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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-05-24 18:03 1 Reuters: World News - powered by FeedBurner
(2.25/3) ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's interior minister said on Tuesday he could not confirm that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour had... 2016-05-24 08:54 671Bytes feeds.reuters.com 2 13 cities win fast track Smart City competition
(0.02/3) The Urban Development Ministry on Tuesday announced 13 winners of the fast-track Smart City competition, with Lucknow topping the list 2016-05-24 16:08 2KB www.mid-day.com 3 Uttarakhand Board 12th and 10th Results 2016 (ubse.uk.gov.in): UBSE Intermediate and
(0.02/3) High School Results to be declared on uaresults.nic.in tomorrow, 25th May The Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) will declare the Uttarakhand board Class 10 th and Class 12 th results tomorrow, 25 th May 2016. Post formal declaration, the Uttarakhand Board Result 2016 will be available on UBSE result official websites uaresults.nic.in and ubse.uk.gov.in. 2016-05-24 16:24 4KB www.mid-day.com 4 Maine Sunday Telegram Business A handful of cities and towns, including Falmouth, Portland, South Portland and Rockland, were planning to install photoelectric (0.01/3) panels on top... 2016-05-24 01:43 9KB www.pressherald.com 5 Daniel Craig to meet Modi! Here are things they can discuss James Bond star Daniel Craig is likely to meet PM Narendra Modi during his visit to India next month. We list down some stuff they can discuss 2016-05-24 15:40 1KB www.mid-day.com 6 Dozens displaced by early morning fire at Albuquerque motel Dozens of people have been displaced by a fire at an Albuquerque motel. 2016-05-24 17:57 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 7 Western Iowa city of Walnut will take possession of school The western Iowa city of Walnut will take possession of a historic school building that will become vacant because the school district is dissolving. 2016-05-24 17:54 1KB www.washingtontimes.com
8 Editorial Roundup: Recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers: 2016-05-24 17:42 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 9 Police: Several pieces of art stolen from Michigan festival Police say several pieces of art were stolen from last weekend’s East Lansing Art Festival. 2016-05-24 17:42 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 10 'This is one of the greatest days of my life,' says Baroka FC coach Baroka FC coach Kgoloko Thobejane will never forget December 16 2015 the day he made a tough decision. 2016-05-24 13:17 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 11 Victory is Swede for SA footballer Singh South African teenager Luther Singh continues to shine in Swedish football, scoring the first professional hat-trick of his career in a 7- 0 romp for GAIS against Ängelholm. 2016-05-24 13:17 947Bytes www.timeslive.co.za 12 1 killed, 2 hurt in violent Wilshire Boulevard crash in LA Los Angeles police say a violent single-vehicle crash on Wilshire Boulevard killed one passenger and seriously injured the driver and another passenger. 2016-05-24 17:25 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 13 ‘YES to SEX’ consent recording app aims to curb campus assaults A smartphone application that vocally records sexual consent is marketing itself to colleges and universities as a way to curb campus assaults, but higher education experts are skeptical about whether even such technology will improve the sexual climate on campus. 2016-05-24 17:24 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 14 Sacramento Zoo euthanizes zebra after declining health Sacramento Zoo officials say a 20-year-old zebra has been euthanized after a rapid decline in health. 2016-05-24 17:24 1KB www.washingtontimes.com
15 KZN move bolsters Zuma Support for President Jacob Zuma ahead of the local government polls was bolstered yesterday after KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu announced his resignation and the president's ally, Willies Mchunu, took over. 2016-05-24 12:57 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 16 Video: George Zimmerman Explains His Rationale for Auctioning Pistol That Killed Trayvon Martin Zimmerman said he wants to use some of the proceeds from the gun auction to help cops who have been targeted by violence. 2016-05-24 17:14 1KB abcnews.go.com 17 Video: VA Secretary Under Fire Comparing Veteran Wait Times to Amusement Park Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald on Monday likened the significance of measuring the amount of time it takes veterans to receive healthcare from the department to waiting for rides at Disney parks. 2016-05-24 17:08 1KB abcnews.go.com 18 Israel faces lack of enforcement of environmental policies, says report Report lead by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira ssays aid that there are about 250-300 hazardous material incidents each year that affect the environment. 2016-05-24 17:00 5KB www.jpost.com 19 Paul Lee to miss Gilas’ road to Rio due to recurring knee injury Gilas Pilipinas' injury woes continue to pile up and the latest casualty is none other than 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals MVP Paul Lee. Lee has decided to sit out national team 2016-05-24 16:58 2KB sports.inquirer.net 20 ‘Office of the Future’, world’s first 3D print building, inaugurated in Dubai The cutting-edge and luxurious city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), has made waves around the globe with the commencement of the Kingdom's--and the world's--first fully operational 2016-05-24 16:56 2KB technology.inquirer.net 21 England's Harry Kane determined to break major football trophy drought England's star striker Harry Kane is determined to be part of a national football side that can break a major trophy drought dating back to 1966 2016-05-24 16:51 2KB www.mid-day.com
22 BBL franchise Renegades not to sign Chris Gayle after fresh sexism row Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Renegades' chief executive Stuart Coventry has confirmed they will not re-sign swashbuckling West Indian opener Chris Gayle for next summer's tournament 2016-05-24 16:51 3KB www.mid-day.com 23 PH Navy on fishermen abuse in Malaysia: Gov’t dealing with it The Western Command (Wescom) of the Philippine Navy said concerned authorities were addressing the latest incident in the West Philippine Sea where Filipino fishermen arrested in the 2016-05-24 16:49 2KB globalnation.inquirer.net 24 FIFA sack top official over bonuses worth millions FIFA on Monday sacked deputy general secretary Markus Kattner for financial 'breaches' involving secret bonuses worth millions of dollars, according to sources close to an inquiry by the 2016-05-24 16:47 4KB sports.inquirer.net 25 Volkswagen to provide update on emissions settlement talks SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge is set to get an update on ongoing settlement talks in the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal after announcing a tentative deal last month for nearly half a 2016-05-24 16:43 2KB business.inquirer.net 26 West Virginia begins allowing concealed guns without permits West Virginia now lets people 21 years old and up carry hidden guns without permits or training. 2016-05-24 15:09 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 27 Congress hopes for faster canvassing for president, VP poll results Outgoing Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II on Tuesday expressed hopes that the canvassing of the results for the president and vice president elections would be faster than the previous 2010 2016-05-24 16:40 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 28 Sri Lanka pacer Chameera injured, to miss England tour Sri Lanka pacer Dushmantha Chameera was on Tuesday ruled out of the second Test against England and is set to miss the rest of the tour with a stress fracture in his back 2016-05-24 16:33 1KB www.mid-day.com
29 Maria Isabel Lopez: No intention to steal scene in Cannes After a red carpet photo of the cast of the film "Ma'Rosa" went viral, actress Maria Isabel Lopez clarified that she did not intend to steal the spotlight at the 2016 Cannes Film 2016-05-24 16:33 3KB entertainment.inquirer.net 30 2 boys killed in flash floods in Manipur, 15 houses washed away Two boys were killed and at least 15 more houses washed away in flash floods in Manipur, and people complained that the administration has been failing to help them deal with the calamity 2016-05-24 16:27 1KB www.mid-day.com 31 Former Megadeth drummer dies after collapsing on stage 2016 is turning out to be a rough year for musicians. Nick Menza, the former drummer of thrash-metal band Megadeth, passed away on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), after collapsing on stage at the 2016-05-24 16:27 2KB entertainment.inquirer.net 32 PH has worst unemployment rate despite high GDP growth–Ibon An independent research group said the Philippines still has the "worst" unemployment rate in Asia despite posting a 6.9-percent growth in gross domestic product. In a statement, Ibon 2016-05-24 16:25 3KB business.inquirer.net 33 The big man! Virat Kohli's small step that can make a huge difference Indian star batsman and Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Virat Kohli is famously known for his brilliant talent as well as his angry-young-man image on the cricket field, But he'sgot a sensitive side too 2016-05-24 16:23 1KB www.mid-day.com 34 Regulation of Beduin settlement is 'an issue of national importance of the first order' State comptroller report charges that current situation allows the Beduin population, which is generally poor, to become a breeding ground for crime. 2016-05-24 16:07 4KB www.jpost.com 35 'Significant shortcomings' in IDF's ability to stockpile certain munitions State Comptroller's report says Ground Forces, IAF, have not set targets on maintenancy and acquisition of arms to keep up with changing security needs. 2016-05-24 16:01 4KB www.jpost.com
36 Shapira blasts PM for Bibi Tours Affair; AG, Comptroller fight over need for criminal probe $50,000 of Sara Netanyahu’s flights from 2003-2005 were paid for by non-governmental actors without appropriate accounting and approvals, according to fully revealed report. 2016-05-24 16:00 9KB www.jpost.com 37 Air ambulance with seven on board crash lands in Delhi An air ambulance with seven persons on board crash landed in Najafgarh area of South West Delhi 2016-05-24 15:50 883Bytes www.mid-day.com 38 IPL 9 playoffs preview: 'Fab 4' RCB vs GL, KKR vs SRH in high-octane battle As the play-offs stage of the Indian Premier League 9 season begin today, we take a look at the four teams - Bangalore, Gujarat, Hyderabad and Kolkata - who will battle it out for the 2016 title 2016-05-24 15:39 2KB www.mid-day.com 39 Spanish tribunal: BDS is unconstitutional, discriminatory The motion’s clauses, according to the tribunal, “jeopardize the fundamental right to equality without discrimination on the bases of appearance, ethnicity and religion.” 2016-05-24 15:37 2KB www.jpost.com 40 Rio Olympics 2016 medal winners to be considered for Khel Ratna, Arjuna In a bid to ensure that Olympic medallists get immediate recognition, the Sports Ministry today said medal winners from the upcoming Rio Games will be considered for this year's Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards 2016-05-24 15:36 1KB www.mid-day.com 41 San Francisco to consider immigrant sanctuary protections San Francisco officials plan to take another run at clarifying sanctuary protections for people who are in the country illegally, a policy that landed the city in national hot water last year when a Mexican man shot and killed a woman walking along a waterfront pier. 2016-05-24 15:08 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 42 Hawaii could be first to put gun owners in federal database Hawaii could become the first state in the United States to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country. 2016-05-24 15:08 3KB www.washingtontimes.com
