Officials say that the TV-size probe, which is adorned with a painting of the Indian flag, hit the moon's surface at a speed of 5,760 kilometers per hour (3,579 mph). It transmitted data to Chandrayaan-1 ahead of impact but was not intended to be retrieved after that. Chandrayaan-1 is carrying payloads from the United States, the European Union and Bulgaria. India plans to share the data from the mission with other programs, including NASA.

2016-04-08 08:13 Harmeet Shah rss.cnn.com

55 Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base - CNN.com (CNN) -- Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at California's Edwards Air Force Base after NASA waved off two opportunities for a Florida landing because of poor weather. The shuttle, steered by commander Christopher Ferguson, landed at 1:25 p.m., ending a mission that lasted more than two weeks. Wind, rain and reports of thunderstorms within 30 miles of the shuttle landing facility at Florida's Kennedy Space Center prompted NASA to cancel the landing attempts there. Those had been scheduled for 1:19 p.m. and 2:54 p.m. ET. After determining Monday's weather forecast at Kennedy Space Center was equally unpromising, flight controllers decided they would try to land the shuttle and its seven astronauts at Edwards AFB, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, California, where Sunday's forecast was sunny. Flight controllers prefer landings at Kennedy Space Center because of cost and schedule. NASA has estimated it costs about $1.7 million to bring a shuttle home to Kennedy Space Center from California. Watch Endeavour's Sunday landing in California » It also takes at least a week to get the shuttle ready for the trip, but schedule is not a major factor for the Endeavour; it is not scheduled to fly again until May. Endeavour's 15-day mission to the international space station began on November 14 and included four spacewalks. During that time, the crew brought key pieces -- including exercise equipment, more sleeping berths and a urine recycling system -- for a project to double the capacity of the station from three in-house astronauts to six. The recycling system was installed to turn urine and sweat from the astronauts into drinking water. Other modules are scheduled to arrive on a February shuttle flight. The goal of expanding the station's capacity to six astronauts is expected to be reached by the summer. The crew also worked on a joint that helps generate power for the space station. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve Bowen spent hours cleaning and lubricating the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, which is designed to allow the solar panels on the left side of the station to rotate and track the sun. The astronauts also removed and replaced several trundle bearing assemblies. The mission went according to plan, despite a minor interruption on the first spacewalk when a grease gun in Stefanyshyn-Piper tool's bag leaked, coating everything inside with a film of lubricant. While she was trying to clean it up, the bag -- with $100,000 in tools -- floated away. CNN's Kate Tobin and Miles O'Brien contributed to this report.

2016-04-08 08:13 rss.cnn.com

56 Probing the cosmos: Is anybody out there? - CNN.com (CNN) -- From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe. Her ears are 42 large and sophisticated radio telescopes, spread across several acres, that scan the cosmos for signals of extraterrestrial origin. If intelligent life forms do exist on other planets, and they try to contact us, Tarter will be among the first to know. Are we citizens of Earth alone in the universe? It's a question that has long fascinated astronomers, sci-fi authors, kids with backyard telescopes and Hollywood executives who churn out spectacles about alien encounters. Polls have found that most Americans believe that some form of life exists beyond our planet. "It's a fundamental question," said Tarter, the real-life inspiration for Jodie Foster's character in the 1997 movie "Contact. " "And it's a question that the person on the street can understand. It's not like a... super-collider or some search for neutrinos buried in the ice. It's, 'Are we alone? How might we find out? What does that tell us about ourselves and our place in the universe?' "We're trying to figure out how the universe began, how galaxies and large-scale structures formed, and where did the origins of life as we know it take place? " Tarter said. "These are all valid questions to ask of the universe. And an equally valid question is whether the same thing that happened here [on Earth] has happened elsewhere. " Watch a preview of CNN's "In Search of Aliens" series » Thanks to advancements in technology, scientists hope to get an answer sooner rather than later. Rovers have snapped photographs of the surface of Mars that show fossil-like shapes. NASA hopes to launch within a decade a Terrestrial Planet Finder, an orbiting observatory that would detect planets around nearby stars and determine whether they could support life. Such developments are catnip to scientists like Geoffrey Marcy, a professor of astronomy at the University of California-Berkeley who has discovered more extrasolar planets than anyone else. "It wasn't more than 13 years ago that we hadn't found any planets around the stars, and most people thought that we never would. So here we are not only having found planets, we are looking for habitable planets, signs of biology on those planets," Marcy told CNN. "It's an extraordinary explosion of a field of science that didn't even exist just a few years ago. " Then there's Tarter, whose quest for signs of extraterrestrial life kept her on the fringes of mainstream science for decades. While pursuing her doctorate at UC-Berkeley, Tarter came across an engineering report that floated the idea of using radio telescopes to listen for broadcasts by alien beings. It became her life's work. In 1984 Tarter founded the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) in California. Using telescopes in Australia, West Virginia and Puerto Rico, she conducted a decade-long scouring of about 750 nearby star systems for extraterrestrial radio signals. None was found, although Tarter had some false alarms. In 1998, she intercepted a mysterious signal that lasted for hours. Tarter got so excited she misread her own computer results: The signal was coming from a NASA observatory spacecraft orbiting the sun. Today, Tarter listens to the heavens with the Allen Telescope Array, a collection of 20-foot-wide telescopes some 300 miles north of San Francisco. The dish-like scopes are a joint effort of SETI and UC-Berkeley's Radio Astronomy Lab and have been funded largely by Microsoft co- founder Paul Allen, who donated more than $25 million to the project. Unlike previously existing radio telescopes, which scan the sky for limited periods of time, the Allen Telescope Array probes the universe round the clock. Each of the 42 scopes is aimed at a different area of the sky, collecting reams of data that are continually studied by computers for unusual patterns. Then the listeners must filter out noise from airplanes and satellites. "We're listening for something that we don't think can be produced by Mother Nature," Tarter said. "We're using the radio frequency, other people are using optical telescopes... and in both cases we're looking for an artificial nature to a signal. "In the case of radio, we're looking for a lot of power being squished into just one channel on the radio dial. In the optical, they're looking for very bright flashes that last a nanosecond... or less, not slow pulsing kinds of things. To date we've never found a natural source that can do that. " Signals that any extraterrestrials might be transmitting for their own use would be difficult to detect, Tarter said. Astronomers are more likely to discover a radio transmission broadcast intentionally at the Earth, she said. Astronomers at SETI, however, are not sending a signal into space in an attempt to communicate with aliens. University of California professor Marcy is skeptical about the existence of intelligent alien life and believes our galaxy's vast distances would make communication between Earth and beings on other planets almost impossible. "The nearest neighbor might be halfway across our galaxy, 50,000 light-years away. Communicating with them will take a hundred thousand years for a round-trip signal," he said. Still, Tarter remains undaunted. The Allen Telescope Array already does in 10 minutes what once took her scientists 10 days. When the project is completed, it will have 350 telescopes that, combined, can survey tens of thousands of star systems. "We can look in more places and more frequencies faster than we ever could. And that will just get better with time. We're doing something now we couldn't do when we started, we couldn't do five years ago," she said. "Think of it as a cosmic haystack. There's a needle in there somewhere. If you pull out a few straws, are you going to get disappointed because you haven't found the needle yet? No. We haven't really begun to explore. " All About Astronomy • UFOs and Alien Abductions • SETI Institute 2016-04-08 08:13 By Brandon rss.cnn.com

57 Torture victims commemorate historic case against Marcos MANILA - Victims of the martial law regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos are commemorating the filing of the historic case against the dictator 30 years ago. Member of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) led the filing of a class-action suit on behalf of about 10,000 plaintiffs against Marcos on April 7, 1986. Invoking the Alien Tort Act of the United States, Selda filed a class-action suit against the Philippine dictator in the Federal District Court of Pennsylvania, with US-based lawyer Robert Swift representing the Filipino plaintiffs. The 10 named plaintiffs in the case were Celsa Hilao, Danilo de la Fuente, Renato Pineda, Adora Faye de Vera, Domiciano Amparo, Rodolfo Benosa, Jose Duran, Josefina Forcadilla, Arturo Revilla and Gerry de Guzman. The case was transferred to the US Federal Court in Hawaii where the Marcos family was then residing. "Selda leaders sought the help of their president, Atty. Jose Mari Velez, to find out how best to file charges against the dictator. In one of his travels to the US, Atty. Velez met an American lawyer, Robert Swift, whose law firm agreed to shoulder the costs of litigation and later to be repaid with money to be recovered from the dictator," said Amaryllis Hilao-Enriquez, daughter of one of the named plaintiffs, in a statement. The US court eventually ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. "We won a favorable judgment in 1992," Hilao-Enriquez added. "I give my highest salute to the men, women, minors, especially the elderly who are not with us anymore as we struggled hard to make the Marcoses accountable for the human rights violations and plunder they committed against the Filipino people. " Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. makes an attempt to secure the second-highest position in the country in the coming May 9, 2016 elections, 30 years after his family was ousted from power in 1986 by a peaceful revolution. GROUP SLAMS BONGBONG'S VP BID "On this historic day, the martial law victims remind the son of the dictator about a truth that he denies as he wages his deceitful bid for the vice-presidency," says Bonifacio Ilagan, convenor of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malaca?ang (Carmma). "Marcos violated not only the rights of 10,000 Filipinos, but an entire nation upon which he imposed his despotic one-man rule. It ended when Marcos and family, including the son who now dreams of becoming president, was kicked out of the palace and on to Hawaii in 1986," he added. "These are historical facts which Marcos Jr. denies in his immoral campaign for the vice- presidency. But facts are facts and history is history. And the machinations of the namesake son of the dictator may win him a day but not the final verdict of history. "

2016-04-08 10:09 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

58 58 Palace keeps distance from plunder rap vs Bongbong MANILA – The Palace on Thursday said it had nothing to do with the plunder complaint filed against Senator Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. in connection with the pork barrel scam. "Contrary to the claims of Sen. Marcos, government has no involvement in the reported case for plunder filed against him by an anti- corruption group. If the good Senator strongly believes that he has nothing to do with the charges levelled against him, it is best that he respond in the proper forum,'' Palace Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said in a text message. Marcos said the P205 million plunder complaint filed against him is part of the Aquino administration's demolition job against him and is in keeping with its ''tradition'' of selective justice. READ: Plunder complaint filed vs Bongbong President Aquino has recently stepped up his rhetoric against the only son and namesake of the former dictator, as the administration's vice-presidential bet, Leni Robredo, continues to trail Marcos and fellow frontrunner, Senator Francis Escudero. READ: PNoy campaigns against Bongbong in People Power speech Despite being linked by the administration to the ills of the Martial Law era, Marcos has so far survived the criticisms against him, as shown by his strong performance in pre-election surveys. READ: Bongbong on Marcos era: What am I to say sorry for? The plunder complaint against Marcos was filed by the group iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan (iBBM). The iBBM based their complaint on whistleblower Benhur Luy's list of lawmakers involved in the multi-billion scam, audit reports, Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and transcripts of statements made during the Senate investigations. The complaint states that a total of P205 million was given to bogus organizations in 2011 and 2012. This includes P15 million to Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc. (SDPFFI), P10 million to Health Education Assistance Resettlement Training Services (HEARTS), P30 million to Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation Inc. (CARED), P30 million to People's Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc. (POPDFI), P20 million to Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc. (KMFI), and P100 million to National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC). The funds were supposedly allotted for organic farming of high-value crops in several towns in Quezon, Pangasinan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan provinces. The complaint cites Commission on Audit (COA) findings which show that the chosen organizations for the project were non-existent, could not be located, or were incapable of handling such government projects. Attached in the complaint are the SAROs authorizing the release of the funds from Marcos' PDAF. The complaint also cites Napoles' statement before the Senate that Catherine Mae "Maya" Santos, a former consultant in Marcos' office, offered to use the senator's project in exchange for a 50%-commission. – with a report from Carolyn Bonquin, ABS-CBN News

2016-04-08 10:09 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

59 Dashcam footage shows traffic warden moving cone before issuing ticket A motorist given a parking ticket was shocked when footage from his dashboard camera showed a traffic warden moving a road cone before issuing the fine. Father-of-two Harvey Saunders left the camera running after receiving suspicious parking tickets in Hull, East Yorkshire. He was astonished when the footage he captured showed a warden moving a traffic cone used to mark a parking bay suspension before handing him the fine. The council have insisted the cone was originally placed in the bay where Mr Saunders parked, but have agreed to rescind the fine after accepting it had been moved. Mr Saunders had previously been given two parking fines which he felt had been issued unfairly, so he set his dash-cam to record after leaving his car near a suspended bay. In the video, Mr Saunders parks his car in a bay behind the one with the cones next to it - and so believed that only the Ford parked in that space would be liable for a ticket. But a parking warden on a moped later appears and, after taking the details of Mr Saunders's car, moves the bay suspension cone next to Mr Saunders's Vauxhall. Mr Saunders, 41, told his local paper, The Hull Daily Mail : 'I actually caught up with him a little later, purely by accident, he was still in the area. 'I asked him about what he had done and he said, and I quote "well you shouldn't have parked there should you? ". 'I told him I had recorded him moving the cone, and I was recording him now. That's when he went mad.' The local council claim the cone should have been next to the space in which Mr Saunders parked, but must have been moved before he arrived. A Hull City Council spokesman said: 'When we need to suspend parking bays temporarily we place portable cones on the road or footpath. 'Unfortunately, people moving them is not uncommon, as happened in this case which can result in us taking enforcement action. 'The officer was correct to return the cone to the original location but not to use it as evidence to issue a ticket in this instance. 'We have contacted the motorist concerned and the ticket will be rescinded. An investigation is under way.' Mr Saunders has shared the video on YouTube, where it has been viewed nearly 2,000 times.

2016-04-08 07:57 Richard Spillett www.dailymail.co.uk

60 Dev Patel: 'I get paid to play for a living' Bafta-nominated Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel explains why his latest film is a "mathematical bromance" and why being typecast is "more a blessing than a curse". "I'm terrible - I can barely figure out tips on a bill," Dev Patel says. "My dad is an accountant and I always let him down because I'm horrendously atrocious with maths, so to play one of the greatest mathematicians in history is quite the irony. " The mathematician in question is Indian Srinivasa Ramanujan, who Patel plays in his latest film The Man Who Knew Infinity. Ramanujan's name may not be familiar to many, but he was a pioneer who revolutionised mathematical and scientific theories - many of which are still used today, particularly in relation to black holes. Set in 1913, the biopic follows a 25-year-old, maths-obsessed, Ramanujan as he leaves Madras and travels to Cambridge University at the invitation of meticulous professor and mentor GH Hardy (played by Jeremy Irons), to prove his theories - much to the displeasure of the other Cambridge fellows who are unwilling to accept or credit him. With maths hardly at the top of many people's fun lists, Patel - who is now the same age as Ramanujan - says he's aware the film may be a hard sell to audiences. "When the script first came to me I was like 'I don't know anything about maths, so maybe I'm not your guy'," he says. "But what I connected to was the almost dysfunctional father-son relationship [between Ramanujan and Hardy]. "You've got a guy that's come fresh off a boat from the middle of nowhere in South India to Cambridge, into a very snotty environment where he faces a lot of adversity, racism and prejudice. "Hardy put his whole reputation on the line for this Indian man, but at the same time almost failed to see him as a human for a lot of it. "These two people are completely different, but the one thing they have in common is maths. So to see them come together and create something great is beautiful - it's like a mathematical 'bromance'. " While Ramanujan faced racism and prejudice from not only the Cambridge establishment, but also people on the street, Patel says he is fortunate enough to not have been on the receiving end of such extreme treatment - although it did hit close to home for his Gujarati Hindu family. "I'm very lucky compared to what my parents had to face when they first came to London and what their parents had to face," he says. "There were certain scenes where Ramanujan is being called a 'wog' and it started to hurt a little. I thought 'I don't feel comfortable about this', and I didn't expect that to happen. " Filming took Patel back to India, where he filmed his break-out role in the 2008 Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. Perhaps surprisingly, the actor had only been to the country once before that - which he remembers as an unhappy experience. "I was dragged along to a family wedding when I was not even six, so I didn't enjoy it," he says. "I just remember missing my GameBoy and been bitten to death by mosquitoes. "But then I reconnected with this culture and saw [Mumbai] for the first time with [Slumdog director] Danny Boyle and it was pretty amazing. It's like finding a part of yourself when you get connected to parts of your heritage that way. " Proud of his ethnic background, Patel has played his fair share of Asian characters. But in a 2010 interview he criticised Hollywood for the lack of roles for Asian actors, saying he struggled to find work beyond the stereotypical parts of "a terrorist, a cab driver or smart geek". Since Slumdog he's notably starred in two Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films as eager hotel manager Sonny Kapoor, US drama series The Newsroom as reporter Neal Sampat and 2015 sci-fi film Chappie, playing robot creator Deon Wilson. His next role is opposite Nicole Kidman in Lion, about an Indian boy adopted by an Australian couple who sets out to track down his long lost family in his adult years. Now he's been in the business longer, Patel says he has a changed perspective on the stereotyping issue. "The scripts that I'm offered are quite typecast," he says. "But I'm starting to look at it as more of a blessing than a curse because I get to play characters like Ramanujan and bring great Indians from my heritage to the screen and tell their stories. "Things are changing now because I've been around a bit longer, but I don't feel as typecast as I did when I first came on the scene. " The modest actor maintains he's just thankful to get work: "[Comedian] Chris Rock says when you are doing a job you are constantly looking at the clock, but when it's a career you can't get enough of it. That's what it is for me. "I'm so lucky that I'm getting paid to do that. My mum cares for the elderly and she works a lot harder than I do. "I'm playing all the time, but she's really grafting - it puts everything into perspective really. " The Man Who Knew Infinity is released in cinemas on 8 April.

2016-04-08 06:42 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

61 The tragedy that 'chemsex' drugs can cause At the beginning of last year, Henry Hendron would have been forgiven for thinking he had it all - a successful career as a barrister, representing high-profile figures and politicians, a flat in the heart of London, and a happy, loving relationship. But just a few weeks later, it lay in ruins. His 18- year-old boyfriend, Miguel Jimenez, was dead from an overdose. Hendron was arrested and later charged with supplying drugs - his career and his freedom both in jeopardy. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Hendron has told how his partner's death weighs heavily on his shoulders. Last week, at the Old Bailey, Hendron pleaded guilty to two charges of possession with intent to supply Class B and Class C drugs. He will be sentenced in early May, with the judge telling him that "all sentencing options remained open". BBC producer Alexander Parkin had earlier admitted two counts of supplying controlled drugs. Whether or not Hendron is jailed, it almost certainly means the end of a successful career as a barrister. He says he is not pleading for sympathy or expecting special treatment from the courts. He holds himself entirely responsible for his situation - and the death of his boyfriend. "Every day that goes past I feel responsible. I was older, I should have known better, I was 34 then, he was only 18. It should have been me saying 'we're not going to do this' … I didn't make that call when I should have done, and for that reason, and that reason alone, I put his tragic death on my shoulders. " He believes party drugs are wrecking the lives of many young gay men. "It was a normal Monday afternoon. We had taken our dog to the vet. We had dinner, we had some wine, and my partner had quite a bit of wine, and then at midnight he just said 'shall we have some drugs?' "I was working the next day, so I didn't have any on that occasion, but he did. He had some G [GHB]. It was quite a nice experience and we went to sleep. I woke up and he was dead, next to me. "I'd never seen a dead person before but when I turned him over, he was non-responsive, he was purple in the face and his face was frozen. " GHB is much more dangerous when consumed with alcohol. Hendron says he then attempted CPR to revive Miguel while waiting for the ambulance to arrive at his flat in Temple, in central London. The paramedics, who arrived alongside officers from the City of London Police, worked for three-quarters of an hour but were unable to save Miguel. "I think I let out a wail. I was just in another mental, different place. All of a sudden, my whole world had collapsed from being happy and healthy and being in a loving relationship, to one which had this big question mark. "My partner was dead in the next room, and as the ambulance retreated, four or five police officers came forward and arrested me … for various drugs charges and manslaughter at that time. " It was that moment, handcuffed in his flat in the heart of London's legal district, and being taken away for questioning, that reality dawned. "I was there because of drugs, my partner was dead because of drugs and I was about to lose my career because of drugs. " Drugs, he says, are "common and increasing phenomenon" on the gay scene. The media reports of the case asserted that Miguel had taken the drugs at a party, but Hendron denies this. Source: FRANK He had bought a large quantity of both mephedrone and GHB (commonly known as G) not for a so-called "chemsex" party but to share with his partner, he says. But the chemsex scene - gay men using drugs like mephedrone and GHB to enhance sex - is one that he had become caught up in over recent years. "There wasn't a party on the night Miguel died. It was just him and me. But I am familiar with that scene, unfortunately so. I hadn't touched drugs in my teens and twenties, it was only the last couple of years. "There are a large number of men, in their 30s and 40s, who've come to drugs late and are now doing it regularly. Drugs in the gay scene have really taken off. Recent studies show that gay people are three times more likely to take drugs than their straight counterparts. "It seems to be the acceptable face now of recreation in the gay community. " In fact, the British Medical Journal published an editorial last year suggesting that chemsex needed to become a public health priority. The pioneering sexual health clinic, 56 Dean Street in London, estimates that 3,000 gay men who use drugs in a sexual setting access its services every month. Who are these people? In Hendron's experience, people very much like him. Professionals, holding down jobs during the week. "Most of the people who do these gay sex high parties are in full-time employment. It's not a picture that most people aren't part of that scene would recognise. "The problem is more prevalent than people think and it's an increasing one. It's increasing because the drugs are cheap, and they're everywhere. Within minutes on [gay dating app] Grindr, in Vauxhall or Soho, you can find someone who's selling or looking. " Hendron says he regularly goes to Miguel's native Colombia where he was buried, and has got to know his family, especially his mother. "It's a horrific thing to lose a son, especially at 18 and to drugs. And to make matters worse, not all of his family knew he was gay so you have many bombshells that dropped on their shoulders at the same time. " Hendron accepts he has done wrong. "I may go to prison and whatever I get, I deserve. I have made some stupid decisions and you have to stand up and accept that. "But that's the price that drugs make you pay. " More from the Magazine HIV infection rates are on the rise, particularly among gay men. But could a new type of drug treatment - PrEP - be given to people so they avoid catching the disease? The drugs that protect people who have unprotected sex (July 2015) Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

2016-04-08 06:42 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

62 PH, Monaco expand bilateral cooperation Prince Albert II of Monaco MANILA - The Philippines and Monaco agreed to expand cooperation in various areas following the visit of His Serene Highness Albert II, the sovereign prince of Monaco. President Aquino and the prince witnessed the signing of the framework agreement for cooperation where both sides agreed to expand cooperation in economic areas, scientific, humanitarian, disaster risk reduction and management and environmental protection. The prince met with President Aquino in Malacañang where a welcome ceremony was also held. The visit marked the tenth anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Monaco. President Aquino thanked Monaco for its various assistance to the Philippines, including aid in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda. He also updated the prince on the progress the Philippines has made to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement. PRINCE SERVED 'TINOLA OF GIFTS FROM PH SEAS' A state luncheon was held in honor of the prince. Among the dishes served were ensalada, "Tinola of gifts from the Philippine seas", Blackmore Wagyu short rib inihaw, halo- halo, mango and other sweets. The prince is a known environmentalist and advocate of climate risk mitigation and is scheduled to visit Tubbataha Reefs National Park and other sites in Palawan. The son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace or the former Grace Kelly, Prince Albert is visiting the Philippines for the second time, his first as head of state.

2016-04-08 07:56 Willard Cheng news.abs-cbn.com

63 63 Prince Albert II ng Monaco, nasa Pilipinas na Nasa Pilipinas si Prince Albert II ng Monaco. Lumagda siya sa kasunduan para paigtingin ang pagtutulungan ng Monaco at Pilipinas lalo na sa pangangalaga sa kapaligiran. Nagpa-Patrol, Willard Cheng. TV Patrol, Huwebes, Abril 7, 2016 Watch the latest episode of TV Patrol also in iWant TV or TFC

2016-04-08 07:56 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

64 Categories Archives Prince has postponed his two Thursday concerts at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre due to illness (he reportedly has the flu). The dates are expected to be rescheduled and any tickets purchased for either of tonight’s shows will be valid for the new date. Refunds are also available at point of purchase. If you picked up your tickets already today, those tickets will be valid for the new shows. If you did not pick up your tickets yet today, you must pick up at will call on the rescheduled date. Ticket pick-up for today has been discontinued at the Fox Theatre. Need new plans for tonight? Here are 5 other options… Follow the AJC Music Scene on Facebook and Twitter. There are no comments yet. Be the first to post your thoughts. Sign in or register.

2016-04-08 01:53 music.blog.ajc.com

65 Lena Dunham talks about THAT Basic Instinct scene on Girls Her show is known for pushing the boundaries with its sex scenes. But Lena Dunham admits that even she was shocked by her character Hanna Horvath's Basic Instinct inspired moment on a recent episode of the show. The 29-year-old appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday, where she talked about the scene in which she showed her private parts. 'We saw everything that I had to offer!' she joked. 'It was shocking to me also. The thing is when they told me about it in the writers room, I was like, "C’mon guys, don’t do this to me. " 'Then five months later I was sitting there on the set listening to the director say they needed to add an extra key light because they couldn’t see quite clearly enough. I had to have an extra light for my vagina!' While the scene left viewers stunned, Lena explained why she doesn't consider it the same thing as 'porn'. 'You don’t see what’s inside so I feel like I can continue to proudly campaign for a presidential candidate without getting fired,' she joked, referring to her support of Hillary Clinton. Lena added: 'Not that I have a problem with people who show what’s inside. I’m just saying that in our conservative nation, I didn’t go all the way.' During her appearance on the show, Lena also told Seth that she is a massive fan of the Kardashians, though she has a special affection for youngest sister Khloe. The 29-year-old said: 'Sometimes we’ll Instagram about Khloe like once or twice a day, and people will be like, "Those Kardashians – that’s not what you represent. " 'And we’re like, “Well, they’re like awesome entrepreneurs who are all about sisterhood and connection and so, yeah it is. "' She also said that the family is a 'role model' for the relationship she has with creative partner Jennifer Konner, who she appeared on the show with to celebrate the news they will be launching the publishing imprint Lenny together in 2017. It is a spin-off from their weekly feminist Lenny Letter, which is funded by the media conglomerate the Hearst Corporation, which also promotes the product across websites of its magazines, such as Cosmopolitan. Lena was particularly pleased when Khloe tweeted to promote their product. She said: 'We received the only praise from the only source. It meant so much because we both love her app.' Such a heady commendation was enough to see her sidekick Jennifer exclaim that she is ‘the best Kardashian.’ Lena added: 'That’s not throwing Kardashian shade, for us she’s just the peak.' Lena also explained how she has to draw sketches for the actors on her show Girls to explain what they will be doing in sex scenes. She said: 'I think it started out because we wrote them into our script and our actors would be like we don’t know what it is. And when Seth I also have to say that before we put Jenni in the position she said “Is this going to hurt?” Meanwhile Lena has also hit out at Glamour magazine for including her friend Amy Schumer in a 'plus-size' stars, insisting that such labels should not even exist. She told People : 'I think fashion should be for women and it should be for all women. 'We did an interview recently on Lenny with Beth Ditto who just launched a line that is technically plus-sized but what she really cares about is just putting women in clothes they can feel good about because so often we've assumed women who aren't size zeros just want to put themselves in a tent.' But she does not think that her famously friend will be fazed by her very public humiliation. She said: 'I think Amy's entire thing is trying to sort of like break down barriers and be bold about her own opinions and what I think she was trying to do was stand up for women and say we're not supposed be categorized in this role, we're supposed to just be allowed to exist.'