43 Obama pushes for better rights in Vietnam after arms deal President Barack Obama on Tuesday pressed Vietnam to allow greater freedoms for its citizens, arguing that better human rights would improve the communist country’s economy, stability and regional power. 2016-05-24 12:27 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 44 WhatsApp neighbour? Love thy neighbour but watch thy tone on those social media groups. 2016-05-24 12:16 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 45 Drilling for clues to dinosaurs' demise Scientists are travelling back more than 60million years to drill deep under the ocean floor in search of clues about the event that wiped out the dinosaurs and nearly extinguished life on earth. 2016-05-24 12:17 4KB www.timeslive.co.za 46 Woman gangraped in Thane, two youths arrested A 24-year-old women was allegedly gangraped by two youths in Kalwa area of the district, police said on Tuesday 2016-05-24 15:00 1KB www.mid-day.com 47 Dust storm kills five in Uttar Pradesh, damages property A dust storm in Uttar Pradesh in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday claimed at least five lives, uprooted trees, and caused heavy damage to mango crop, electric poles and other infrastructure, police said 2016-05-24 14:55 1KB www.mid-day.com 48 True Love gets real Lerato Kganyago will rue the day she called out True Love magazine for Photoshopping its cover of her. 2016-05-24 13:34 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 49 Mnet to host ‘Special M Countdown in China’ Cable music channel Mnet will host the “Special M Countdown in China” at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on May 28, production company CJ E&M announced Tuesday. The 2016-05-24 14:53 1KB entertainment.inquirer.net
50 Archives Former Georgia Tech guard Marcus Georges-Hunt is getting his share of looks from NBA teams in advance of the draft. Last week, Georges-Hunt worked out for Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston and Utah on four successive days, Wednesday through Saturday. He told the Nuggets website that... 2016-05-24 11:59 2KB georgiatech.blog.ajc.com 51 The New Cabal At NNPC | Kachikwu Superintending Over Corrupt Staff As IPMAN & AMFSON Gear Up For Mega Showdown. The New Cabal At NNPC | Kachikwu Superintending Over Corrupt Staff As IPMAN & AMFSON Gear Up For Mega Showdown. - Corruption at the NNPC, over the years, seems to be defiling all interventions by successive administrations in Nigeria as our investigation have revealed... 2016-05-24 17:09 5KB worldnewsvine.com 52 Senate refuses to stop airlines from shrinking seat sizes Within hours, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out news releases chastising GOP senators from Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Ohio who are facing Democratic challengers this fall for siding with the airline industry over passengers. The bill also contains... 2016-05-24 10:33 2KB www.chron.com 53 Survey: More than half of Harris residents lean Democratic More than half of Harris County residents lean Democratic for the first time in over three decades, propelled by plummeting support for Republicans among Latinos, according to a survey released Monday by Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. 2016-05-24 10:33 2KB www.chron.com 54 Texas GOP to debate secession on convention floor Delegates at state convention for the Republican Party of Texas will have a chance to vote on Texas secession, after a platform item calling for independence passed a special committee on Wednesday morning. 2016-05-24 10:33 1KB www.chron.com 55 20 people you can bet on to be Donald Trump's vice president Donald Trump says there's a 40 percent chance he picks someone from this year's Republican presidential field as his vice president. But the odds-on favorite to win the veepstakes: Newt Gingrich. 2016-05-24 13:30 2KB www.chron.com 56 Ted Cruz tells voters what really annoys his wife The Houstonians took questions from voters and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper during a town-hall meeting in New York on Wednesday, revealing tidbits about their marriage and the effect of the campaign on their family life. 2016-05-24 13:30 2KB www.chron.com 57 Analysis: A decade of Hamas Hamas’s entry to Palestinian politics could have been a watershed moment. 2016-05-24 14:46 6KB www.jpost.com 58 It's a grind but Stan's the man Defending champion Stan Wawrinka dazzled the moment he walked on to a gloomy Philippe Chatrier Court in a fluorescent yellow shirt but it was a while before his play matched his attire. 2016-05-24 13:10 939Bytes www.timeslive.co.za 59 BUHARI VANGUARD APPOINTS CORDINATORS……. Supports Buhari for 2019 BUHARI VANGUARD APPOINTS CORDINATORS……. Supports Buhari for 2019 - Buhari Vanguard has appointed former APC Gubernatorial Aspirant in Bayelsa state, Hon. Romeo Bekeyei as its Coordinators in South and Alhaji Umar Ab... 2016-05-24 17:09 1KB worldnewsvine.com 60 The Fast-Approaching Clash of Civilizations KMorgan 1253 posts 2016-05-24 11:24 8KB www.thetribunepapers.com
61 Republicans hit Vermont governor on alleged job shifts Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican candidate for governor, is charging that Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration is improperly transferring exempt employees to protected, classified status 2016-05-24 12:56 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 62 4 groups get state money for lobster research, education Maine’s marine resources department is providing grant funding to four organizations for research and education involving lobsters. 2016-05-24 12:56 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 63 WATCH: Emma Watson as ‘Belle’ in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ official trailer The 1991 classic Disney fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" is finally getting a refashioned makeover as its enchanting trailer was released on Monday. "Harry Potter" alumnus 2016-05-24 14:31 1KB entertainment.inquirer.net 64 Texas GOP platform says majority of Texans share homosexuality Journalists at the 2016 Texas GOP convention pointed and chuckled, but now the entire nation has caught on : the party's platform... 2016-05-24 10:06 2KB www.chron.com 65 Bernie Sanders Just Nominated a Man to the Democratic Platform Committee Who Accused Israel of Committing a Holocaust | The American Spectator In an effort to placate Bernie Sanders, the DNC (via Hillary Clinton) have seen fit to allow Bernie to appoint five people... 2016-05-24 10:48 1KB spectator.org 66 5 dead after skydiving tour plane crashes in Hawaii HONOLULU — Five people died after a skydiving tour plane crashed and caught fire in Hawaii, one of two plane crashes reported Monday in the islands. It happened about 9:30 a.m. on the island 2016-05-24 14:27 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 67 Holland Christian's Mike Mokma throws 2nd perfect game of season; hits two home runs in same inning To say it's only been a good season for Holland Christian's Mike Mokma would be an understatement. Improving to 9-0, the Michigan State University commit threw his second perfect game of the season... 2016-05-24 10:22 2KB highschoolsports.mlive.com 68 Video: TSA Security Head Removed from Post TSA head of security Kelly Hoggan has been removed from his post, according to an internal memo and the House Oversight Committee. 2016-05-24 14:23 1KB abcnews.go.com 69 David Cameron claims holidays would cost more outside EU David Cameron claims family holidays in Europe could be £230 more expensive outside the EU - and insists his party can reunite after the referendum. 2016-05-24 11:52 3KB www.bbc.co.uk
70 Video: Man Gets Death Penalty Case Tossed 30 Years Later A black man who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by an all-white jury in Georgia, has successfully convinced the Supreme Court that the jury selection in his case was racially biased three decades later. 2016-05-24 14:22 849Bytes abcnews.go.com 71 Mark Carney defends 'Brexit risk' stance The Bank of England governor robustly defends his stance on the UK's EU referendum debate and accuses one of his critics of trying to "undermine" the Bank's remit. 2016-05-24 11:52 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 72 Legislature to consider statewide regulations on Uber, Lyft The Texas Legislature will consider establishing statewide regulations for rideshare application companies such as Uber and Lyft, a powerful lawmaker said Sunday, a day after voters here dealt the industry a setback by upholding rules imposed by the city council. 2016-05-24 09:57 3KB www.chron.com 73 Marcos camp sues Comelec, Smartmatic officials for script change A supporter of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday filed a complaint against officials of Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for violating the Cybercrime Law 2016-05-24 14:14 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 74 Livonia - News Livonia - News 2016-05-24 08:57 2KB rssfeeds.hometownlife.com
75 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times The U. S... 2016-05-24 01:45 7KB atimes.com 76 Supreme Court nixes plea for 100 percent cut in water to liquor industry in Maharashtra The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea seeking 100 percent cut in supply of water to the liquor industry in Maharashtra so that millions of people faced with unprecedented drought could be provided with water 2016-05-24 14:07 2KB www.mid- day.com 77 CBI questions Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday began questioning Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat in an alleged political horse-trading case, in the wake of a 2016-05-24 14:05 1KB www.mid-day.com