2016-04-08 07:43 Dailymail.com www.dailymail.co.uk

66 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times Carter said in Washington earlier this week, “What we are looking for is a closer relationship and a stronger relationship… because it is geo- politically grounded… One is we have the rebalance so to speak, westward from the United States. They have Act East, which is their strategic approach eastward.” “Second, our defense technology and trade initiative, which is an effort to work with India. They want to be a co-developer and co-producer … And so, we are very much aligned in terms of what the government there is trying to do strategically and economically and what we want to do with them defense-wise. When I go over there (India), we got a whole bunch of things that we will be announcing at that time. And I want to announce beforehand, but better, new milestones in this relationship.” Washington is pulling all stops to get New Delhi to agree to the three pending “foundational agreements” that would align India as the US’ key non-NATO ally, alongside Japan and Australia, in the Asia-Pacific. The “foundational agreements” in question are three: Logistic Supply Agreement (LSA), Communication and Information Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The US lobbyists blithely project them as a “modest” endeavor that is “largely technical and operational in nature” and would facilitate “information sharing and the provision of supplies” between the two militaries. Under the LSA, the two sides can access supplies, spare parts and services from each other’s land facilities, air bases, and ports. The CISMOA would allow the US to provide India with its encrypted communications equipment and systems so that Indian and US higher commanders, aircraft and ships communicate with each other through America’s “secure networks”. The BECA would provide India with topographical and aeronautical data and products which could aid navigation and targeting. However, the tenacity with which Washington pushed the envelope through a decade of Indian resistance to signing the “foundational agreements” gives the story away. The point is, the agreements are prima facie reciprocal, but one must be a nitwit or completely lacking in intellectual honesty to fail to comprehend that while the US as a global power stands to gain substantially out of signing these agreements, India’s need for them is dubious. From the US perspective, the rebalance strategy in Asia may get a boost if India bandwagons. However, for India, it means jettisoning its “strategic autonomy” and the traditional aversion to military alliances. India is barely coping with its own defense needs and it is far from being a provider of security for the region (or for other regions). Nor is India interested in undertaking ‘out-of-area’ operations, which are simply beyond Indian capabilities or needs. The US is hustling India to undertake ‘joint patrol’ with it in the South China Sea and the US lobbyists keep taunting India that it should not be lacking in “self-confidence” to align with the US to contain China. India’s defense needs have no hidden agenda. While India strives to create a defense industry, as China or Pakistan would be doing, it needs to source sophisticated weaponry from abroad to meet its defense preparedness. However, there is no conceivable reason to transform these transactional relationships as military alliances or to give them ideological underpinning. India has been remarkably successful in tapping diverse sources – Russia, France, Britain, Israel and the US. Globalization and India’s “strategic autonomy” provide it with the requisite space to cherry pick. Of course, India prefers partners who are willing to settle for co-production and joint designing and development of weapons under the rubric “Make in India”. But that is another story. The big question is, whether the current pattern of transactional relationships jeopardize India’s defense preparedness. The short answer is ‘No’. Access to cutting-edge technology – be it Russia’s S-400 missile defense system or nuclear submarines or stealth fighter or Israel’s drones and missiles – is no problem for India. Arguably, India is an attractive customer in the arms bazaar because it is a serious buyer and there is no conflict of interests. So, where is the problem? Put differently, what is it that the US hopes to achieve by overcoming India’s resistance to becoming its military ally, which is what Carter’s suggestion about dovetailing the US’ rebalance in Asia with India’s so-called “Act East” policy is all about? The ready answer is that the US hopes to incrementally place itself as the sole or at least the pre-eminent supplier of weapons to the Indian armed forces. This is the pattern of the US’ relationships in the NATO system – making the weapon systems “interoperable” so that the allies are bound tight militarily and politically to Washington’s global strategies. An added US objective would be to roll back Russia’s lead role as India’s arms supplier. Arms exports are a major source of income for Russia and an innovative Russian arms industry flushed with funds for R&D is already threatening the US’ superiority in conventional weapons and impacting the global strategic balance. But India is not a stakeholder in the US’ new Cold war with Russia. A quasi-alliance with the US may damage India’s time-tested relationship with Russia. Again, while China can live with a robust India-US relationship, it is a different ball game if Indian policies shift in favour of forming a military alliance with the US or if New Delhi identifies with the US’ rebalance in Asia. From the Indian perspective, it is inconceivable that the US will ever get involved in the event of a war between India its regional adversaries. The US’ stance on the India-China border dispute or the Kashmir problem has remained ambivalent, and Washington prioritizes stable and predictable relationships with both China and Pakistan. India has no reason to provoke China and force it into an adversarial mindset when Beijing is not looking for such a relationship. India’s interest lies not in confronting China, but in negotiating a new type of relationship based on equality and mutual interests that allows the two big Asian powers to peacefully co-exist and focus on development. Equally, India prefers to address its “Pakistan problem” on its own terms. In fact, a reset in the India-Iran relationship, which is imminent, will only isolate Pakistan further in the region and put pressure on it to rethink its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Simply put, Washington would have the ingenuity to figure out how to sell weapons to India even without a quasi-alliance. India was the second biggest buyer of US weapons behind Saudi Arabia in 2015. According to SIPRI, India was the world’s biggest arms buyer through the past 5-year period. India is expected to spend $120 billion in the coming decade to buy weapons. Make no mistake, US arms vendors will not want to disembark from the gravy train all because New Delhi refuses to sign up as quasi-ally. The bottom line is that the market prevails: Indians pay well if the product is interesting, and they never default. This may be a transactional relationship, but a highly lucrative one for the American vendors, nonetheless. Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001). He writes the “Indian Punchline” blog and has written regularly for Asia Times since 2001. (Copyright 2016 Asia Times Holdings Limited, a duly registered Hong Kong company. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

2016-04-08 06:23 By Kevin atimes.com

67 Alvarez tips the scales at 163lbs during the WBC's 30-day weigh-in With the Amir Khan fight less than a month away, Canelo Alvarez looked in tip-top condition as he took part in the WBC's mandatory 30-day weigh- in. The catch-weight contest, which has been criticised by some, takes place on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as the Bolton-fighter moves into uncharted territory to fight for Alvarez's middleweight belt. The Mexican fighter, who has suffered just once loss in his career, was pictured on the scales by his team, Golden Boy Promotions. They said on Instagram: '@canelo tips the scale at 163.8 pounds for @wbcboxing's mandatory 30 day weigh in. #TeamCanelo #CaneloKhan.' While middleweight is usually fought at 160lbs, the WBC sanctioned a 155lbs limit - five pounds under the statutory maximum. It's a big jump for Khan but the opportunity to fight Canelo on pay-per-view in America was something the Olympic medallist could not turn down. Fellow Brit, David Haye, believes that a win for the 29-year-old would make him one of the all-time greats but admits Khan must avoid trading blows with the big-hitting Mexican. He told WorldBoxingNews: 'I've said this all along. Go back to videos and you'll see I'm not just saying it now because the fight is made, but I said the only person on the planet who can match Floyd [Mayweather] for speed is our boy, Amir Khan. He's the only one who can do it. 'With that being said, the only person to ever beat Canelo was a fast fighter and now we've got another fast fighter. It's about strategy, speed and punch evasion. 'If he can pull it off, and it's a big if, Amir Khan should be recognised as one of the all-time greats. I truly believe he can and people will talk about this fight for a long time to come,' added Haye.

2016-04-08 07:26 Adam Smith www.dailymail.co.uk

68 Yahoo - National Association of Realtors® Sponsors "Now I Get It" Video Series on Yahoo Finance New Campaign Helps Demystify the Home Buying Process and Highlight the Value Realtors® Bring to the Consumer Journey --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) will sponsor new episodes of "Now I Get It", a popular video series on Yahoo Finance. NAR's campaign will connect with future home buyers and renters, especially millennials, through targeted ads and brand integrations within episodes that feature , President of NAR. "Yahoo Finance is known for its unrivaled access to financial insights and news, and we're always looking for new ways to work with great brands like the to help them share a compelling story with this audience," said , Chief Revenue Officer,. "Working with NAR, we're delivering video content that's not only relevant and informative for our users, but something they can enjoy watching across devices. " As the exclusive sponsor, NAR will engage viewers around six new episodes of "Now I Get It" on Yahoo Finance. This special real estate focused miniseries will answer commonly asked questions about the home buying process to help consumers make educated decisions, while reinforcing the value of an experienced broker. During branded segments at the end of each episode, NAR President will share perspectives on topics including when to sell, remodeling, buying vs. renting and more. The first episode of the NAR sponsored series debuts today and will focus on the best time to sell a house based on region, time of year, and type of property. NAR will also run targeted pre-roll video, native and display ads on to amplify the sponsorship. Gemini native ads will enhance the campaign by driving consumers to a custom Mobile Content Module, featuring articles that highlight each episode theme. NAR's campaign on was developed in partnership with the real estate organization's agency of record,. "Whether you are a current or aspiring homeowner, we're excited to partner with for this new campaign to share advice and tips on navigating the real estate market with a wide audience of all ages through video, native and display advertising," said , NAR President. "With Yahoo's extensive video advertising solutions and editorial capabilities, we are creating and sharing content that helps break the barriers between Realtors® and consumers. " "Now I Get It" is a popular video series on Yahoo Finance that explains the business concepts and jargon from the biggest financial stories of the day. New episodes of "Now I Get It" will air every other week. Episodes, additional clips and articles are available at https://finance.yahoo.com. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com). About the National Association of Realtors® of Realtors®, "The Voice for ," is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

2016-04-08 10:20 investor.yahoo.net

69 Jon Snow's death is confirmed in Game Of Thrones synopsis It is the cliffhanger that has kept Game Of Thrones fans huddled around water coolers for the past year. But it seems Jon Snow really is dead, at least if the first episode synopsis for the hit HBO show ahead of the new series premiere can be trusted. In a moment that will live long in the memory for fans of the show, the jolly Lord Commander of the Night's Watch suffered something of a career setback when he was brutally stabbed to death by his own men at the end of the last series. For one The Red Woman mentioned in the episode title could very well be Melisandre, a priestess of the Lord of Light. In the past followers of the deity have been shown to have the ability to raise people from the dead, which could be one way in which Jon could rise again, perhaps shedding his Snow moniker after discovering he is in fact Azor Ahai the hero prophesied to save Westeros. The show's long-awaited series premiere will finally air on HBO on Sunday, April 24.

2016-04-08 07:24 Mike Larkin www.dailymail.co.uk

70 Man who was raped at the age of five confuses his wife with attacker A man who was sexually abused as a child has told how he almost suffocated his wife with a pillow during a night terror, believing her to be his attacker. Paul Remmer, 37, from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, was raped at the age of five by family friend Graham Pipes, then 17, who was babysitting him at the time. However, he was sworn to secrecy and told he would be killed in his sleep if he told anyone. Not until he was 19 did he tell his partner Claire, who is now his wife, but he said he didn't feel ready to tell anyone else. Scroll down for video Pipes was jailed for sexual assault in December 2015 after another victim came forward. Paul has now waived his right to anonymity to help other victims. He explained that he suffered a series of terrifying nightmares that continued to get worse, but the final straw came one night in April 2011, when they suddenly turned violent. It was after this that Paul knew he would have to tell the police what had happened. Paul said: ‘After I was attacked, I buried it deep and I didn’t tell a soul. When I met Claire, I trusted her instantly and I felt I could confide in her. 'However it was a long time before I felt ready to tell anyone else. 'My night terrors kept getting worse and I was absolutely distraught when I suddenly woke up that night and realised I was suffocating Claire. 'If anything had happened to her because of me I would be utterly devastated. I would have never forgiven myself. 'That’s when I knew something had to be done. I told my family - which was really hard, and then we went to the police. 'When at first they told me they couldn’t do anything about it due to a lack of evidence, I was heartbroken, but then another victim came forward. 'Finally, we had the chance to put my attacker in prison where he should be. 'With Claire by my side, I have beaten my demons and now I want to speak out to encourage other male rape victims to speak out. Claire’s my rock - and I’d be completely lost without her.’ Claire said: 'Paul often suffered from nightmares, and one night he broke down in tears as he tried to explain why. 'That’s when he made his shocking confession - he had been raped when he was just five years old. The harrowing memory had haunted him his whole life, and he hadn’t told anyone other than me.' Claire tried to persuade her partner to go to the police, but he was terrified nobody would believe him over the attack. Instead, he tried to put the 1984 incident to the back of his mind. The pair got married and had a daughter, Ebony-Rose, now 16, as well as Claire's son from a previous relationship, Nathan, now 21. Over the years Paul's nightmares continued to get worse until one night, in April 2011. Claire recalled: 'Paul was having violent night terrors every night and often woke up crying, drenched in sweat. 'My heart broke as he explained he was plagued with disturbing visions of Pipes standing at the foot of his bed, saying he was going to kidnap him. 'Then one night, I woke as Paul was having another vivid nightmare. I tried to soothe him but, trapped in his terror, Paul thought I was his sick childhood attacker - and suddenly launched himself on top of me, forcing a pillow down hard on my face.' She said: 'I tried to tell him it was me he was attacking, not Graham, but I was terrified as I struggled for breath. 'Eventually, I fought him off and Paul snapped out of his nightmare. He was horrified when he realised what he had done.' The pair eventually went to police, but at first they said they didn't have enough evidence to charge Pipes with rape. Paul fell into a period of depression and even tried to take his own life. Then, in January 2015, they heard that another male victim had come forward with evidence against Pipes, who had assaulted him as he slept. Pipes admitted to both crimes and in December 2015 he was jailed for five years and four months at Preston Crown Court for the two sexual assaults. Detective Constable Catherine Thomas, from the Public Protection Unit, said: 'Graham Pipes is an opportunistic sexual predator who took advantage of a both vulnerable man and a young boy to satisfy his own perverse sexual desires. 'He showed no remorse or consideration for his victims, in particular the child whose innocence he stole, by denying the offence for years before he eventually did the decent thing and admitted it.' 'Both victims have shown considerable bravery in coming forward and I hope that today’s result provides them with some solace so that they can start to move forward with their lives.' Claire recalled: 'That night, Paul slept soundly for the first time in years and he hasn’t suffered a nightmare since. 'He’s having counselling and we’re moving on with our lives. We can finally sleep safe in our beds, knowing that monster is behind bars, where he belongs.' Paul, who credits Arch North East counselling services and Survivors Manchester for helping through his darkest time, says he urges other victims of sexual assault 'not to hold it in, talk to someone.

2016-04-08 07:16 Unity Blott www.dailymail.co.uk

71 Afghan insurgency battle marred by political dysfunction KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When the spokesman for an Afghan government ministry was asked why he wasn't answering his phone, he said he was on strike as he hadn't been paid for nine months. One official responsible for monitoring corruption resigned after a year, saying he was being ordered to bend the rules for the associates of senior politicians. Some officials have resorted to social media to embarrass the government of President Ashraf Ghani. The former head of Afghanistan's spy agency, Rahmatullah Nabil, announced his resignation via a Facebook post in December. Weeks earlier, an official in Helmand warned on the social networking site that Taliban militants were poised to overrun part of the province. He said that he had failed to get a response when he tried to contact authorities through conventional channels. Afghanistan's government is in disarray. Following bitterly fought and inconclusive presidential elections in 2014, Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah are sharing power under a deal brokered by U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry. But the country's so-called unity government is proving anything but unified. Under the deal, Abdullah's role as chief executive was to segue into a prime ministerial role, a first for the young democracy. The smooth transition of power from former President Hamid Karzai to Ghani was hailed as a sign of Afghanistan's acceptance of the international community's democratic project that followed the U. S. invasion and toppling of the Taliban. While some predict the government could collapse due to widespread corruption and administrative incompetence, officials and diplomats say there is simply no alternative. "There is no plan B, they have to make it work," said a European diplomat in the Afghan capital, Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly. The national unity government agreement expires in October, when parliamentary elections are due to take place, though many observers believe the vote will be postponed until next spring because promised electoral reforms have not been implemented. The head of the United Nations' assistance mission in Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, recently told the U. N. Security Council that "for 2016, survival will be an achievement for the national unity government. " The government is facing a contracting economy, an intensifying insurgency by the Taliban and other militant groups, and a deeply polarized political environment, Haysom said. It also needs to secure international financial support and make progress toward a sustainable peace agreement. "Survival cannot mean inaction, or merely 'treading water.' It means active engagement in confronting these challenges," Haysom said. That, however, seems unlikely. After almost two years, Ghani and Abdullah have been unable to set aside their rivalries. The bitterness between the two men stems from a belief in Abdullah's camp that the election was stolen from Abdullah, and gifted to Ghani — an anthropologist who lived in the U. S. for three decades — as someone Washington could more easily do business with. The two are also seen as pandering to different constituencies: in Ghani's case, the majority ethnic Pashtoons, and in Abdullah's, the Tajiks. Ghani and Abdullah recently cleared their diaries for a full-day meeting to iron out their differences, but gave up after only two hours, Afghan and foreign officials said. As the war with the Taliban enters its 15th year, the most important men in government — the ministers of defense and interior, and the chief of the intelligence agency — are all acting in their posts as they have not yet been confirmed by parliament. There has been a spate of ministerial resignations, including last month the minister of mines and petroleum, Daud Saba. A cabinet reshuffle is expected shortly, and it is anticipated five more ministers will lose their jobs over accusations of "incompetence" by the presidential palace. Ghani and Abdullah have split the government into two camps while they bicker over each other's nominees to top government jobs. The result, said analyst Haroun Mir, is political paralysis. "Not all ministers are equal in the eyes of the two leaders, and not all of the ministers are accountable to both leaders," Mir said. Ghani trusts few of those around him to do their jobs as he wants them done, officials said. "Only those who enjoy great confidence of the president have relative freedom of action," Mir added. He said the president's propensity for micromanagement "has seriously stifled the new administration to the point of creating administrative paralysis. " Such political inertia could not come at a worse time. Unemployment stands at 25 percent, the peace process with the Taliban is at a standstill and the U. N. is expecting the conflict this year to be as deadly as in 2015, when more than 11,000 people were killed or wounded. Afghanistan also consistently rates among the most corrupt countries in the world. The U. S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan's Reconstruction, John Sopko said last month that it poses an existential threat to the Afghan state. In a speech at the University of Pittsburgh, he said Ghani's "national jihad" on corruption has failed to make any impact. "Since corruption is embedded in the state, it is difficult to root out without destroying the state in the process," Sopko said. In an attempt to pressure the unity government to deliver on its economic and security promises, a group of warlords and lawmakers last year established the first opposition party since 2001, the Afghanistan Protection and Stability Council. Few believe the party, made up largely of men with reputations for extreme religious views and accused of human rights abuses, has much credibility. Yet its existence signals that an acceptance of the democratic process is slowly taking root in Afghanistan. "People are not satisfied with the current government and its leaders, some even hate this government because neither of the leaders have fulfilled the promises they made," said Ishaq Gailani, leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan and a former lawmaker. But, he added, "you can't implement democracy in Afghanistan overnight, you need more time. " ___ Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this story.

2016-04-08 07:13 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

72 One more weekend of summer before autumn sets in It feels like this has been the never ending summer, but for those of you craving one last weekend at the beach, your wish has been granted. This weekend will see warm and mostly dry conditions across Brisbane and Sydney. It's been an interesting week in weather across the country, with parts of Tasmania already seeing snow and Sydney recorded its hottest April day in 157 years, reaching 34 degrees on Wednesday. It's been an unseasonably warm start to Autumn with the Bureau of Meteorology announcing that Australia's had it's warmest March on record. For the eastern states, you'll want to enjoy the summery conditions because it's likely it'll be your last. The Bureau of Meteorology's forecast has a high pressure ridge keeping much of New South Wales warm and dry for the weekend. For Sydneysiders, both Saturday and Sunday are looking close to perfect but the warmer of the two will be Sunday. You should make the most of your last day at the beach, with a cooler southerly change predicted to roll through the south east on Sunday evening. By next Wednesday Sydney's max will plummet down to just 21 degrees. In Brisbane the pick is definitely Saturday, by Sunday the chance of showers increases to 40%. It'll be a pleasant weekend in Canberra with relatively warm conditions during the day but chillier nights. Unfortunately for Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart it seems Autumn has already arrived! The conditions will be cooler with southwesterly winds for much of Victoria and South Australia. Weatherzone has said Adelaide will be feeling the difference. 'For the next seven days, daytime temperatures will generally range between 21-to-23 degrees, with mornings around 11-to-14 degrees.' said Kim Westcott from Weatherzone. Westcott also added a tip for the start of the working week: 'The umbrella may be needed on Sunday and Monday, but showers will be brief and light, otherwise skies will be mostly sunny.' In New South Wales, if you've been tossing up whether or not it's time to put on the winter blankets, hold out till mid-week.

2016-04-08 07:06 Charlotte Mortlock www.dailymail.co.uk

73 Inside the glamorous Malibu Airbnb that Selena Gomez visited While many see Airbnb as a cheap way to experience a new city or location - Selena Gomez is the latest celebrity to prove that the site also offers the chance to enjoy exclusive luxury - if you can afford to rent one of their pricier listings. Earlier this week the 23-year-old singer gave her 73million fans a glimpse of an ocean-facing, jaw-dropping Californian rental she had visited with friends. The lavish property is anything but ordinary, coming with its own private beach, 1,000- sq-ft of deck space, concierge and hefty price tag of over $2,900 (£2,066) per night. Located right on the beach in Malibu, the rental, known as M Beach, sleeps 10 guests offering them a home that feels like a 'fine boutique hotel with a soul.' Although Airbnb did not confirm the visit, Gomez uploaded an image of her group of friends to Instagram, which appears to show her relaxing on the the listing's outdoor beds. The foursome shared multiple images across social media of their visit to the exquisite Malibu property. While the outside is particularly impressive, there is plenty inside the Airbnb listing to make the average traveller drool. M Beach has been kitted out with brand new amenities including espresso and juicing machines and the four bedrooms come complete with organic Egyptian cotton linen and 55ins LG TV's with DirecTV satellite television. The Spring Breakers star would have had the chance to unwind in the open plan living, kitchen and dining areas which feature soaring vaulted ceilings. And forget lifting a finger during her visit, the property has concierge who is able to arrange housekeeping, Michelin-star meals, bar tenders, surfing lessons and even reservations at celebrity Asian restaurant Nobu or Mastro's Ocean Club. Unsurprisingly the chance to stay at the luxury venue does not come cheap and with one night costing $2,900 (£2,066) before fees and taxes, a week a the property could set holidaymakers back $25,000 (£17,818). The star is the latest in a string of celebrities to check into an Airbnb pad instead of opting for a hotel stay. She may have only been in California for a few days but superstar Beyonce made sure she got to live in the lap of luxury while she was in the San Francisco area for the Super Bowl this year. Her temporary home was a 12-acre estate with five bedroom suites and seven-and-a-half bathrooms. The Airbnb pad, which advertises itself as a 'contemporary masterpiece,' can be yours for £7,117 a night. Justin Bieber is also a fan, having posted an image to Instagram from its infinity pool when he checked in there too on a separate occasion. And Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev flew more than ten members of her extended family out to Utah for a pre-Christmas break in the snow last year, renting out a luxury Airbnb ski-in chalet. The seven-bedroom came with an outdoor hot tub and normally costs renters at least $1,700 (£1,210) a night.

2016-04-08 07:04 Becky Pemberton www.dailymail.co.uk

74 The one percent always ate us alive: How human sacrifice led to our society’s gross inequality Topics: AlterNet , Human sacrifice , History , Income inequality , Inequality Religion has long been a particularly useful tool for social control, with the “fear of god” used in service of every despicable practice from slavery to war. A new study now reveals that religious rites – particularly, ritual sacrifice – helped create and maintain class stratification in ancient societies. According to researchers from the University of Auckland, Victoria University and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, the findings reveal a “darker link between religion and the evolution of modern hierarchical societies” than once thought. The analysis focused on 93 Austronesian cultures, meaning peoples who originated in Taiwan, later settling in Madagascar, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. Researchers found that the more class stratification that existed in a society – elites on top, with the rest of the populace on the bottom – the more likely it was to engage in ritualistic killing. By employing “god-sanctioned” sacrifice – which entailed implicitly threatening the lives of many for supposed wrongdoing – the powerful helped frighten the masses into staying in proverbial line. Those at the top became, by proxy, gods among men and women, and they maintained those positions by doling out killings as they deemed necessary. “By using human sacrifice to punish taboo violations, demoralize the underclass and instill fear of social elites, power elites were able to maintain and build social control,” lead study author Joseph Watts stated in a press release.