78 No threat from Islamic State: Rajnath Singh Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said there is no threat to India from Islamic State (IS) as people of the Muslim community are against the IS 2016-05-24 14:03 1KB www.mid-day.com 79 Special report: A lack of cooperation by law enforcement has helped organize crime thrive Tax Authority, Israel Police, State Prosecutor’s office, and other bodies lack level of cooperation needed to target illegal banking and money laundering, 2016-05-24 13:58 3KB www.jpost.com 80 Mumbai Crime: 7-year-old girl raped, murdered; body dumped in creek A body of a 7-year-old girl was found late on Monday night at Patel wadi area in Malad (west). During investigation it revealed that the girl was first raped and later murdered, after which her body was dumped in the creek 2016-05-24 13:49 1KB www.mid-day.com 81 Bob Dylan’s forgotten pro-Israel song, revisited 1983 song offers a rare declaration of full-throated Israel support by a mainstream American rocker. 2016-05-24 13:46 2KB www.jpost.com 82 Migrant tragedy: Anatomy of a shipwreck What led to the sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of Libya in April 2015, drowning up to 700 people, the largest single loss of life in the Mediterranean in decades? 2016-05-24 16:35 10KB www.bbc.co.uk 83 Why is Bulgaria making a big fuss about the niqab? Bulgarian MPs are preparing to ban women from wearing the Muslim face veil, or niqab, although hardly any Bulgarians wear it. 2016-05-24 16:35 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 84 Fallen plane tree becomes symbol of protest in Kashmir A fallen tree in a university in Indian-administered Kashmir becomes a symbol of protest and creativity for students. 2016-05-24 16:35 2KB www.bbc.co.uk
85 Man shot, killed at rap video site in south Houston A man was found shot to death Monday night outside at an apartment complex in south Houston where he reportedly was filming a rap video. 2016-05-24 15:19 1KB www.chron.com 86 Turner calls for information in killing of northside boy Mayor Sylvester Turner appealed to Houston residents Monday for information on last week's stabbing death of sixth grader Josue Flores, emphasizing the need to apprehend his killer after police admitted they initially arrested the wrong man. 2016-05-24 15:19 2KB www.chron.com 87 Tour de France: Special forces to guard race About 23,000 police will provide security for this year's Tour de France cycle race, with the country still facing threats from extremists. 2016-05-24 16:35 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 88 Houston man convicted again for selling animal torture videos across state lines A man serving a 50-year state sentence for making erotic videos in which animals are tortured and slaughtered was convicted in federal court in Houston Monday of selling the same videos across state lines to customers. U. S. District Judge Sim Lake heard the entire case... 2016-05-24 15:19 3KB www.chron.com 89 Man's killer unknown 3 years after fatal shooting in NW Harris County Three years after a man was gunned down at a sports bar in northwest Harris County, authorities are still searching for his killer. 2016-05-24 16:34 1KB www.chron.com 90 Sunshine and warmth on the way Temperatures will increase to the mid-80s Tuesday. 2016-05-24 13:43 812Bytes www.ajc.com
91 Mumbai: Eastern Freeway ramps thrown open After a three-year delay, the ramps of Eastern Freeway going towards South Mumbai and coming down towards Wadala, which were awaiting opening, were finally opened on Monday by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) 2016-05-24 13:39 2KB www.mid-day.com
92 President Pranab Mukherjee signs ordinance keeping state boards out of NEET this year After raising queries, President Pranab Mukherjee today signed the ordinance to keep state boards out of the common entrance test (NEET) for MBBS and dental courses for this year 2016-05-24 13:26 3KB www.mid-day.com 93 PSL Young Player of the Season nomination feels great, says Aces' starlet Modiba Black Aces’ starlet Aubrey “Postman” Modiba, who was on Monday nominated for the PSL Young Player of the Season award, has said his initial target with AmaZayoni this season was to start 15 games. 2016-05-24 13:20 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 94 MMA comes to heartland of Thai kickboxing Of all the various fighting styles that combine to create the burgeoning sport of Mixed Martial Arts, it is Thai kickboxing which is at the core of the new discipline. Yet it has taken until this week for Thailand to host its first major MMA event. 2016-05-24 13:11 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 95 Vermont police step up patrols ahead of holiday Vermont State Police say they’re stepping up enforcement against drivers impaired by alcohol and other drugs in advance of the Memorial Day holiday. They’ll also be increasing seat belt enforcement. 2016-05-24 13:11 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 96 Police: Driver charged in high-speed chase was off-duty cop Police say a driver who led officers on a high-speed chase in Ohio earlier this month turned out to be an off-duty officer - and so was his passenger. 2016-05-24 13:11 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 97 Ex-Craig doctor heads to prison for unlawful prescriptions A former Craig doctor who was convicted of overprescribing narcotic painkillers has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. 2016-05-24 13:11 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 98 American Legion post inside prison to be named for soldier An American Legion post operating inside the state prison in Berlin, New Hampshire, for veterans who are inmates is formally being dedicated. 2016-05-24 13:10 1008Bytes www.washingtontimes.com
99 Refugees and scholars: Colleges offer war- torn a route to US Colleges in the U. S. are opening their doors - and their financial aid - to Syrian refugees. 2016-05-24 13:10 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 100 Investigators flood Google’s Paris HQ in tax raid French authorities have raided internet company Google’s Paris headquarters as a national tax case against the firm appears to gain... 2016-05-24 13:10 1KB www.thedrum.com Articles
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-05-24 18:03
1 Reuters: World News - powered by FeedBurner (2.25/3) ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's interior minister said on Tuesday he could not confirm that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been killed in a U. S. drone strike, saying that the body recovered from near the Afghan border was charred beyond recognition.
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2 13 cities win fast track Smart City competition (0.02/3) New Delhi: The Urban Development Ministry on Tuesday announced 13 winners of the fast-track Smart City competition, with Lucknow topping the list. These cities can now compete to be a 'Smart City' in the next cycle of 'India Smart Cities Challenge'. Announcing the list, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said Lucknow, which could not make it to the first list of 20 mission cities last year, had improved the quality of its Smart City plan. Twenty-three cities participated in the fast track competition. The other cities that made it to the next round are Warangal (Telanagana), Shimla, (Himachal Pradesh), Chandigarh, Raipur (Chhattisgarh), New Town Kolkata (West Bengal), Bhagalpur (Bihar), Panaji (Goa), Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Imphal (Manipur), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Faridabad (Haryana). The minister said these 13 cities were selected based on the marks scored by them in the fast track competition and the benchmarks set by the top performers in the first cycle of the challenge. Only 12 states and UTs were represented in the first list of 20 mission cities announced in the first cycle of "India Smart Cities Challenge" on January 28. The first 20 cities were selected from 98 mission cities. Meanwhile, there was a tie between Meerut and Rai Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, which will be resolved by allowing them to participate in the next round and one city from each of these two states will be selected based on the quality of Smart City plans.
Lucknow tops list of 13 new smart cities mid-day.com 2016-05-24 16:08 By IANS www.mid-day.com
3 3 Uttarakhand Board 12th and 10th Results 2016 (ubse.uk.gov.in): UBSE Intermediate and High School Results to be declared on uaresults.nic.in tomorrow, 25th May (0.02/3) Celebrations are in store for the students waiting for their Uttarakhand Board Result 2016! The latest reports coming from Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) suggest that both, Uttarakhand 10th Result 2016 for high school students and Uttarakhand 12th Result 2016 for intermediate students will be declared tomorrow, 25 th May 2016 on UBSE official websites ubse.uk.gov.in and uaresults.nic.in. Uttarakhand Board Result can also be accessed at uk12.jagranjosh.com and uk10.jagranjosh.com . This year the Uttarakhand Class 10 th Board exam was held on 4 th March 2016 and Intermediate exam on 3 rd March. Both the exams concluded on 2 nd April 2016. A total of 1,68,022 students have appeared for the Uttarakhand Class 10 th Board Exam and 1,35,650 examinees were there for Uttarakhand Intermediate exam. Since the last day of the UBSE Board Exams, students have been waiting for the Uttarakhand Results 2016 with bated breath. Check Uttarakhand Board High School Result 2016 @ http://uk12.jagranjosh.com Get Uttarakhand Board Intermediate Result 2016 @ http://uk10.jagranjosh.com If unconfirmed reports are to be believed upon, the Uttarakhand education minister Mantri Prasad Naithani is expected to preside over the declaration ceremony for Uttarakhand Board Results 2016. He would be joined by UBSE chairman Rakesh Kumar Kunwar for the unveiling ceremony for Uttarakhand 10 th Result and Uttarakhand 12t Result 2016. After for formal declaration ceremony, students will be able to check their Uttarakhand Results online at http://uk12.jagranjosh.com and http://uk10.jagranjosh.com. Steps to check Uttarakhand 10 th Result and Uttarakhand 12 th Result 2016 online On 25 th May, a large number of students would flock to the official website of the board to check the outcome of their yearlong hard work. Due to large number of result expectants, students might face technical problems or network issues while retrieving the Uttarakhand Board Result 2016. If encountered with such problems, students are advised to avoid panic and exercise patience. Soon all problems would be resolved and you will get your Uttarakhand Result 2016. Alternatively, students can also check their Uttarakhand 10 th and 12 th Result 2016 online by following the simple steps given below: * Visit http://uk10.jagranjosh.com for Class 10 Result / http://uk10.jagranjosh.com for Class 12 Result * Enter your hall ticket / admit card number and other important details * Click on the submit button * Check your Uttarakhand Board Result 2016 * Save PDF copy or take printout for safekeeping Soon after the viewing the Uttarakhand Board Result 2016, students can save a copy of it either as a softcopy or in printed form. The saved copy can be used as a reference till official documents in support of the result has been issued by the Board. Highlights of Last year’s Uttarakhand Board Result Last year the Uttarakhand Board Result was declared on 26 th May 2015. While a total number of 173226 students had received the Class 10 th Board Result, a total of 145914 students received their Class 12 th Board result. The overall pass percentage for Class 10 th was 70.68% and for Class 12 th was 74.54%. Girls had outperformed boys. Career Planning after Uttarakhand Board Results 2016 Students should note that the admission process for higher education courses will begin right after the declaration of Uttarakhand Board Result 2016. Hence, students should start preparing for the career ahead well in time. In case of confusion, which is ought to arise, students should take elderly suggestions and tips from counsellors. Mid-day wishes all the students good luck for the result!