2016-04-08 02:58 Kali HollowayAlternet salon.com.feedsportal.com

75 Schwarber sprains ankle in violent OF collision PHOENIX -- Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber suffered a left ankle sprain Thursday in a scary collision with center fielder Dexter Fowler when both chased a line drive from Jean Segura of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fowler made contact with Schwarber's legs as the two converged in left-center during the second inning of the Cubs' 14-6 win . The Cubs said initial X-rays were negative. Schwarber is scheduled to have an MRI on Friday. He also tweaked his left knee on the play. "I'm not going to be down in spirits," Schwarber said after the game. "We'll just wait until tomorrow and see what happens. " Editor's Picks Cubs beat Diamondbacks 14-6; Schwarber hurt in collision Anthony Rizzo matched his career high with six RBIs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-6 on Thursday. Schwarber spoke to reporters while holding crutches and said both the ankle and knee felt "tight" and "sore," but he was hopeful the MRI wouldn't show further damage. "Can't get mad about playing hard and getting hurt," he said. "Would rather play hard and get hurt than not play hard and not get hurt. " After colliding with Fowler, Schwarber rolled around on the warning track before athletic trainers attended to him. The second-year player remained down for several more minutes before getting to his feet with the assistance of the trainers and limping to a cart, which took him off the field. "Good thing Dexter is fine," Schwarber said. "He got a little banged up, but nothing serious. So lucky he was all right. I'm a big body to be running into him. "The ball was literally in no man's land. It was in between us. We both thought that person wasn't going to get the ball. You only call it if you think you can get it. We both went at it. I was pretty close. " Segura raced around the basepaths and scored an inside-the-park home run on the play. It was his second home run of the game, and it gave Arizona a 4-2 lead. "It had bad things written all over it," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "The guy hits the ball in the one spot that we can't cover. ... I'd just rather see the ball go over the fence right there. We'd have been fine. " Schwarber is one of the heralded young stars for the World Series-favorite Cubs. The fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft hit.246 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs in just 69 games last year. He is the team's backup catcher and was scheduled to get his first start behind the plate Friday. Kris Bryant moved from third base to left field in place of Schwarber, and Tommy La Stella took over at third. Maddon said La Stella and Jorge Soler would see time in Schwarber's place, with Bryant possibly playing more outfield as well. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

2016-04-08 06:59 Jesse Rogers espn.go.com

76 John Kasich Visits The Bronx, Brooklyn John Kasich In The Bronx John Kasich campaigns and enjoys culinary delights at Mike's Deli in the Bronx. (Credit: CBS2) John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn Republican presidential candidate John Kasich speaks to guests at a rally on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn: Montel Williams Montel Williams speaks to guests at a rally for Republican presidential candidate John Kasich on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn Republican presidential candidate John Kasich jokes with Montel Williams at a rally on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn Presidential candidate John Kasich speaks to guests next to Montel Williams at a rally on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) GOP Presidential Candidate John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn Republican presidential candidate John Kasich speaks to guests at a rally on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) John Kasich Holds Town Hall In Brooklyn Republican presidential candidate John Kasich (C ) speaks to guests at a rally on April 7, 2016 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

2016-04-08 08:05 newyork.cbslocal.com

77 Why are old banks hooking up with younger models? Banks around the world are realising that in the rapidly developing world of smartphones and apps they are at risk of falling behind in the innovation race. Fresh-faced financial technology start-ups (fintechs) are coming up with new mobile-first services - payments, loans, money transfers, digital currencies - and threatening to steal customers, particularly younger ones. Investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that $4.7tn (£3.3tn; €4.1tn) in revenue for traditional financial services is at risk of being displaced by these fintech upstarts. "From Amazon's transformation of the retail sector, to Uber's revolution in personal transportation, banks are taking heed of what is happening in other industries," says Mohit Joshi, global head of financial services at tech consultancy, Infosys. "The biggest banking market challenge is coming not from challenger banks, but from fintech start-ups. " This is why many old banks have been flirting with younger models in an effort to stay hip. But are such apparently mismatched relationships doomed to failure? At the southern tip of Africa, in Cape Town, global banking giant Barclays is busy developing a secret tech solution to make it easier for consumers to make payments online. But it has called on the expertise of local tech start-up Peach Payments to help, and the two are working on a product aiming to change the way people transact online in emerging markets. Rahul Jain, co-founder of Peach Payments, says: "We are helping them actually design the product since we have the feedback from the market and understand e-commerce from the perspective of the merchant and the consumer. "This is invaluable feedback which the bank doesn't have normally. " From the bank's point of view, "it's about recognising that not all innovation has to happen within our own four walls," says Lubaina Manji, head of Barclays' group innovation office. "There is a talented and vibrant start-up community globally, which Barclays can work with to co- create the future of financial services. " Peach Payments was one of 10 start-ups to participate in a 13-week Tech Lab Africa accelerator programme hosted by Barclays in Cape Town in December. The bank also runs programmes and hubs in the UK, USA, and Israel, and has plans to launch activities in India and Lithuania. Another start-up taking part in the programme was Nigerian firm Aella Credit , which has built an instant loan approval and payment platform that relies on data analytics to identify creditworthy borrowers. Aella Credit director Akinola Jones says his firm has remained in constant communication with Barclays' innovation team since taking part in the programme. But sceptics will point out that Barclays' recent decision to sell its Africa operations shows that such partnerships may be more to do with playing catch-up than leading from the front. All those attractive fintech start-ups may appear tempting, but there is no consensus among the big beasts on the best way to get a piece of the action. Some banks, such as Santander, National Bank of Australia and Citigroup, are providing venture funding and seed investments for fintechs. Others, such as Barclays, Bank of America, and Sberbank, are creating or partnering with start- up incubator programmes. Others still, like Spain's BBVA, are simply buying them up. "We're yet to see which type of approach will prove the most fruitful, but industry experts are unanimous in their belief that those banks which bury their heads in the sand and fail to acknowledge the impact of fintechs are putting their entire business at risk," says Vincent Bastid, chief executive of Efma , a research and networking organisation for financial institutions. Efma has just produced a report looking at the impact of fintechs on the established financial services industry. In a similar example, French bank BNP Paribas has linked up with Swiss fintech accelerator, Fusion - a partnership the bank says is "at the heart" of its digitisation plan. Based in Geneva, Fusion takes on 10 start-ups each year, and puts them through a 12-month intensive programme of mentoring, funding, and access to markets. Kim Potvin, chief operating officer at BNP Paribas (Suisse), believes the partnership is already yielding tangible results, and will help its Swiss arm become "a leading player in the financial services of the future. " Fusion's programme director Sebastien Flury describes the partnership as a "win-win" situation, with benefits for banks and start-ups alike. But if all this sounds a little too cosy, entrepreneur Daniel Doderlein, chief executive of Norwegian cloud-based mobile payments platform Auka, has this stark warning for fellow fintech start-ups. "If you partner with banks too early on, they can basically poison the well for you - you effectively become a consultant. They take the air out of the innovation balloon and the project dies instantly. " By building his own platform, mCash, and establishing a consumer business first, Mr Doderlein found he was then able to sell it to initially sceptical banks from a position of strength. Norway's Sparebank 1 bought the mCash business in October last year. And Gareth Mellon of research firm Frost & Sullivan warns that the jury is out on just how effective such partnerships are. Many are purely "defensive strategies" by the banks, he says, and have proved difficult to integrate within existing business models. "While fintechs have brought heightened innovation, they remain limited in their scope and, in many ways, are forced to rely upon the established players to ensure market adoption," says Mr Mellon. Perhaps the biggest threat to banks, in Europe at least, is the European Commission's forthcoming Payment Services Directive 2 , due to come into force early in 2018. This aims to open up electronic payments to more competition by forcing banks to open up their IT systems to new entrants, thus encouraging innovation. "If you don't provide a mobile payments app to your customers, your risk being marginalised," says Mr Doderlein. "It's going to be a bloodbath. " Perhaps the banks need tech start-ups more than tech start-ups need the banks. Follow Technology of Business editor @matthew_wall on Twitter .

2016-04-08 02:57 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

78 BBC reporter takes Antarctic dip Earlier this year, BBC science reporter Victoria Gill followed a team of scientists on an Antarctic expedition to set up remote, automated cameras in penguin colonies. The researchers worked from a tour ship, which offered passengers the opportunity to "plunge" into the almost freezing ocean off the Antarctic coast. Wearing a waterproof camera, Victoria took the plunge. See the full story from the expedition in Our World: The Penguin Watchers, Saturday and Sunday at 2130 on the BBC News Channel

2016-04-08 02:57 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

79 Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon keep things casual on rainy set Their last movie together was the hit science fiction film The Martian. But Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon's latest collaboration, Downsizing, is going to be a more lighthearted affair. Kristen, 42, and Matt, 45, initially looked quite laid-back while shooting the social satire on Thursday in Ontario, California. The Bourne Identity star enjoyed a simple look consisting of a green plaid shirt with short sleeves, some dark bluejeans and brown leather oxfords. One crew member was seen wearing the same shirt as him, suggesting it could be his body double. Kristen also kept things casual in a light lavender button-up blouse, grey capris and a pair of blue strappy sandals. Each star carried something out of the airport for the scene, with Matt hauling an odd-shaped red box with 'Keepsake' emblazoned on the side and Kristen toting a silver plastic bag along with her simple taupe purse. Everyone looked to be in good spirits, right up until the cast and crew had to wait out an unexpected rain shower. Matt went straight for a large black umbrella, while Kristen opted to abandon her sandals for Ugg boots and cover herself in a southwestern- style wrap while enjoying a hot beverage. Downsizing follows the story of a man from Omaha who realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself. He rejects society and joins a bite-sized, microcosm community - where its residents are shrunk to a 'tiny fraction of their size'. The film, directed by Alexander Payne, also features the likes of Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Alec Baldwin and Neil Patrick Harris. The USA release date is 25 December 2017 but if Matt Damon fans can't wait until then, they'll be able to see him in action this summer reprising his role as Jason Bourne.

2016-04-08 06:51 Dailymail www.dailymail.co.uk

80 Ashley Greene dazzles in coral flared dress for Jungle Book screening Ashley Greene looked incredible in a coral hued flared frock in New York City on Thursday. The 29-year-old wore the bold long-sleeved dress, which featured a fitted waist and flouncy skirt, to a screening of The Jungle Book. The actress perfectly balanced the bright look with strappy black heels, delicate earrings and a high bun. The Rogue star complimented the look with pink lipstick, light brown eye shadow, liquid liner and a touch of blush on the apples of her cheeks. The beauty pulled her highlighted locks back into a high bun, revealing her delicate diamond earrings. Brooke Shields looked radiant in a red velvet blazer and matching hued trousers, pairing the bright set with a white blouse. The ageless actress added a white slouchy clutch, layered necklaces, bangles and studded earrings to complete her chic ensemble. Caila Quinn from the Bachelor looked pretty in a cream crop top, maroon skinny jeans and and a leather jacket, opting to add red lipstick and curled tresses. TV personality Andi Dorfman chose a sleeveless top, which she tucked into loose bottoms, adding bright green heels to round out her look.

2016-04-08 06:43 Sarah Sotoodeh www.dailymail.co.uk

81 The lingerie brand changing perceptions of what an underwear model is There's a new brand in town that's trying to change people's minds about what a lingerie model looks like. Created by Jarrah Benwell- Clarke and based out of Melbourne, Just Babes Club is like an anti-Victoria's Secret lingerie company. Featuring unique pieces and models that are gorgeous and diverse, Just Babes Club makes underwear that is 'a combination of influences from the past, uniquely for babes of today'. The lingerie itself is sexy and soft, with lots of lace. Scroll down for video The campaign images for the different ranges are grungy, with a vintage feel from being shot on film in many cases. They also feature an incredible assortment of models, including 'babes' of different ages, races, body types and genders. Bianca Cornale, the company's brand manager, told Daily Mail Australia that they want to represent all people who wear lingerie, and not just the type of women who are seen in mainstream modelling. 'As a brand we seek to represent all babes and have our audience see themselves reflected in the models that we shoot,' she explained. They also use people who do incredible creative work locally as their models, and feature their stories on the Just Babes Club website. For each lookbook shoot, the brand asks the models a series of questions and publishes their answers on their blog. The questions are the same for each model, is conducted over email and asks things like 'What are you obsessed with at the moment', 'Who are some of your favourite badass babes?' and 'What does sexy mean to you?' Ms Cornale says that when selecting models, Just Babes Club are drawn to uniqueness and creativity. 'We tend to pick models for their gorgeous personalities, talents and accomplishments, and for the most part they are friends or babes who are doing amazing work in the local creative scene,' she explained. 'We lucky enough to have an amazing pool of hotties to draw from.' That 'pool of hotties' who model for the brand include artists Frances Cannon and Lizzi Morris, burlesque dancer Zelia Rose, graphic designer Anita Shao, filmmaker Olivia Fay and musicians Grace Anderson and Georgia Greenway. The brand is also different, Ms Cornale said, because all their underwear is made in Melbourne by hand and they offer custom alterations and fitting no no extra cost. 'This means we can accommodate babes of all sizes,' she explained. Ultimately, Just Babes Club is a brand about self love. Ms Cornale explained that in the future, the company wants to continue to challenge the type of people who are seen as lingerie models. 'Our plans for the future is to continue fostering inclusivity in our brand and hopefully change people's perceptions of what constitutes lingerie models,' she said. 'And to help babes feel good about themselves and promote self love and self celebration.' 2016-04-08 06:42 Lauren Ingram www.dailymail.co.uk

82 Pack again chasing Jordan Spieth at Masters AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A pack of lesser-known players is pursuing Jordan Spieth at the Masters, and some other big names are lurking not too far behind. Danny Lee and Shane Lowry — surprisingly tied for second two strokes behind Spieth's 6-under 66 — get a couple hours head start in Friday's second round before Spieth resumes his attack on Augusta National just before 1 p.m. World No. 1 Jason Day, who struggled on the back nine Thursday to fall six strokes behind Spieth, will be back on the course around 10 a.m. Spieth is hoping to match Arnold Palmer's record Masters streak of finishing six rounds with the lead. It won't be any easier than battling the winds at Augusta National this week. A pack of five international players is three strokes back at 69. The group includes Englishmen Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, Dane Soren Kjeldsen and Spaniard Sergio Garcia. Spieth and Rose are the only major winners in the front-running group. Spieth wouldn't be at all surprised if No. 1-ranked Day rebounds strongly from his back-nine struggles. "I've seen Jason get hot before," Spieth said. "I've played with him, I want to say 75 percent of the rounds the last two months of last year's season. It's nothing new. It's nothing shocking. "We're through one round. No matter what they finish at, they'll be through one round. Jason and Shane both have the potential to get to 7, 8, 9, 10 under. " As he said, there are plenty of birdies, bogeys "and everything in between" to come. Including some before he takes the course again. "We know how to win this golf tournament, and we believe in our process, and if the putts are dropping, then hopefully it goes our way," Spieth said. There are other big second-day story lines to watch, beyond even Spieth's encore round. Perhaps the two biggest: Will Tom Watson make the cut in his final Masters? How will Day rebound from Thursday's 41 on the back nine after making the turn at 5 under? —The 66-year-old Watson isn't chasing a third green jacket. His stated goal is to become the oldest player to make the cut at Augusta National. His opening 74 put him in position to do just that. He opened Friday in 43rd and needs to be in the top 50 after Round 2. "Seventy-four is not bad for old folks," Watson said. —Day had a rough final nine holes. He started with a bogey on No. 10, then went bogey-triple bogey-bogey on Nos. 15-17 and starts the second round at even par, not such a bad position. That's thanks to a terrific front nine. He tees off a few hours before Spieth and isn't altogether displeased with his starting point to the last few days. "I've just got to slowly try to inch my way back into this tournament if I can," Day said, "and be patient with myself and hopefully I'm there by Sunday. "

2016-04-08 06:41 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

83 Frozen - In Photos: The Highest Grossing Animated Movies $1.27 billion Disney took a big gamble with 'Frozen,' an original take on Hans Christian Anderson's 'Snow Queen' story. The gamble paid off and 'Frozen' is now the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Photo: AP Photo/Disney

2016-04-08 05:24 Rob Cain www.forbes.com

84 84 Motherwell boss Mark McGhee wary of Leigh Griffiths' threat

Mark McGhee has witnessed the finishing power of Leigh Griffiths at close enough quarters to know his recent absence from the scoresheet will be a very temporary phenomenon. After four games without finding the net for club and country, his longest blank sequence of a highly prolific season, Griffiths will obviously be anxious to resume normal service at Fir Park. Motherwell boss McGhee is wary of just such a prospect. He insists his side will have to strain every sinew if they are to keep the 35-goal striker under wraps in their final pre-split outing. Succeeding might just be pivotal in terms of bringing top-six football to Lanarkshire. McGhee is convinced Motherwell, currently fourth, have to take at least a point from the table-topping champions to feel assured of an upper-half finish. Defeat would leave open the possibility of being leapfrogged by St Johnstone, Dundee and Partick Thistle in the day’s later fixtures. After so much good work since mid-February, that would be a particularly bitter conclusion. The Fir Park side can draw confidence from their 2-1 win at Celtic Park in December, when a Louis Moult double dragged them to success from a goal behind. McGhee, though, points out the fact that a certain player wasn’t part of Ronny Deila’s side that day. ‘That win is significant in the sense the players know how they approached it that day, mentally and physically,’ he reflected. ‘They worked really hard and played very well. ‘We got a couple of breaks along the way as well. I mean, Griffiths never played that day. ‘I am not taking away anything from my team at all but he is a danger. He will be playing on Saturday and that makes Celtic more dangerous. ‘We have to keep in mind that we did do very well at Parkhead, but this is a different game and we have to start again and work harder. Even if that is only because Leigh Griffiths is playing and makes Celtic better. ‘Will he be frustrated just now? The great strikers just keep getting there, don’t they? They just keep getting chances, missing chances and going back again and again. It doesn’t affect them. ‘Leigh is like that. He is a predator who loves to score. He is hungry for goals and wants to set a record. He will be looking to keep on scoring. ‘Regardless of how he has been in the last couple of games, he will see the next game as an opportunity to get goals. That is all he will be thinking. ‘As a striker, you rely on the team as well. The general form of the team is reflected in the goals. ‘It’s not just about Leigh Griffiths. He needs chances presented to him. If he gets enough of the ball then he will get goals. ‘No striker scores in every game. But he has scored in a lot of them — and will do so in a few more before the end of the season.’ McGhee has worked with Griffiths in his capacity as assistant to Scotland manager Gordon Strachan. Handed a start for the national side in the recent friendly win over Denmark, the 25-year-old wasn’t given a clear sight of goal during an hour-long shift. ‘Off the training field, he is a quiet lad,’ said McGhee. ‘He keeps with his mates. ‘On the training pitch, he will hit any loose ball into the net. He is a striker. No matter how far away the goal is, he will try and put it in the net. ‘In training, his finishing is outstanding. In any of those sessions, Gordon will come back talking about Griffiths’ finishing. ‘He hits the ball really hard. That’s one thing you notice. He absolutely cements it. He is great to watch in training because he will score a spectacular goal or two as well.’ The hope for McGhee is that he is not left looking back on another picture-book Griffiths strike Saturday afternoon. Motherwell have won their last five matches to rise from relegation contenders to European possibilities, earning McGhee the Ladbrokes Premiership Manager of the Month award for March in the process. Yet he admits all the recent accolades would feel distinctly hollow if they were now squeezed out the top six. ‘We go into this game knowing all that might not really have been worth a lot, other than a bit of pride,’ he added. ‘If we don’t make the top six, I think there will be a huge disappointment around the place. Six out of seven wins, manager of the month, it means absolutely nothing unless we get the top six. So we are all holding our breath ‘I probably should have kept my mouth shut but I remember saying at one point, maybe around the Kilmarnock game (in February), that if we had to get something off Celtic in the last pre-split game to make the top six, then we would take that. Be careful what you wish for! But here we are and we have to deal with it. ‘I absolutely believe we need to take something to guarantee the top six. For teams like St Johnstone, Dundee and Partick Thistle, to win one game with the stakes as high as they are is not anywhere beyond their capabilities. ‘We’ve got to assume all three of them will win, so therefore we need to get something. ‘At no point have I slipped into a mindset where I think it’s fine and something will happen that will get us through.’

2016-04-08 06:31 Mark Wilson www.dailymail.co.uk

85 Here's how London's next mayor can make a big difference for single parents When to take a leak, abuse in Ambridge, and Ian McEwan’s identity supermarket Thousands of single parents in London are being locked out of work due to the high cost of childcare. On average single parents in London spend roughly half their take home pay on a nursery place , where childcare costs are about a third higher compared to the rest of the country. Single parents want to work and many want to work more hours – but childcare costs are often prohibitive. Analysis by Gingerbread shows that the employment rate for single parents in London has risen from 48 per cent to 63 per cent in the last 5 years, faster than elsewhere in the UK. But that the share of single parents in work drops significantly for those with pre-school aged children. The government’s own analysis suggests that a third of single parents would work more hours if childcare was more affordable. And Gingerbread’s research shows that one in six working single parents in London working part-time want to increase their working hours. Time and time again, single parents tell Gingerbread the challenges in balancing work and childcare. Liz from Greenwich said that she “had to give up a really good job because of childcare and have since turned down a job offer a couple of times… Balancing childcare and getting the right job is really quite challenging.” And Ife from Southwark had to scale back her hours because of the high costs and lack of provision during school holidays. Unfortunately, these stories are typical. There is now a political consensus that childcare provision is essential for children, families and society. But questions remain on affordability, accessibility and quality. Ahead of London’s mayoral elections, Gingerbread is calling on mayoral candidates to support Upfront: A childcare Deposit Guarantee to tackle the upfront costs of moving into work / increasing working hours. Many single parents tell us that finding the money for the upfront costs – often a deposit, administration fee and a month’s fees in advance can be hard – especially when you haven’t been paid. Thea from Haringey relied on her parents for the upfront costs. She says, “had to send my child to nursery a month early because of the settling-in period and to guarantee a place at the nursery… It was so expensive and cost £1,100-a-month, in addition to having to pay £200 in advance to the childcare provider to guarantee a place. This meant that I was forced to rely on my parents for the deposit and the first month of childcare until I was paid.” Upfront is designed to plug a gap that’s currently not being addressed by any level of government or agency. To address one of the barriers into work, ahead of parents’ first pay cheque, the Greater London Authority would provide the nursery with the upfront costs that nurseries typically require to guarantee a place. As a deposit guarantee, rather than a loan it responds to shortcomings of previous schemes where parents have been reluctant to take on extra debt. Making childcare affordable is therefore essential in for supporting more single parents back into work and ensuring that it pays to work. Our analysis shows that supporting single parents into work not only benefits families, but also the Exchequer. A five percentage-point increase in single parents’ employment rate could generate £436m-a-year as a result of increased tax revenue and reduced benefits. There are 320,000 single parent families in London. Upfront doesn’t solve all of London’s childcare challenges, but it provides the mayor with a way to help London’s parents fulfil their potential, better support their families and contribute to London’s vibrant economy. Single parent in London? Tell us what you think the next m ayor should do , write to the candidates to ask for action on childcare - or join thousands of other single parents at one of our local groups . A few months ago, I wrote a piece for Nieman Reports , Harvard’s journalism magazine, about the ethics of working with leaked and stolen documents. There are tough questions to be asked about running such stories – the article was prompted by the Sony hack, which unearthed public- interest gems such as how an executive had bought pubic hair dye on Amazon – but the Panama Papers are the most open-and-shut-case I can remember. Unlike the disclosures of WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden, there is no question here of national security being breached; unlike the Sony hack, there is no celebrity tittle-tattle being passed off as news. The only questions that should have troubled reporters are: a) “Are these documents real?” and b) “Can I protect the source?” Whoever leaked the 2.4 terabytes of data is very brave; he or she is now in the sights of every corrupt politician, state- sanctioned gangster and kleptocrat between here and the Río Chagres. Shameless rich Reading the Papers gave me a huge rush of anger and I was glad to see left and right united in condemnation. But we have to be realistic about the likely impact: it is notoriously hard to embarrass the super-rich and they will now have ample confirmation that “everyone is at it”. So far we haven’t even been able to extract an answer from David Cameron over his father’s Blairmore fund, established when David was 16. Were his Eton fees paid with money that had previously taken a lovely sunny holiday offshore? Was his Bullingdon Club uniform bought with wealth grown using a system his own Chancellor has called “morally repugnant”? The most telling line came in the rebuttal from the firm involved, Mossack Fonseca, which claimed that in 40 years of operation it had never been charged with criminal wrongdoing. No, I imagine not. A tale of two Helens So she did it. OK, you might not care about The Archers , but unless you’ve stuffed your ears with cheese, by now you should know that Helen Titchener stabbed her husband, Rob, after months of escalating emotional abuse. May I toot the horn of our web editor, Caroline Crampton, who spotted the potential impact of this plotline in February and published a harrowing but essential piece by the writer Helen Walmsley-Johnson, who had suffered a similar pattern of abuse? As a result of the NS publishing her story, a crowdfunding appeal was set up and over £100,000 has been raised for the charity Refuge, to help women like both Helens to leave their partner. On that note, the Archers story might have ended with Helen knifing Rob – but in the real world, men are four times more likely to kill their partner than the other way round. Nail-varnished truth I’ve always loved Eddie Izzard – that routine about “the pen of my aunt” is unparalleled in modern comedy – but I’m baffled why he now claims to have come out “as transgender 30 years ago”. I may have fallen victim to false memory syndrome, but my recollection is that he always called himself a transvestite, though he used to explain that the clothes he wore weren’t “women’s clothes”; they were “his clothes”. (My take on the subject? I’m with RuPaul: “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag.”) Izzard – who has long harboured ambitions of becoming an elected Labour politician – is perfectly entitled to define himself however he wishes and to update that definition based on the latest vocabulary and cultural moment. Yet I can’t help feeling that there is something regressive about this biographical rewrite. Izzard used to present himself as someone who was biologically male but enjoyed wearing clothes historically associated with women. Now he talks about getting his nails done because: “I’ve got boy genetics and girl genetics.” I can’t wait to hear which particular DNA sequence is associated with liking nail polish and, moreover, why I don’t have it. More than old-fashioned Izzard was responding, in part, to remarks made by the Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan, who used a lecture at the Royal Institution to lament the modern idea of an “identity supermarket”, in which individuals choose their self like a “consumer desirable”. (He later added: “Call me old-fashioned but I tend to think of people with penises as men.” Having spent some time on Twitter and Tumblr, I can confidently say that a lot of people will call him something worse than that.) The question of whether your identity is determined only by you or is imposed by society might sound like one of those things that keep first-year undergraduates up in a marijuana haze until 3am, but it has pretty big implications for policies ranging from the Race Relations Act to measures that concern single-sex spaces such as prisons, as well as the funding that backs them. We mustn’t dodge it. Inside and out I’ve been chewing the question over since I watched the varying responses from progressives to Rachel Dolezal (a white woman who got a perm and a tan and passed as African American, saying that she “felt” black) and Caitlyn Jenner, the former patriarch of the Kardashian clan, revealed as a woman on the cover of Vanity Fair . Most of the op-eds at the time blithely asserted that race and gender – both social constructs with a biological basis – were, like, totally different, without ever deigning to explain why. Since then, the best explanation I’ve found comes from the sex researcher James Cantor: “Identity is not an ‘inner sense’. It’s a statement of the social role you want others to treat you as.” I like this, because it makes the (important) case that trans men and women should be accepted in their chosen gender, without invoking quasi-religious ideas of a soul or the pseudoscience of “girl genetics” making you like dresses. Eddie, take note. l Peter Wilby returns next week