PSEB 10th Result 2016: Punjab Board (pseb.ac.in) Matric Class 10th Results has been declared Today at 3 PM mid-day.com MBOSE Meghalaya Board SSLC Class 10th and HSSLC Class 12th Arts Results 2016 (mbose.in) to be declared tomorrow on megresults.nic.in mid-day.com 2016-05-24 16:24 By A www.mid-day.com
4 Maine Sunday Telegram Business (0.01/3) A handful of cities and towns, including Falmouth, Portland, South Portland and Rockland, were planning to install photoelectric panels on top of capped landfills that otherwise have no use. The installations could provide renewable power to municipal buildings, schools and streetlights and reduce municipal electricity costs. The projects appealed to residents who want to reduce carbon emissions. And private solar developers were expected to invest millions of dollars to build the arrays. However, the projects needed the Legislature to change the way solar producers are compensated for the power they generate and allow larger projects to offset their construction costs. Gov. Paul LePage vetoed that legislation last month, and the Maine Public Utilities Commission will soon consider whether to change the existing system for crediting small-scale solar power generators who feed energy back into the grid. The regulatory challenges and uncertainty about the future have stopped at least one municipal solar project before it got off the ground, and thrown others into limbo. Cumberland canceled a presentation last week by TRC Engineers about a planned solar project on its landfill, citing uncertainty with state rules. “I did explain to the council that without the state support, solar farms may not be possible,” Town Manager Bill Shane wrote in an email to TRC immediately after the bill died. Rockland also was in the screening process for solar sites, but it likely won’t go anywhere now, said City Councilor Larry Pritchett. “Certainly any project that would go forward now would be less attractive than one that would have been permitted under the proposed rules,” Pritchett said. STILL BARRIERS FOR LARGE PROJECTS Officials in some of the communities said the veto and failed override effort won’t necessarily end their quests for landfill solar projects, but will at least delay and complicate them. “The bill would have removed some of the barriers that constrict the projects. We can work around it, but it is more difficult,” said Julie Rosenbach, South Portland’s sustainability coordinator. Municipal solar projects rely on private developers to construct the arrays and sell the power to the municipality for about six years, when the community purchases the installation and begins to produce its own power. It would take more than a decade to pay off a system, but when it did, the municipality would be producing its own power for free. The ability to make money on excess power has been a key part of the plans. Right now, small-scale solar power generators can get a one-to-one credit for the excess power they generate and deliver back to the grid, something called net metering. Customers can offset their electricity bills with the credits and use the money saved to pay down the cost of installing solar equipment. However, the credits are limited to relatively small power generators and don’t match up well with the larger-scale municipal projects. State policy restricts the size of installations eligible for net metering to 660 kilowatts and only allows solar farms to feed 10 meters at a time. Additionally, large electricity users such as water treatment plants cannot offset their power charges with electricity credits. The failed solar bill, L. D. 1649, would have changed those rules as part of an effort to dramatically increase the amount of solar-generated electricity in Maine from 18 megawatts to 250 megawatts in five years. According to the national Solar Energy Industries Association, 250 megawatts of power is enough to power about 41,000 homes. PUC REVIEW RAISES SOLAR CONCERNS The bill would have replaced electricity credits with long-term, fixed-price contracts for solar power that would provide solar-generating customers with money to pay down their costs. The bill also would have increased the cap on solar projects to 2,000 kilowatts and eliminated the restriction of 10 meters per installation. It was developed during a nearly year-long stakeholder process and endorsed by solar developers, the state’s power companies, environmentalists and others. But it was opposed by LePage and Republicans in the Legislature, who argued that the plan would provide a subsidy to solar customers and raise the cost of electricity for other ratepayers. The bill was killed last month after the House of Representatives fell two votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override LePage’s veto. In the aftermath, the Maine PUC is moving ahead with a separate review of the state’s net metering policy, and some solar developers worry that it will change the credit system and make solar power less attractive. Some fear the commission could follow the path taken by Nevada, which this year increased charges and decreased credits for solar users, thereby eliminating the incentive for installing solar. PUC Executive Director Harry Lanphear said in an email that commissioners will start the net metering review in the near future, likely this summer, and would consider input from all interested parties. “The outcome of this process may address the issue of customers with existing net energy billing contracts, as well as customers who enter into new net energy billing contracts,” he said. Officials in the communities pursuing solar projects are among those waiting and watching. Falmouth hoped to put a solar array out to bid this summer and already had conducted engineering and feasibility studies for a solar farm that would cap its landfill and generate up to 25 percent of the town’s power. Those plans have been shelved until state rules get cleared up, said Nathan Poore, Falmouth’s town manager. “We would have most definitely had a viable project if (the bill) had passed, but now it is much less viable,” Poore said. “I still have confidence that someday we are going to have solar on that landfill, it is just not going to happen as soon as we would like.” The town may still pursue a landfill or rooftop solar project, but it will likely be much smaller because of the limit of 10 users, or accounts. A joint Portland-South Portland proposal to build twin 660-kilowatt arrays, costing $2.5 million each, on the cities’ capped landfills, along with four rooftop arrays on Portland buildings, also may be reconsidered. The project would have produced around 3.5 percent of Portland’s power and roughly 12 percent of South Portland’s power. “Our basic goal is to offset our energy use with clean, renewable energy. We have this awesome resource that is open space in our landfill that you can’t use for anything else,” said Rosenbach, the South Portland sustainability coordinator. South Portland already has put a solar array on its planning office, among other eco-friendly projects, and viewed the landfill project as the next step. “The thing is, we are really interested in doing solar, we just have to weigh the risks of moving forward in an uncharted climate right now,” Rosenbach said. SUCCESSES IN MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS The legislative defeat hasn’t halted all solar power development in Maine. While the atmosphere isn’t attractive for municipal solar projects, colleges such as Bowdoin and Colby have invested in solar systems that send electricity directly to their buildings, without going through the grid and relying on net metering credits. Madison Electric is building a large system to make power for its customers. Ranger Solar, a Yarmouth company, plans to construct a 50-megawatt installation at the Sanford airport to sell power directly to private clients. The difference is those projects don’t rely on credits or excess power revenue to be viable. Advocates of the solar bill said Maine’s rules suppress the solar industry’s growth in the state, including the development of municipal projects, and argue that Maine lags far behind other New England states in solar development. Nearly every municipality in Massachusetts hosts a solar project, and that state’s Legislature recently increased a cap on net metering, allowing more large-scale projects to move ahead, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources even publishes a 42-page guide specifically for developing solar on capped landfills. POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY COST SAVINGS Municipal projects in Maine, by contrast, have been small rooftop solar installations. The Maine Municipal Association has estimated there are 1,800 acres of capped landfills in the state. If 40 percent of that acreage was developed for solar, the landfills could generate electricity equivalent to $25 million in costs currently being paid by towns and cities in power bills, the association estimates. Maine does have one landfill solar development. Belfast, which lies next to Penobscot Bay, has a 396-panel array constructed and operated by ReVision Solar, a leading solar installer in Maine. Sadie Lloyd, Belfast’s assistant city planner, said the array is capable of producing 120 kilowatts, and when combined with panels on the fire station roof, provides roughly 20 percent of the city’s energy needs. “To be able to offset our electricity bill by 20 percent is a big deal,” Lloyd said. The project is tiny compared with other municipal proposals and did not rely on passage of the legislation. But the town is now hoping that net metering credits aren’t changed in a way that affects the town’s solar project. “Hopefully they keep some form of net metering, because for a municipality, it is a real advantage,” Lloyd said.
Maine Sunday Telegram News pressherald.com 2016-05-24 01:43 www.pressherald.com
5 Daniel Craig to meet Modi! Here are things they can discuss James Bond star Daniel Craig is likely to meet PM Narendra Modi during his visit to India next month. We list down some stuff they can discuss. Modi can invite Craig to his radio show Mann Ki Baat, and ask him to share tips on what Indian actors need to do to turn Bond. The two can work on ways to bring back wanted Indians living abroad like Dawood Ibrahim, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi. They can exchange roles for a day, so Modi can be Bond, and Craig can be ‘Ek Din Ka PM’! Having made so many trips around the world, Modi can give options to Craig on locations where he can shoot his new films. Modi can try to strike a deal with Craig wherein he can employ the latter’s services as a spy to keep an eye on his ministers. The PM can also seek help from Bond over getting black money back from abroad. (P. S: This is a work of fiction, meant for humour purposes only)
2016-05-24 15:40 By mid www.mid-day.com
6 Dozens displaced by early morning fire at Albuquerque motel ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. (AP) - Dozens of people have been displaced by a fire at an Albuquerque motel. The Fire Department says two people were treated for inhalation of smoke from the fire early Tuesday morning at the Desert Sands Motel where some people stay for weeks or longer. The American Red Cross is assisting with the location of nearly 60 people displaced by the fire. Over 20 fire units were dispatched to fight the fire. Cause of the fire isn’t yet known but witnesses say they heard a loud boom right before it started. The motel is on Central Avenue just west of San Mateo.
2016-05-24 17:57 - www.washingtontimes.com
7 Western Iowa city of Walnut will take possession of school WALNUT, Iowa (AP) - The western Iowa city of Walnut will take possession of a historic school building that will become vacant because the school district is dissolving. The Daily Nonpareil reports (http://bit.ly/1YVettV ) the City Council voted 4 to 1 to acquire the Walnut Community School building. The district, which is merging with the Avoca-based AHST district July 1, will give the school to the city. The three-story school dates to 1910 and has several additions. Walnut City Clerk Terri Able says the council has asked the school district to demolish one of the additions, built in the 1950s. Able says the city will decide later what to do with the building. District officials opted to merge with the nearby district because of a steep drop in enrollment. ___ Information from: The Daily Nonpareil, http://www.nonpareilonline.com
2016-05-24 17:54 - www.washingtontimes.com
8 Editorial Roundup: Recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers: The Journal Record, May 23, 2016 A courageous veto Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday did one of the best things she’s done since taking office. She vetoed a ridiculous bill that would have cost Oklahoma taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and added to the congestion in the court system. It was not a run-of-the-mill veto. Fallin put down Republican Sen. Nathan Dahm’s bill that would have made performing an abortion in Oklahoma a felony punishable by three years in prison and permanent revocation of a doctor’s medical license. The bill passed on a 33-12 vote in the Senate with no debate on Thursday; it passed 59-9 in the 101-member House on April 21. Abortion has been the crusading issue of the Republican Party since at least 1980, the year after Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority. 1980 was the year a whole section on abortion first appeared in the party’s platform. In the ensuing decades, it has become platform-assisted political suicide for Republican politicians to say, do or vote for anything that could mar the finish on the Religious Right’s anti-abortion freight train. It has not mattered, especially in Oklahoma, whether a proposal made any sense at all; if it had an anti-abortion stamp, Republicans were obligated to support it without compromise. Dahm authored his bill with the express hope that it would be challenged on constitutional grounds, wend its way to the U. S. Supreme Court, and ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade. Fallin’s anti-abortion credentials have been strong. Since taking office in 2011, she has signed at least six anti-abortion bills that were later declared unconstitutional. In vetoing this one, Fallin said the bill was too vague and that under its terms doctors could not be certain what medical circumstances would be considered necessary to preserve the life of the mother. It does not matter which side of the abortion argument one holds dear; this was a quixotic bill that would have cost the state a lot of time and money only to be tossed out by the courts. The Senate’s only physician, Rep. Ervin Yen, called the bill insane and voted against it. We are weary from the onslaught of legislators whose votes are cast with only the next campaign brochure in mind. We applaud Fallin and Yen, as well as Sens. Anderson, Barrington, Crain and Halligan - the four other Republicans who had the political chutzpah to put policy above politics. ___ The Oklahoman, May 18, 2016 Gun-toting Oklahoma lawmakers need to obey the law Members of the Legislature, particularly the conservatives who control both chambers, never miss a chance to criticize President Barack Obama for doing what he can to get around laws he doesn’t like. Yet many apparently are guilty of the same behavior, as it pertains to carrying weapons at the Capitol. Under state law, guns are not allowed in the Oklahoma Capitol. Those who work in the building or visit must empty their pockets before passing through security screening devices similar to those used at airports. A person who sets off the alarm is subject to additional scrutiny with a wand. Story Continues →
2016-05-24 17:42 - www.washingtontimes.com
9 Police: Several pieces of art stolen from Michigan festival EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Police say several pieces of art were stolen from last weekend’s East Lansing Art Festival. Chicago-area artist Bala Thiagarajan tells the Lansing State Journal (http://on.lsj.com/1TU0EIc ) that six of her paintings were taken from her booth either late Saturday or early Sunday. She says the value of the stolen artwork was $3,400 and it appears that specific paintings were targeted. She says: “It’s infuriating to have shown it one day and then it’s gone.” East Lansing police Lt. Scott Wriggelsworth says works by two other artists also were stolen over the weekend. The department’s detective bureau is investigating and tips are being sought from the public. The festival’s Director Michelle Carlson says the festival had security. The festival and police plan to meet to determine how to improve security next year. ___ Information from: Lansing State Journal, http://www.lansingstatejournal.com
2016-05-24 17:42 - www.washingtontimes.com
10 'This is one of the greatest days of my life,' says Baroka FC coach On that day he resigned as a Life Orientation teacher at Mogodumo Primary School in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, to fully focus on coaching Baroka in the National First Division. Judging by the way he speaks, Thobejane loved working for the school and leaving was not easy. He says they miss him at the school, but his decision proved to be the right one. Five months after leaving his post, Thobejane is a hero, having won automatic promotion to the Absa Premiership with Baroka. The 1-1 draw against Milano United at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday was enough to book Baroka a place in the PSL for next season, ahead of second- placed Highlands Park, who must now fight for promotion in the playoffs. "I resigned and it was painful for the people I worked with. They asked how sure I was about football," said Thobejane after taking numerous selfies with supporters delighted with Baroka's massive achievement. "I was teaching life orientation. Initially, I was teaching mathematics and natural science. I was also the sports organiser. " But, he said, football was a calling, and Baroka's promotion to top flight was a dream come true. "This is one of the greatest days of my life. The world I live in is magic. I live in a world of possibilities. "If there are challenges and obstacles, I keep on working. When I work, I do it with all my heart. I do my best," he said. Baroka, who were in their third season in the First Division, finished the campaign on 60 points, with 17 victories and just four defeats. Chairman Khurishi Mphahlele, who founded the club in 2007, said they achieved their goal of reaching the PSL earlier than planned. "We were giving ourselves 10 years to get to the PSL, but we did it in nine. "We are going to start our preparations for the new season early. We need to make sure that the boys are not big-headed, so that we can compete," said Mphahlele.
2016-05-24 13:17 TSHEPANG MAILWANE www.timeslive.co.za
11 Victory is Swede for SA footballer Singh Rory McIlroy took a long time to decide he would represent Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics but the 27-year-old world number three could now miss golf's return to the Games after a 112-year absence because of concerns over the Zika virus.
2016-05-24 13:17 Nick Said www.timeslive.co.za
12 1 killed, 2 hurt in violent Wilshire Boulevard crash in LA LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police say a violent single-vehicle crash on Wilshire Boulevard killed one passenger and seriously injured the driver and another passenger. Officials say the Chevrolet Camaro was likely speeding when it slammed into a parked van shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities closed Wilshire in both directions near Beverly Glen Boulevard while crews cleared the wreckage. City News Service says the person who died was a passenger in the Camaro’s front seat. The conditions of those injured were not immediately available Tuesday. Police are investigating.
2016-05-24 17:25 - www.washingtontimes.com
13 ‘YES to SEX’ consent recording app aims to curb campus assaults A smartphone application that vocally records sexual consent is marketing itself to colleges and universities as a way to curb campus assaults, but higher education experts are skeptical about whether even such technology will improve the sexual climate on campus. The developers of “YES to SEX” on Tuesday announced the launch of a new white-label platform, “YES to SEX EDU,” that will let colleges customize the app for specific challenges facing their campuses. After a few informative slides about age of consent, definitions of consent and venereal disease, the app prompts users to audibly record their willingness to have sex. Users must also consent to what contraception will be used in the encounter and are given a safe word should one party wish to withdraw consent. The recordings, as well as the date, time and location of the activity, are then encrypted and stored on a secured server, from which they can be retrieved by a court-endorsed order. The app comes as colleges and universities try to adjudicate reports of sexual assault, with female accusers contending schools provide insufficient protection and redress, while accused male students say their due process rights are being violated by the lower burdens of proof in campus tribunals. Many colleges have also adopted an “affirmative” standard of sexual consent, in which participants are required to continuously vocalize their willingness to engage in a sexual encounter. Critics contend that, by making it nearly impossible to prove consent was established, affirmative consent standards shift the burden of proof squarely on the shoulders of the accused. E. Everett Bartlett, president of the Center for Prosecutor Integrity, said under such a strict standard of consent, the app will prove ineffective at placating sexual disputes on campus. “The app is a well-intentioned but futile attempt to stop campus sexual assault,” Mr. Bartlett said in a statement. “Affirmative consent requires both persons to give consent for each ‘specific’ sexual activity. So even if a woman says ‘yes’ at the beginning, she can later claim that her agreement only applied to kissing and caressing, not the sex that came afterwards.” Cynthia P. Garrett, advocacy chair and member of the board for Families Advocating for Campus Equality, said the app has some promise to document initial sexual consent, but won’t meet onerous campus regulations unless it “tracks each step of the sexual encounter and documents ongoing affirmative consent.” She pointed to instances in which students accused of sexual assault have been found guilty despite obtaining written consent prior to the encounter. Indeed, after a male student at Occidental College produced text messages showing his accuser agreeing to have sex with him, he was still found responsible for sexual assault in a campus trial and expelled from the school. Ruth Jones, the Title IX coordinator at Occidental College, declined to comment. “The app also would need to somehow assess intoxication and other potentially incapacitating factors,” Ms. Garrett said. Under YES to SEX’s new platform, colleges or campus groups, such as sororities and fraternities, can contract with the app’s developers to include personalized logos and information, such as how to report a sexual assault on campus or what the latest Title IX guidelines mandate. Wendy Mandell-Geller, the app’s creator, said the program forces users to think about what constitutes consent and whether to use contraception, leading to more thoughtful sexual encounters and fewer disputes. “It can be completed within 25 seconds, so it doesn’t spoil the mood,” Ms. Mandell-Geller said. “It’s just like a little thoughtful reminder — think about each other, make sure you’re both happy before you proceed, and remember to continue to ask for consent as you go along. Story Continues →
2016-05-24 17:24 - www.washingtontimes.com
14 Sacramento Zoo euthanizes zebra after declining health SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Sacramento Zoo officials say a 20-year-old zebra has been euthanized after a rapid decline in health. The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1s70lmN ) that the Grevy’s zebra named Mara was put down Sunday. Zookeepers and veterinarians had been monitoring Mara for three weeks as she became progressively lethargic, lost weight and eventually stopped eating and drinking. Zookeeper Melissa McCartney said in a written statement that Mara was quiet, dependable, and had learned to knock on the door to let zookeepers know she was ready for breakfast. Spokeswoman Tonja Candelaria says Mara was one of five of the endangered zebra species at the zoo and the other four are in good health. Grevy’s zebras live in a nutrient-poor region of Africa and have a different social organization than other zebras. ___ Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com
2016-05-24 17:24 - www.washingtontimes.com
15 KZN move bolsters Zuma The two are not related. Other members of Mchunu's cabinet, who were expected to be axed, lived to see another day in the provincial government. The province's ANC deputy chairman and MEC for transport, community safety and liaison took over last night, with the ANC saying Mchunu was chosen for his "seniority, experience and skills demonstrated in government and our movement". Senzo Mchunu announced his resignation yesterday afternoon after a meeting with the ANC's provincial leadership on Friday, during which he was given his marching orders. The premier, once a staunch ally of President Jacob Zuma, lost his seat as provincial chairman to Sihle Zikalala in November and since then Zikalala's supporters have openly campaigned to remove Mchunu as premier. Zikalala, and his camp which includes Zandile Gumede as chairwoman of the eThekwini region with 103 branches, is a known Zuma man. KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary Super Zuma said there was no decision on other MECs. Speaking at a press briefing last night, Zuma confirmed the resignation, but refused to entertain the contents of a letter in which the former premier said he wanted to clear the air over the rumours and speculation about his removal. In the letter, Mchunu confirmed that he had met provincial ANC leadership on Friday and that they had brought six accusations against him. He was asked to resign by yesterday and informed that he would be redeployed by the national office. Zikalala said Mchunu would continue to enjoy the support of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. "He was an MPL, MEC and premier and he enjoyed our support. He would also enjoy it as a deployed [member] of KwaZulu-Natal at the National Assembly," Zuma said. Mchunu said prior to resigning he consulted ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who confirmed the importance of a provincial cabinet reshuffle and the option of being redeployed. Mchunu said he had yet to decide whether to accept the move to the National Assembly, as suggested by the party. Yesterday ANC national executive committee member and cabinet minister Nomvula Mokonyane zoomed in on the drama and division tearing apart the party's provincial structure during an ANC breakfast briefing on its manifesto in Johannesburg. "I think the time has come for all of us to put our egos aside and put the ANC first ," she said. The political chess game is being played out as Zuma is in the province today at the official opening of a new Toyota Hilux and Fortuner manufacturing plant in Prospecton, Durban.