2016-04-08 05:30 Stephen Bush www.newstatesman.com

86 Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on April 8 PRAGUE, April 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) ======ECONOMIC DATA======Minutes from the March 31 CNB board meeting at 0700 GMT. March unemployment data at 0700 GMT. Real-time economic data releases...... Previous stories on Czech data...... Overview of economic data and forecasts...... Updates on CEE currencies...... ] ======EVENTS======PRAGUE - Finance Minister Andrej Babis to hold a news conference on its plans and priorities for the next period (0800 GMT). Related news AMSTERDAM - Coal mining firm New World Resources (NWR) holds an annual general meeting. Related news ======NEWS======INDUSTRY: Czech industrial output rose by a higher-than-expected 5.6 percent year-on-year in February, data from the Czech Statistics Bureau (CSU) showed on Thursday. Story: Related news: RESERVES: The Czech central bank (CNB) said on Thursday its foreign exchange reserves had dipped to 64.16 billion euros at the end of March, from a revised 64.56 billion at the end of February. Story: Related news: OKD: The Czech government is considering taking over struggling coal miner OKD, the production subsidiary of New World Resources , as an option to prevent the company's collapse, ministers said on Thursday. Story: Related news: MIGRANTS: The Czech Republic will halt a programme to take in 153 Christian refugees from Iraq after some of those who have arrived tried to move to Germany and others returned home, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said on Thursday. Story: Related news: CEE MARKETS: The zloty weakened to a three-week low against the euro on Thursday as concern resurfaced over policy risks in Poland. Other Central European currencies rose, with the crown gaining after the Czech Republic released robust economic data. Story: Related news: ------MARKET SNAPSHOT ------Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change close on day in 2016 vs Euro 27.02 27.053 0.12 -0.08 vs Dollar 23.743 24.537 3.24 4.5 Czech Equities 884.3 884.3 -0.01 -7.53 U. S. Equities 17,541.96 17,716.05 -0.98 0.67 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT For Instant Views of key economic data click on For summary of economic data and forecasts For diary of forthcoming Czech events For calendar of east European economic indicators TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch For an economic indicator diary for the euro zone, the United States and other Group of Seven countries see For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477 E-mail: [email protected] (Reporting by Prague Newsroom) Poland - Factors to Watch April 8 dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-08 06:24 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

87 Video shows a pregnant shop assistant brutally assaulted by a man A man who brutally assaulted a pregnant shopkeeper and trashed her clothing store after she hesitated to refund a $15 handbag has been caught on camera in a cowardly attack on Wednesday. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Scott Ingram said the 31-year-old said the attack on the defenceless woman was 'appalling'. 'Her injuries are consistent with bodily harm at this time,' Act Snr Sgt Ingram told the newspaper. 'The incident is quite appalling.' The boutique shop's owner, Nina Puttawan, posted CCTV footage of the incident to Facebook and made an appeal for help in a caption: 'Pls [sic] help find this horrible man done terrible thing to my staff and damaged stock. He should wear skirt he hurt pregnant lady.' The footage has since been shared more than 1000 times.

2016-04-08 06:24 David Jeans www.dailymail.co.uk

88 Livonia - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Canton Fire Chief Joshua Meier has been tapped as Canton’s new public safety director Second man arrested in tools theft outside Westland Lowe’s store Police say Joshua Palmer has been found. He was reported missing Thursday. Documentary film aims to understand the pain of social rejection The Yankee Air Museum will offer air tour rides on a Waco biplane April 9. Shocking headlines dominate the news as a murder trial unfolds. Dark secrets are revealed. Pain turns to sorrow. Questions linger. What went wrong that day? What if? Reporters Aileen Wingblad and David Veselenak search for answers in interviews with convicted murderers Nancy Seaman and Lakeshia Valdez. This is the third and final month of the summer with a Supermoon. It's when a full or new moon coincides with the moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit. Basically, the moon appears bigger and brighter than usual in the night sky. Angels Above has made more than 10,000 care packages. Two projects will add residential and retail components to the city Westland’s Wild chosen for fellowing to train at Harvard Business School South Lyon group happy with progress in its first three years Children, teens can go to Redford Union High School Saturday for a casual game of catch. Two teens charged with arson in the Eloise fire Livonia police say they worked with Taylor to ID and arrest two men. The city opted to settle instead of going to trial and risk a jury awarding a larger amount. Farmington Public Schools is considering privatization of custodial, transportation jobs.

2016-04-08 01:38 rssfeeds.hometownlife.com

89 Migrant crisis: Deportations resume from Greece to Turkey A second group of migrants is being sent back from Greece to Turkey as part of an EU deal to reduce the numbers reaching Europe. Three protesters dived into the water to try to stop a ferry carrying 45 Pakistani men as it left Lesbos but were fished out by coastguards. Other protesters tried to enter the gates of the port, Mytilene. Some 200 mainly Pakistanis were deported on Monday but the process stalled as asylum applications surged. Under the EU deal with Turkey , migrants who have arrived illegally in Greece since 20 March are expected to be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected. And for each Syrian migrant returned to Turkey, the EU is due to take in another Syrian who has made a legitimate request. Each person being deported is accompanied by a guard from the EU's border agency, Frontex. A Frontex spokesperson said there had been no trouble bringing the migrants from a camp to the port. "There were escorts with each returnee plus a back-up team," Ewa Moncure told reporters. "Also, in addition, on board the ferry there was a doctor and translators. "Now on the way to Turkey, migrants will be given water and breakfast. They all had return decisions. Nobody indicated to our escorts last-minute that they would like to apply for international protection. " Greek customs officials told the BBC that 140 people would be travelling on two boats on Friday, with the second carrying 95 from other islands. Of those being returned to Turkey on Friday, the non-Syrians will be taken to deportation centres while any Syrians will be taken to refugee camps to take the place of Syrian refugees who will be directly resettled in the EU. But Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his country would only implement the deal if the EU stuck to its side of the bargain: "If the European Union does not take the necessary steps, then Turkey will not implement the agreement," Mr Erdogan said in a speech at his presidential palace in Ankara. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country has taken in the bulk of the asylum seekers so far, said on a visit to France she was "very happy". The small group of protesters in Mytilene chanted "EU - shame on you". The returns arrangement has alarmed rights groups, who say Turkey is not a safe country for migrants. People detained on Lesbos and Chios have virtually no access to legal aid, limited access to services and support, according to Amnesty International. Migrants on the Greek border with Macedonia clashed with police on Thursday, demanding that the border be reopened so they could continue with their journey that way. One million migrants and refugees have entered the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece since early last year. Many are keen to travel to Germany and other northern EU countries and experts have warned the deal could force them to take alternative, more dangerous routes. A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

2016-04-08 04:17 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

90 Silicon Valley techies see opportunity at GOP convention Contact WND (Los Angeles Times) Few things scream throwback like a contested political convention, an event that calls to mind conniving party bosses, clouds of stale cigar smoke and throngs of activists in Uncle Sam hats passionately waiving homemade signs. But while some of those retro touches will surely present themselves if Republicans arrive in Cleveland for their national convention in July with no clear nominee, the X factor in the fight could be an entirely new frontier of politics: the new technology of hunting for delegates. A cottage industry of political techies already has emerged to pitch their wares to campaigns. They’re promising that in the weeks leading up to the convention they can enable candidates to find and persuade the right delegates and then arm deputies on the convention floor with thousands of data points about delegates’ ideological leanings, social media proclivities and even TV viewing habits.

2016-04-08 06:17 www.wnd.com

91 91 A scream of moral outrage Contact WND In response to reader feedback to a question posed by WND Managing Editor David Kupelian – “Is it moral for the Ted Cruz campaign to woo Arizona delegates away from Donald Trump should he fail to win the Republican nomination on the first ballot?” – Joseph Farah makes the case that it is not immoral: “It’s just politics, people!” Farah seems to find it hypocritical that his readers are outraged by Republican candidate Cruz’s political maneuvering. He asks: Where is the moral outrage over what goes on in Washington on a daily basis? Surely Mr. Farah realizes that this historic outsider uprising by both Republican and Democratic voters is one long, collective scream of moral outrage. We do not want politics as usual and are rightly incensed when self-avowed outsider Sen. Cruz gets down in the muck and mire and plays politics as usual. Hopefully, the sheer volume of Cruz’s actions speaking louder than his words will wake up the American electorate. Sadly, I believe the senator to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Marilee Haraldsson

2016-04-08 06:16 www.wnd.com

92 NHL standings April 8 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the NHL on Thursday WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Dallas 49 23 9 264 228 107 2. St. Louis 49 23 9 223 196 107 3. Chicago 47 26 8 231 204 102 4. Nashville 41 26 14 226 212 96 5. Minnesota 38 32 11 215 204 87 6. Colorado 39 38 4 213 235 82 7. Winnipeg 34 39 8 211 236 76 PACIFIC DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Los Angeles 48 28 5 222 191 101 2. Anaheim 44 25 11 211 189 99 3. San Jose 45 30 6 240 210 96 4. Arizona 35 38 8 209 244 78 5. Calgary 34 40 7 229 259 75 6. Vancouver 30 38 13 187 240 73 7. Edmonton 31 43 7 200 241 69 EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Florida 46 26 9 234 201 101 2. Tampa Bay 46 30 5 225 196 97 3. Detroit 41 29 11 209 221 93 4. Boston 42 30 9 239 224 93 5. Ottawa 37 35 9 230 246 83 6. Montreal 37 38 6 216 234 80 7. Buffalo 34 35 11 196 215 79 8. Toronto 29 41 11 197 241 69 METROPOLITAN DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Washington 55 17 8 247 190 118 2. Pittsburgh 48 25 8 244 200 104 3. NY Islanders 45 26 9 227 207 99 4. NY Rangers 45 27 9 233 215 99 5. Philadelphia 39 27 14 206 215 92 6. Carolina 35 30 16 196 221 86 7. New Jersey 37 36 8 179 207 82 8. Columbus 32 40 8 210 247 72 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L) FRIDAY, APRIL 8 FIXTURES (GMT) Columbus at Buffalo (2300)

2016-04-08 06:15 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

93 The Times & The Sunday Times Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12 With analysis from Henry Winter, Mike Atherton and Stuart Barnes. Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12 From the FTSE 100 to SMEs to entrepreneurs. Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12. 2016-04-08 05:07 www.thetimes.co.uk

94 Female school teacher resigns after performing oral sex on a student A female high school teacher has resigned after she allegedly performed oral sex on a boy after his school leaver's dinner. The teacher, who is in her mid-thirties, allegedly performed the sex act on the year-13 student after leaving the formal venue in Hamilton, New Zealand in November 2015. The alleged incident happened in front of other student but when he complained to the school no action was taken because it was his word against the teacher's, a source told Fairfax. The alleged incident is now being investigated by the Education Council after the boy swore an affidavit and presented it to the school's board of trustees. According to the source the teacher resigned in 2016 after going on sick leave over Christmas and the New Year after the alleged incident. Education Council spokesman Andrew Greig told the New Zealand Herald the teacher 'has undertaken not to teach' while she is under investigation. 'It would be improper and unfair to comment further because the investigation is active and we don't want to predetermine any outcomes.' It is not known if the teacher has been involved in other similar incidents. The school principal declined to provide Fairfax with a comment.

2016-04-08 06:08 Belinda Cleary www.dailymail.co.uk

95 Warriors down Spurs to keep NBA record chase alive The Golden State Warriors made a statement with an 112-101 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, clinching home court advantage throughout the playoffs in a clash of NBA titans. The Warriors on Thursday joined the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to win 70 games in a season. The reigning champions kept their quest to break those Bulls' record of 72 regular- season wins alive. They must still win their final three games of the season to do so, and the closing stretch includes another clash with the Spurs in San Antonio, where the Spurs are 39-0 this season. Most importantly, the 70-9 Warriors ended the 65-13 Spurs' chance of stealing the top seed in the West and shook off any doubts raised by a couple of lackluster defeats in their past three games. Stephen Curry had a game-high 27 points and the Warriors held the Spurs to just 19 baskets in the first 30 minutes of the first-ever regular-season meeting of teams with 65 or more wins. Australian big man Andrew Bogut had 11 rebounds and Harrison Barnes eight as Golden State out-rebounded the Spurs 43-32. The Warriors led by as many as 23 in the third quarter en route to the victory. Barnes had 21 points and Draymond Green 18 for the Warriors, who shot 54.2 percent from the field and connected on 12 of 25 three-point attempts. Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 23 points for the Spurs, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. The Spurs made five of six shots to start the fourth quarter to pull within 93-80, but the Warriors quickly rebuilt the lead to 18 points and cruised home. "We've been stumbling a little bit the last three home games here," Curry said. "Against a team like that, that plays at a high level, you want to come in and get a win and that's what we did. " More importantly, Curry said, the Warriors played with the kind of energy and rhythm they'll need to win a second straight championship. "Our priority tonight was about how we played," Curry said. "We obviously wanted to win, but how we play these next three games leading into the playoffs is how we focus on the big goal. " - Bulls, Rockets on brink - The Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, both fighting for their playoff lives, were dealt damaging defeats. The Bulls fell 106-98 to the Heat in Miami, where Dwyane Wade scored 21 points for the hosts who moved into a tie with Boston for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls fell to 39-40 and are on the brink of elimination. With three games remaining they are three games behind Detroit for the eighth and final post-season berth in the East. If the Bulls fall short, it would mark the first time since 2008 that they have missed the post-season. Jimmy Butler's 25 points paced the Bulls, with Pau Gasol contributing 21 points and 12 rebounds and Derrick Rose adding 17 points. Chicago jumped to an early lead and led 22-21 going into the second quarter. They stretched their lead to 46-40 at halftime, but the Heat responded after the interval. After connecting on just 39.5 percent of shots from the field in the first half, the Heat shot 66.7 percent in the third quarter with no turnovers. The Heat took a 75-69 lead into the fourth quarter, and put the game out of reach with a 14-4 scoring run in the final minutes. Gasol said that once again the Bulls paid the price for poor defense. In Houston, P. J. Tucker scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds and Mirza Teletovic chipped in 26 points off the bench as the Suns shocked the Rockets 124-115. Tyson Chandler scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, producing the dunk that capped a 12-0 scoring run for the Suns, who snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 21-58. James Harden led the Rockets with 30 points and seven assists, but Houston lost for the seventh time in 10 games and are 1 1/2 games behind the Utah Jazz for eighth in the Western Conference.