2016-05-24 12:57 NATHI OLIFANT www.timeslive.co.za
16 Video: George Zimmerman Explains His Rationale for Auctioning Pistol That Killed Trayvon Martin Transcript for George Zimmerman Explains His Rationale for Auctioning Pistol That Killed Trayvon Martin Artists they made it worse. Support. Dollars to me. A quarter dollars George Zimmermann says the reasons behind solely to gun used to kill rate on mark are simple. Clinton it's. It's become. The greatest nation on earth he also says you'll be donating money to officers killed by violence tied to the black lives mattered campaign. Ups. In any. Sure it. To attend to make sure they can no longer. Met. Law enforcement I l.'s last the moment about critics who report to the auction as he victory lap. They don't take my life. Zimmerman said the trial three years ago gave him strength. Eight. Pressure he says if he knew what was going to happen on February 262012. Things would have been different state. I had to take a life so that's I think any. Ever want to be in this position. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
2016-05-24 17:14 ABC News abcnews.go.com
17 Video: VA Secretary Under Fire Comparing Veteran Wait Times to Amusement Park The head of the veterans affairs is under fire for comparing waiting times at VA hospitals. To line the Disney VA secretary Bob McDonald is charged with improving the agency after veterans experience long wait times for appointments. That's some of them even died before getting treatment. But McDonald said the wait time should not be used as a measure of success he says satisfaction with the experience is what's important. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
2016-05-24 17:08 ABC News abcnews.go.com
18 Israel faces lack of enforcement of environmental policies, says report A myriad of shortcomings exists in Israel's handling of potentially-harmful environmental issues, according to a report released Tuesday by the State Comptroller. In the report lead by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira said that there are about 250-300 hazardous material incidents each year that affect the environment. The report slammed the Environmental Protection Ministry mainly for shortcomings in the licensing, transport and monitoring of businesses that use harmful substances, as well as a serious lack of communication between emergency response authorities. The report slammed the ministry for allowing workers with expired hazardous material licenses to continue working, while the report said that in a number of cases, licenses were renewed without conducting proper in-depth checks. According to their estimates about 200 people, or five percent of those who work with hazardous substances have expired licenses. The report also criticized authorities for failing to make sure that factories using hazardous materials are a reasonable distance from residential areas. Furthermore, the comptroller said that an initial attempt to chart these factories was "missing dozens of factories that harm the public," despite the policies "Even though it has been over four years since the policies were established, the ministry and those in charge have not carried out the necessary activities to enforce the plan. " The comptroller's report slammed the Environmental Protection Ministry for not having any sort of map showing the central environmental hazards throughout the country, "neither at the federal level, regional level nor environmental police level. " The report said that this lack prevents the ministry from properly monitoring the central factors and protecting the public from dangerous incidents. From November 2013 to October 2015, regional offices dealt with environmental incidents of all types "almost completely without the proper equipment nor monitoring needed to carry out their tasks. " The report said that unnecessary risk and environmental damage was being caused due to a lack of coordination between the Ministry and local authorities. Regarding plans to create a national harmful substance alert system, the Ministry slammed the fact that project, known as the Shapira Committee, has remained in its preliminary stages since 2008, despite participation of several government ministries. Regarding the transport of harmful substances, the comptroller criticized licensing regulations between the EPM and the Transportation Ministry, as well as shortcomings in enforcing their own recommendations. For example, the report showed that although the Transportation Ministry in 2010 adopted a recommendation to require harmful substance transporters to have a positioning system on board the vehicles, those requirements had still not become part of the license requirements. The comptroller report advised that approvals go through only one regulator and for the positioning system to immediately become part of licensing requirements. The comptroller also criticized authorities' lack of cooperation during emergency environmental incidents, as well as those involving radiation. Various emergency response bodies such as Magen David Adom, the report said, use different communication systems. The comptroller said that this lack of clear communication "between emergency officials and the response crews during incidents, most of which involve hazardous materials, can lead to loss of life. " The Comptroller called for the Minister of Defense to quickly create a lay out how to deal with a radiation incident and which bodies would be involved. The comptroller criticized the EPM for failing to collect and process data on hazardous substance incidents and their treatment in a way that would provide a clear understanding of what happened and what materials were involved. "Although there does not appear to be a reason for preventing this from happening, the ministry only carries out a minimal amount of inquiries annually," the report said. According to the report, only one inquiry was done in 2015. Although an inquiry unit was created, it has remained in its early organizational stages and had still not laid out a method for carrying out inquiries. The comptroller recommended that the Ministry do everything in its power to properly monitor hazardous materials and take the necessary actions to prevent harm to the public, such as enforcing proper distances between residential areas. To do this, the ministry was advised to "considerably" improve its system for overseeing factories with hazardous materials while creating an annual plan to monitor the factories. Reports on the factories should include the factory's risk level, safety measures, incident history and any record of complaints. Furthermore, the report called for a clear set of guidelines for factories to get a hazardous material permit if needed and for each factory to have a direct line of communication with the ministry. Regarding the Haifa Bay region, the report called for the ministry to step up its monitoring of pollution "emission sources," which would require an increase in the amount of patrol units and the amount of unannounced inspections.
2016-05-24 17:00 MICHELLE MALKA www.jpost.com
19 Paul Lee to miss Gilas’ road to Rio due to recurring knee injury Gilas Pilipinas’ injury woes continue to pile up and the latest casualty is none other than 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP Paul Lee. Lee has decided to sit out national team duties due to his left knee injury, which has hounded him for the majority of the PBA season. “Nasabi ko na yung situation ko. Skip talaga ako,” he said. Lee talked to coach Tab Baldwin just before the start of Tuesday’s morning practice at Meralco Gym to explain his unfortunate situation. “Medyo lumuwag din yung pakiramdam ko. Tinanong ako ni coach Tab kung out na ba ako. Sabi ko, ‘Yes coach.'” After Rain or Shine won the championship, Lee has already hinted doubts of him being cleared to play for the national team due to his still recovering knee. “Titignan ko pa. Di pa kasi ako bumabalik sa doktor ko,” he said after that Game 6 victory over Alaska. “Alam namin yung sitwasyon ko. Meron pa ring punit, yung fluids na tinatanggal every three games dahil sobrang dami talaga. Namamaga yung tuhod ko at di ko ma-bend. Tiniis ko lang talaga, kumapit lang kay God na matapos ko ito.” While Lee said he did not want to miss Gilas’ bid for a spot in the Rio Olympics, his body is just not up to it. “Malungkot para sa akin, lalo na’t dito sa atin gagawin yung laro,” he said. “Masakit para sa akin na mag-skip ngayon pero wala tayong magagawa dahil kailangang ipahinga ito.” His focus now is getting his knee back to full health, hoping continuous sessions of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment will help him fully heal his partially torn tendon. “Kailangan ko ng session ng PRP ulit kasi medyo matagal mag-heal yung napunit sa akin. After ng PRP, five to six weeks. Immobilized talaga. Medyo matagal maghilom kaya kailangan talaga mag-session at pahinga din,” he said. Greg Slaughter and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser earlier were ruled out from the pool after both players incurred ankle injuries.
2016-05-24 16:58 Randolph B sports.inquirer.net
20 ‘Office of the Future’, world’s first 3D print building, inaugurated in Dubai The cutting-edge and luxurious city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), has made waves around the globe with the commencement of the Kingdom’s–and the world’s– first fully operational 3D printed building. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, welcomed the “Office of the Future”, the city’s 3D building, in a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. READ: Dubai plans to build 3D printed office building In a report by Emirati news site Gulf News, Shiekh Mohammed proudly spoke to the public, “We implement what we plan, and we pursue actions, not theories. The rapidly changing world requires us to accelerate our pace of development for history does not recognize our plans but our achievements.” The exquisite and superb building located in the Emirates Towers premises will be the temporary home of the Dubai Future Foundation. The “Office of the Future” is one of the blueprints under the prosperous Dubai 3D Printing Strategy, an initiative to elevate and harness the status of the Kingdom as a ‘leading global center’ of 3D printing by 2030. The 250-square meter building was constructed using a special mixture of cement and building materials manufactured in the UAE and the United States. The features of the building were devised for efficient energy consumption. The window shades serve as an umbrella against direct sunlight while the building’s arc shape was patterned for safety and stability purposes. “Office of the Future” was printed using a 3D printer measuring 20 feet high, 120 feet long, and 40 feet wide, and is coupled with an attached automated robotic arm for ease of printing. Gianna Francesca Catolico
2016-05-24 16:56 INQUIRER.net technology.inquirer.net
21 England's Harry Kane determined to break major football trophy drought London: England's star striker Harry Kane is determined to be part of a national football side that can break a major trophy drought dating back to 1966. The Tottenham Hotspur star is the face of a youthful revolution for club and country, winning the English Premier League (EPL) golden boot award and leading the line at Euro 2016 next month. Harry Kane. Pic/ Santa Banta England’s only major trophy is the 1966 World Cup while a semi-final placing in 1996 is their best Euro finish but Kane, who’s scored four goals in 10 games, hoped he can help stop the rot. “Like any player I want to win trophies and competitions and that’s what I’ll set out to do," Kane was quoted as saying by Herald Sun. “It’s a lot of hard work and who knows what’s going to happen in the future. But that’s what I’ve dreamt of as a kid and hopefully we can do that as a country, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens," the 22-year-old added. “To play for my country’s amazing and I’d love to play until I retire. " Kane headlines a strong five-man Tottenham contingent named in Roy Hodgson’s provisional 26-man squad, along with midfielder Dele Alli, utility player Eric Dier and full-backs Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. Kane was thrilled to be among the young contingent. “It’s amazing and it’s exciting for us. It’s a really bright future with the new stadium and new training facility and such a young average age of the squad,’’ he said. “Regardless of what happened this year, I can only see us getting better next year. We’re on the right track and we just need to keep working hard,” the Tottenham forward added.
2016-05-24 16:51 By IANS www.mid-day.com
22 BBL franchise Renegades not to sign Chris Gayle after fresh sexism row Melbourne: Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Renegades' chief executive Stuart Coventry has confirmed they will not re-sign swashbuckling West Indian opener Chris Gayle for next summer's tournament. Gayle also faces possible censure from his English county club Somerset when he arrives in the UK following his latest controversial remarks to a female journalist in that country. He has since said the comments were made in jest to have a bit of fun. Chris Gayle. Pic/ AFP At one point in the interview, Gayle told the journalist he has "a very, very big bat, the biggest in the wooooorld," adding: "You think you could lift it? You'd need two hands. " The Jamaican earlier courted controversy during his infamous "don't blush baby" interview with Australian reporter Mel McLaughlin during last season's BBL. Gayle equalled the record for the fastest Twenty20 fifty in his final innings for the Renegades last summer, but otherwise was below par with 260 runs at an average of 32.50 in eight matches. "We’ll unveil our international signings soon and Chris isn’t part of those plans," Coventry was quoted as saying by News Corp on Tuesday, reports Cricket Australia's website. Gayle's banishment from the Big Bash comes as the West Indian launched a publicity drive for his forthcoming autobiography in which former cricketers Chris Rogers, Ian Chappell and Andrew Flintoff have earned the West Indian's scorn. The trio were each critical of Gayle's comments to McLaughlin last summer and Gayle has hit back in his book. Rogers told earlier in January that he was concerned about the influence the West Indian might have on youngsters when they played together at the Sydney Thunder. But Gayle hit back to claim Rogers was his partner in crime at the Sydney nightspots. "Chris Rogers, how can you claim that when it was you and me at the bar most nights? " Gayle was quoted as saying by The Times, London, on Monday. "I'm not a snitch, but I've heard from your own mouth what you've done. Next time you want to open your mouth, maybe chew on a carrot instead,” he added. Gayle also said, "you would have to ban cricket itself" if the International Cricket Council (ICC) followed through on Chappell's requests to have him removed from the sport. "Ian Chappell, a man who was once convicted of unlawful assault in the West Indies for punching a cricket official. Ian Chappell, how can you ban the Universe Boss? You'd have to ban cricket itself,” Gayle said. Flintoff tweeted after the infamous "don't blush baby" remarks to say that Gayle had "made himself look a bit of a chop there" to draw Gayle's ire. "This coming from a man who admitted he (Flintoff) took Viagra during a Test match. The only chop Freddie knows is when he used to bowl short to me and I would chop him past backward point for four,” Gayle said. Gayle was forced to apologise the following morning for asking McLaughlin out for a drink on live TV. However, he still maintained the whole affair was nothing more than a joke. Gayle is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indan Premier League.
2016-05-24 16:51 By IANS www.mid-day.com
23 PH Navy on fishermen abuse in Malaysia: Gov’t dealing with it The Western Command (Wescom) of the Philippine Navy said concerned authorities were addressing the latest incident in the West Philippine Sea where Filipino fishermen arrested in the Philippine-claimed Rizal Reef (Commodore Reef) were physically harmed by Malaysian naval authorities, who nabbed them for supposedly fishing in their waters. Wescom spokesperon Captain Cheryl Tindog said they immediately provided assistance and support to the fishermen when they received them early this month. Three Filipino fishermen arrested by the Malaysian Navy last May 9 claimed they were assaulted by authorities while in detention. One of the fishermen, Nelson Plamiano, told Inquirer Central Luzon that they were handcuffed, slapped in the face, punched and kicked in the chest. The three received medical attention when they were received by the Philippine Navy. While they sustained bruises, they were in stable condition, Tindog said. The fishermen were arrested for allegedly fishing in Malaysian waters but the fishermen claimed they were fishing within the territorial waters of the Philippines, 17 nautical miles from the Rizal Reef. They were freed a day after the arrest. “We also made the necessary report and communicated same to the cognizant agencies that would immediately address the situation,” Tindog said. “While this situation is being dealt with by concerned government agencies, Wescom shall continue to perform its mandated tasks at the frontlines in support of our national government’s action on the prevailing situation in the West Philippine Sea involving other countries,” she added. RAM/rga RELATED STORIES 7 Vietnamese fishers arrested in West Philippine Sea China to PH fishers: ‘Filipino, go!’
2016-05-24 16:49 Frances Mangosing globalnation.inquirer.net
24 FIFA sack top official over bonuses worth millions FIFA on Monday sacked deputy general secretary Markus Kattner for financial ‘breaches’ involving secret bonuses worth millions of dollars, according to sources close to an inquiry by the world body. Kattner’s downfall topples another member of ex- president Sepp Blatter’s inner circle at football’s world body. Kattner, a 45-year-old German-Swiss national, had been acting general secretary after previous general secretary Jerome Valcke was also dismissed for irregularities. “Kattner has been dismissed from his position effective immediately,” the world body said in a statement. “FIFA’s internal investigation uncovered breaches of his fiduciary responsibilities in connection with his employment contract,” it added. “There was enough to determine there was a breach of his responsibilities and to take action against Mr Kattner,” a source close to an internal FIFA investigation told AFP. “We are talking about significant sums of money, millions of dollars,” the source added. The source said the money came from bonuses under a contract whose terms were kept secret from FIFA’s audit committees. The internal FIFA inquiry, carried out by the Quinn Emanuel law firm, “covers the period from 2008 to 2014,” the source said. “There was sufficient evidence to demonstrate shortcomings in his fiduciary responsibilities and to take action,” the same source revealed, adding that “only a small group of people knew about these payments”. According to another source familiar with the workings of FIFA, these bonuses would have been approved by the world body’s financial committee, who decided how much the president, general secretary and deputy general secretary were paid. The president of this committee was former FIFA finance chief Julio Grondona, an Argentine and close ally of Blatter. Grondona died aged 82 in 2014 and has been largely implicated in the scandal which has embroiled FIFA over the past year. “FIFA will not comment further on any of the details, but will continue its cooperation with the relevant authorities,” said the FIFA statement. The Swiss justice ministry, meanwhile, told AFP that “as of today, Mr M Kattner is not under investigation” by prosecutors. Restoring FIFA’s image Swiss prosecutors are already investigating Blatter, who is serving a six year ban imposed by FIFA, and Valcke. Valcke was sacked and suspended from football activities for 12 years after being linked to the sale of black market World Cup tickets. Swiss police are following up FIFA’s investigation against Valcke. Kattner had said several times, after taking over as acting general secretary from Valcke, that FIFA wanted to be “recognized as a modern, trusted professional organization” by 2018. Blatter is under investigation for making a “disloyal” payment of $2 million to ex-UEFA leader Michel Platini, who has also been banned from football activities. Kattner, as finance director, signed off on that payment that Blatter ordered made to Platini in 2011 that led to their downfall. The latest sacking is a new blow to FIFA’s reputation as it seeks to redeem its scandal-tainted name under new president Gianni Infantino who was elected in February. Infantino only this month named Senegalese Fatma Samoura as its new general secretary. Samoura is the body’s first woman secretary general and FIFA also wanted her United Nations background to give a sign of football’s new direction. Infantino has repeatedly said he wants to bring a new era of “transparency”, “honesty” and “professionalism.” But Kattner’s dismissal is a new sign that FIFA’s past misdeeds have still not all been brought out into the open. Swiss prosecutors are investigating the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Court hearings in the United States after the detention of a host of top football officials from South and North America are set to bring new embarrassment. Acting under US warrants, Swiss police detained seven FIFA officials in a dawn raid on a Zurich hotel on May 27 last year. US authorities have charged 39 individuals and two companies over more than $200 million in bribes paid for television and marketing deals.
2016-05-24 16:47 Agence France sports.inquirer.net
25 Volkswagen to provide update on emissions settlement talks SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge is set to get an update on ongoing settlement talks in the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal after announcing a tentative deal last month for nearly half a million polluting Volkswagens in the U. S. Attorneys for Volkswagen and Volkswagen owners filed an agenda for Tuesday’s hearing before Senior U. S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer that includes a report on discussions over roughly 482,000 Volkswagens with 2-liter, four-cylinder diesel engines. The agenda does not indicate whether the parties have reached agreement on more terms that will be disclosed in court. Breyer has put the attorneys under a gag order that prevents them from discussing the settlement talks. He announced a tentative deal last month that would give the owners of nearly half a million Volkswagens the option of selling their vehicles back to the company or getting them repaired. But many questions remain unanswered, including how much money owners can expect in a buyback and how much additional compensation beyond repairs and buybacks they’ll receive. Breyer set a June 21 deadline for attorneys from the U. S. Justice Department and for Volkswagen owners to file additional paperwork about the tentative agreement. The deal that was announced did not cover Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel vehicles with 3-liter, six-cylinder engines — an additional 90,000 or so vehicles. It also did not cover potential fines and penalties. The scandal erupted in September when it was learned that the German automaker had fitted many of its cars with software to fool emissions tests and had put dirty vehicles on the road. Car owners and the Justice Department sued. TVJ
2016-05-24 16:43 Associated Press business.inquirer.net
26 West Virginia begins allowing concealed guns without permits CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) - West Virginia now lets people 21 years old and up carry hidden guns without permits or training. The law passed by the Republican-led Legislature took effect Tuesday. In March, lawmakers needed only a simple majority to override Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto of the bill. Tomblin vetoed it over safety concerns from law enforcement officials. He vetoed similar legislation last year. It was already legal in West Virginia to carry guns openly - in a holster, for instance - without permits. The law lets people carry concealed guns in public without permits, by wearing a coat for example. People ages 18 through 20 still will need a permit and training with live firing. West Virginia is one of 10 states that don’t require concealed carry permits.