2016-04-08 06:07 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk

96 Kanye West shows sensitive side as he plants sweet kiss on North He is known for his aggressive personality. But Kanye West gave a rare look at his softer side during his latest outing. The 38-year-old rapper looked happy as he cosied up with his two-year- old daughter North on Thursday during their family ski trip to Vail, Colorado. No doubt Kanye was enjoying the bonding time with his first born as he gave her a sweet smooch on the forehead while out with his wife and her mother Kim Kardashian. The Life Of Pablo rapper beamed with pride as he grinned from ear-to-ear while hanging out with the youngster while showing her plenty of fatherly affection. At one point he even took his finger to boop North on her nose as she sat up on a stone countertop. Kim even took some time to check up on the youngster as they braved the cold weather in the Rocky Mountains. No doubt the parents were happy to spend some snowy fun with their daughter as they walked on the fresh powder while each holding her hand. Kim, 35, looked fashionable in a shiny black fur-lined puffer jacket over black leggings and grey ski boots. She accessoried with a pair of large mirrored shades while clutching onto a large brown paper gift bag. Her raven-coloured locks were put into on-trend braids as she had natural, complimentary make-up on her face. Kanye bundled up in a heavy navy jacket over a matching ski jumpsuit and a pair of his Adidas Yeezy Boost 950 duck boots in the moonrock colourway. North looked adorable in a similar look to both her parents as she sported a black fur-lined parka over a navy blue jumpsuit as her hair was also put into braids with extensions. They clan have enjoyed their surprise trip to the mountains as Kris Jenner was the mastermind of it all. The family boarded a private jet in LA with everyone but the 65-year-old momager knowing their destination. Kim's sister's Kourtney and Khloe along with 36-year-old Kourtney's ex-partner Scott Disick and their children are still in the small town. Kourtney, Kim and Khloe's half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, in addition to 18-year-old Kylie's boyfriend Tyga, were also on the trip but have since gone back to LA.

2016-04-08 06:05 Justin Enriquez www.dailymail.co.uk

97 Michelle Bridges goes on a bitter rant after getting slapped with fine Michelle Bridges went on a bitter Twitter rant after she received a hefty car fine. Taking to her social media page on Friday, the Biggest Loser star revealed her frustration for missing out on the date to pay her annual vehicle registration, after a letter was dispatched to the wrong address. She tweeted: ‘1hr total of waiting and discussing with RTA, they have made mistake with my rego and address = fines, only to be cut off...do I dispute?’ [sic] Later adding: ‘Why do I get the feeling the RTA hope that we roll over even when it's not our fault and pay the fine anyway....people vs machine.....’ The celebrity personal trainer - who has been busy promoting her new workout music CD, called Booty Blitz Trax - claimed how the situation was unfair as she always pays her taxes on time. She remarked: ‘I want to cry with frustration! I pay my taxes, never miss, and I do not have a tax haven in the BVI like many big business....so over it! ‘RTA have had my address for last 3 years, now claim not sure...? Here's a bunch of fines. How many of us roll over cause it's just easier..? 'Here's the kicker. They found my bank and ask for the money yet claim could not find me even thou my Licence and rego has correct address?' Earlier on the day for her appearance on Today Extra, Michelle hit back at critics, who slammed her for exercising during her pregnancy. The 45-year-old - who welcomed baby Axel into the world with partner Steve 'Commando' Willis in December - said her routine workouts definitely ‘helped’ ahead of the birth. ‘It’s not dangerous, of course not,’ she explained on the show. ‘If you exercise, there is no reason why you can’t continue with that unless your doctor says so. ‘People think, “Oh my goodness she shouldn’t be training.” It’s my job, it’s what I do for a living and while I was pregnant I kept dialling down the intensity and duration.’ ‘There were days when I didn’t do anything at all,’ she added. ‘There are still some days like that now. I’m like any other woman who has had a baby three-and-a-half months ago.’

2016-04-08 06:04 Sharnaz Shahid www.dailymail.co.uk

98 We are blind to an epidemic of domestic abuse W hen Helen Titchener stabbed her domineering husband in an episode of The Archers last weekend, it seemed as though everyone wanted to talk about domestic abuse. People who had never heard of “ coercive control ”, the kind of behaviour Helen has been subjected to in the long-running Radio 4 series, suddenly wanted to know what it was. Some listeners may even have realised, with a mixed sense of horror and relief, that it was an apt description of their own relationships. The BBC has done a public service in kicking off this conversation even though the scenario it highlighted – a woman snapping and trying to kill her abuser – has more in common with melodrama than real life. Domestic abuse causes fear, anxiety, depression, injury and death in the most extreme cases, but the victim is more likely to die than her abuser. What is extraordinary is not that we are talking about it, but that it hasn’t happened long before now. According to an analysis of Office for National Statistics crime data, an estimated 1.4 million women in Britain suffered domestic abuse in the year 2013-14 . (Men are targeted as well, but female victims outnumber them by two-to-one in ONS estimates and three-to-one in cases recorded by big police forces.) The figures are shocking, but they do not surprise me at all. Ever since I covered the Yorkshire Ripper murders as a young journalist, I have been horrified not just by the kinds of extreme violence perpetrated against women but less widely reported forms of abuse. Serial killings, such as the murders of prostituted women in Ipswich 10 years ago, deservedly get the public’s attention. So, latterly, does the kind of sexual exploitation carried out by Jimmy Savile and other well-known men in the entertainment industry. But “everyday” abuse, which stops short of the kind of extreme violence catalogued in a BBC documentary last month, is a different matter. Three years ago, when I became co-chair of the mayor of London’s violence against women and girls board , I began to get hair-raising insights into the extent of the problem. The London figures tend to be worse – though not that much worse – than the rest of the country. One is that a third of violent crime resulting in injury in the capital is domestic in nature. Another is that the police attend more than twice as many emergency calls for domestic violence in London each month than they do for residential burglary. Starting to get the picture now? I have plenty more figures where those came from. The police recorded almost 147,000 incidents of domestic abuse in London last year, each of them involving a victim, a perpetrator and in many cases children. Factor in the victims’ parents, siblings and friends, and you begin to get an idea of the sheer number of people affected by the problem. If half a million people are struggling to deal with the effects of domestic abuse in London, what is the figure for the whole country? More to the point, where is the outrage and the political will to do something about it? The last Labour government, to its credit, took the issue of violence against women more seriously than any previous administration. A group of ministers, including Harriet Harman, Jacqui Smith and Vera Baird, made significant changes in the law to tackle sex trafficking and the exploitation of women in the commercial sex industry. In opposition, the then Labour leader Ed Miliband made a groundbreaking appointment, naming Seema Malhotra shadow minister for preventing violence against women and girls. The case for having such a post in government, going beyond the brief of an equalities minister, seems to me urgent and unarguable. Instead, we seem to be going in the opposite direction. With the election for a new mayor of London less than a month away, domestic abuse has barely featured in the campaign to date. The winner will be in charge of a city where the police recorded a staggering 72,443 notifiable domestic offences – ones that are so serious that they have to be reported to the Home Office – last year. That total included 28 domestic murders. So why aren’t the candidates talking about domestic abuse as often as affordable rents or a third runway at Heathrow? Both local and national politicians need to realise that we are at a turning point, which brings as many risks as it does opportunities. The exposure of Savile has encouraged many more women to come forward and report both rape and domestic abuse, defying national trends which suggest that crime overall is falling. But victims are putting their trust in a struggling criminal justice system: police and local authority budgets have been slashed, there is a chronic shortage of refuge places, and specialist services for black and ethnic minority women have been disproportionately hit by cuts in public spending. Women fleeing abusive relationships are often forced to stay with relatives or move into refuges a long way from home, if they are lucky enough to find a place. Research carried out by Women’s Aid last year suggested that almost two-thirds of the women referred to a refuge in the capital didn’t manage to get a place; outside London, the situation is reported to be even worse. A report published last month by another women’s organisation, Solace Women’s Aid , exposed the extent of this hidden housing crisis: more than 60% of women who have a secure tenancy lose it when they enter a refuge, while almost 90% find themselves in another type of temporary accommodation when they leave. Housing officers frequently treat victims of domestic abuse as voluntarily homeless, sending them to the back of the queue for social housing. “Why did she go back to him?” people sometimes ask. The answer may be that she had nowhere else to live, especially if she is poor. According to the ONS, women who live in the poorest households are three times more likely to become victims of domestic abuse. There is a debate about whether levels of violence really are higher in poorer areas – affluent women may have more choices – but the disparity in reported crime figures is striking. In London, you are much more likely to become a victim in Croydon or Tower Hamlets than in more prosperous Merton or Richmond-upon-Thames. Discussion prompted by the Helen Titchener storyline is already moving from the wider subject of domestic abuse to the charges and sentence she might face. That is not the question facing most real-life victims, who have to deal with a toxic combination of housing problems, long-term psychological damage and inadequate provision by the state and local authorities. Prosecutions are failing, leaving perpetrators free to target other women, because of a lack of support for victims. I don’t know whether the concern generated by a soap opera is enough to move this subject to the top of the political agenda. But the result, if women who report domestic abuse are failed by the public services they depend on, will be bitter and justified disillusionment.

2016-04-08 06:00 Joan Smith www.theguardian.com

99 Social mobility hindered by ‘culture of inequality’ in school system – peers Social mobility in Britain is hampered by a “culture of inequality” that penalises school leavers who enter the workforce rather than higher education, according to a parliamentary report. An investigation by the House of Lords committee on social mobility called for radical revisions to the content of schooling from the age of 14, to better prepare teenagers who do not go on to university for the world of work. “The current system for helping people move from school to work is failing most young people,” said Lady Corston, who chaired the committee. “They are simply not being adequately prepared for the world of work. This significantly disadvantages a huge number of young people and limits their opportunity for social mobility.” Young people were in danger of being trapped in low-skilled, low-paid work, with little chance of a rewarding career, she said. “A young person considering their options for further education or employment is presented with gobbledygook. It is totally unclear to them how they can get the skills needed for a successful career.” The report, Overlooked and Left Behind, argues that “a culture of inequality between vocational and academic routes to work” pervades the education system. It concludes: “The expansion of higher education has served some groups well. It has, however, disadvantaged those already underserved by the education system and inhibited upwards social mobility for those in the middle. “Non-academic routes to employment are complex, confusing and incoherent. The qualifications system is similarly confused and has been subjected to continual change.” Instead, the final four years of schooling should be redesigned so that more pupils can pass recognised vocational qualifications on a par with A-levels. Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, applauded the report’s call for a new curriculum that placed greater emphasis on skills and vocational qualifications. “We agree. The intense academic focus of the existing curriculum is too narrow for some students and a new approach is needed,” he said. “The report also highlights the low level of funding for 16 to 19-year-olds which has had a major impact on the ability of schools and colleges to provide the curriculum breadth and choice needed by young people. Greater investment is urgently needed.” A Department for Education spokesperson said it would respond to the report’s recommendations in due course, but noted: “The latest figures show the number of young people not in education or training is at the lowest on record. “We have the highest ever number of young people going into higher education. We have introduced a more rigorous curriculum so every child learns the basic skills they need, such as English and maths, so they can go on to fulfil their potential whether they are going into the world of work or continuing their studies.” The peers’ report calls for a cabinet-level minister to be given responsibility for the transition from school to work for young people, to avoid the current state where responsibility falls between the DfE, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills or the Department for Work and Pensions. The report also wants a new “gold standard” in independent careers advice and guidance for state school pupils, with the government consulting local employers on the skills needed in regional labour markets. The DfE also said it was planning to invest £70m in its careers programme over the next parliament, and had set up structures to develop closer links between young people and employers.

2016-04-08 06:00 Richard Adams www.theguardian.com

100 Allison Williams wows in a low-cut top and floral skirt for DVF Awards Allison Williams wowed in head to toe Diane Von Furstenberg for the 2016 DVF Awards in New York City on Thursday. The 27-year-old wore a low-cut black top tucked into a floor-length floral skirt for the event, which took place at the United Nations headquarters. The actress looked lovely in the long-sleeved blouse and multi-colored maxi, highlighting her décolletage and slim waist. The TV star posed with Diane herself, who looked lovely in a patterned blue and white dress and gold heels.

2016-04-08 06:00 Sarah Sotoodeh www.dailymail.co.uk

Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-04-08 12:04