2016-05-24 15:09 - www.washingtontimes.com
27 Congress hopes for faster canvassing for president, VP poll results Outgoing Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II on Tuesday expressed hopes that the canvassing of the results for the president and vice president elections would be faster than the previous 2010 polls. In a press conference, Gonzales, the majority leader in the House of Representatives, said he hoped the canvassing would be faster because of the electronically transmitted election results that would be canvassed along with the certificates of canvass and the election results to be manually canvassed. “The process itself, we hope mas mabilis ngayon dahil nga tinitingnan natin yung (it’s faster now because we’re looking at) electronically transmitted (results), may mga (there were) absentee voting, may mga (there are those) electronically transmitted, pero kaunti lang ang (but it’s only few that were) electronically transmitted at absentee voting,” Gonzales said. He said the vote counting machines of the overseas absentee voting which were not able to electronically transmit its results will have to be manually canvassed. Gonzales said he would chair the joint-canvassing committee, and named the following representatives from the majority as members—Dasmariñas Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali and Capiz Rep. Fred Castro. Gonzales named the following as alternative members of the joint canvassing committee—Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya. Members of the joint-canvassing committee from the minority are 1-Bap Rep. Silvestre Bello III and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora. For his part, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who will sit as the chairman for the Senate in the joint canvass committee, said Congress would sit as the National Board of Canvassing until the wee hours if it has to be able to finish the canvassing quickly. “Hanggang sawa ito most likely, hanggang mapagod kami (until we’re tired),” Pimentel said in an ambush interview. He said Congress is mandated by the Constitution to determine the official count for president and vice president “with dispatch so that you can finish to determine the true will of the people.” “The general rule is once you start, you continue with dispatch… The spirit of the law is once you start, you continue until you finish your job,” Pimentel said. He named the following senators as members from the majority in the joint canvassing committee—Sen. Sonny Angara, Ralph Recto, Serge Osmeña and TG Guingona. Meanwhile, the following members from the minority are senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Tito Sotto. The alternative members for the joint-canvassing committee are Sen. Bam Aquino, Cynthia Villar and whoever would be available, Pimentel said. In the country’s first automated elections in 2010, the canvassing of the results took only a week before winning Pres. Benigno Aquino III and Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay were proclaimed by Congress to the top two highest positions of the land. For the recently concluded 2016 elections, Duterte of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan is the presumptive president elect, according to the unofficial count of the electronically transmitted votes. Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo’s victory as vice president is being questioned by Sen. Bongbong Marcos, who trailed behind Robredo by a slim margin of around 200,000 votes. Under the 1987 Constitution, Congress in a joint session is tasked to canvass the votes certified by the boards of canvassers of each city and province. Congress will also proclaim the winning president and vice president. TVJ RELATED STORIES Congress secures ballots for canvassing of President, VP votes Marcos camp: Grant request for systems audit before canvassing
2016-05-24 16:40 Marc Jayson newsinfo.inquirer.net
28 Sri Lanka pacer Chameera injured, to miss England tour London: Sri Lanka pacer Dushmantha Chameera was on Tuesday ruled out of the second Test against England and is set to miss the rest of the tour with a stress fracture in his back. The 24-year-old took three wickets as Sri Lanka lost the opening Test by an innings and 88 runs. He could be out of action for up to four months. The second Test starts on Friday. Sri Lanka are also missing seamer Dhammika Prasad with a shoulder injury. He will also return to Sri Lanka. "He will be returning to Colombo for further treatment and rest," a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket said on Tuesday. "Chameera underwent a MRI/CT Scan this morning, which has indicated a stress fracture to his lower back, and medical recommendation is treatment and rest for as much as four months," the statement added. Sri Lankan selectors are expected to name a replacement soon.
2016-05-24 16:33 By IANS www.mid-day.com
29 Maria Isabel Lopez: No intention to steal scene in Cannes After a red carpet photo of the cast of the film “Ma’Rosa” went viral, actress Maria Isabel Lopez clarified that she did not intend to steal the spotlight at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In an article she wrote at glitter.ph, Lopez apologized to director Brillante Mendoza and Cannes Best Actress Jaclyn Jose, saying that “there was no intention” on her part to be a “scene stealer.” Lopez was reacting to a photo of the “Ma’Rosa” cast on the red carpet that went viral, where a noticeable gap can be seen between her and the rest of the cast. She was wearing an emerald green gown by Albert Andrada, while her companions wore black and white outfits. Lopez said she was not advised of the color coding before she left Manila. “I have to put it in mind that I’m not the lead actress here. I’m just doing a cameo role. The spotlight is not on me. It’s the director Brillante Mendoza and Jaclyn Jose in the title role of Ma’Rosa,” Lopez wrote. “When we got off the car, yells and screams from international fans, media, onlookers and guests. I positioned myself on the right side as I don’t want to steal the limelight from Brillante and Jaclyn, as they were being interviewed by the French TV. In the choreography, I didn’t take center stage. I was positioned on the extreme right with new actor John Paul Duray.” she added. Lopez said the reason for the gap in the viral photo was because her expensive gown, the train of which was “three times longer than Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach’s winning blue gown,” was being stepped upon. “You can see in the photo that went viral that I was not pleased, so I need to keep pushing my tail near me.” “That’s the reason for the ‘space’ that I created between me and the rest of the actors. As they say inside the Paris metro ‘please mind the gap.’ My gown was being stepped upon and if you can only see how dirty it is on the tail. I was not trying to make a scene. I was simply protecting myself from falling down and from making the gown dirty,” Lopez said. “The walk, the smile, the projection, the wave, was exactly the same moves in the 2009 red carpet of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. The same make up done by me, the same hairstyle. The same old me … only in a different gown, in a different time when the Philippines is now the social media capital of the world,” she added. RC
2016-05-24 16:33 Yuji Vincent entertainment.inquirer.net
30 2 boys killed in flash floods in Manipur, 15 houses washed away Imphal : Two boys were killed and at least 15 more houses washed away in flash floods in Manipur, and people complained that the administration has been failing to help them deal with the calamity. A seven-year-old boy in Imphal East district was electrocuted on Monday when he walked on a live wire under the flood waters in Kyamgei area. Flood effected area in Manipur. Pic/ PTI The other boy is reported to have drowned in Ukhrul district. Villagers said, "We had informed the officials before the breach of the Imphal river bank at Kyamgei. No official came with flood control materials. Even today the officials and the local MLA have not visited us. " Fifteen more houses have been washed away in Kyamgei area in Imphal West destrict. The state's Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Ngamthang Haokip said one executive engineer has been suspended for dereliction of duty. There is some relief for the people, however. Since Monday night there has not been heavy downpour and the water levels of the major rivers have receded. Meanwhile, Border Roads Organisation labourers are working round the clock to clear the debris along the two national highways which are blocked by multiple landslides. Officials said the stranded vehicles will be allowed to proceed to Imphal. But for the time being, other vehicles are not leaving Imphal for other states.
2016-05-24 16:27 By PTI www.mid-day.com
31 Former Megadeth drummer dies after collapsing on stage 2016 is turning out to be a rough year for musicians. Nick Menza, the former drummer of thrash-metal band Megadeth, passed away on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), after collapsing on stage at the Baked Potato club in Studio City, California. Citing a report from the Rolling Stone, the 51-year-old was playing with his current band OHM, when he suddenly collapsed during the third song of their performance’s first set. The sad news was first confirmed by the Menza family’s spokesman and Nick’s biographer, J Marshall Craig on his Facebook account. Audience members and friends reportedly tried to resuscitate Menza until paramedics arrived, but he died in an ambulance en route to a hospital— after 25 minutes of resuscitation attempts. “Despite his excellent health and extremely active, sober lifestyle, a heart attack is his suspected, though not confirmed, cause of death,” Craig said in a statement. “A post-mortem examination will be performed”. Menza, who left the group in 1998 after discovering a tumor on his right knee, was still the longest-serving drummer for Megadeth after serving the band for 9 years. He joined the band through the insistence of Megadeth’s co-founder, Dave Mustaine, the report said. Menza is joined in OHM by fellow Megadeth alumnus Chris Poland, after various solo stints for more than a year. Apart from his drumming prowess, Menza was also an accomplished artist and woodworker. He was scheduled to unveil an art series in Houston next month, before his tragic passing. Khristian Ibarrola
2016-05-24 16:27 INQUIRER.net entertainment.inquirer.net
32 PH has worst unemployment rate despite high GDP growth–Ibon An independent research group said the Philippines still has the “worst” unemployment rate in Asia despite posting a 6.9-percent growth in gross domestic product. In a statement, Ibon said economic growth “should not be used to divert public attention from fundamental problems of chronic joblessness and poverty.” READ: PH GDP grew 6.9% in Q1, fastest growth since Q2 of 2013 | Q1 PH GDP growth seen highest in Asean at 6.2% Citing the latest labor force survey data, Ibon said the unemployment rate in the country was set at 5.8 percent in January 2016, higher than slower- growing economies like China (4 percent), Vietnam (2.3 percent), Indonesia (5.5 percent), Malaysia (3.5 percent), and Thailand (1 percent). The group said growth can be a “convenient” but “misleading” indicator of development. Ibon said the number of underemployed and discouraged worker are also rapidly rising, noting that underemployed Filipinos increased by 847,000 to 7.7 million in January 2016 from the same period last year. This was despite the fact that employment increased from 38.4 million in January 2015 to 39.2 million in January 2016, while the number of unemployed Filipinos supposedly fell from 2.7 million to 2.4 million in the same period. Ibon added that the labor force participation rate or the share of the working age population working or looking for work “has fallen to crisis levels,” as it hit 63.4 percent in January 2016, which was “practically as low as the 63.3 percent in January 2009 or right after the 2008 global financial crisis.” “It is already the lowest in over 30 years since averaging just 62.9 percent annually during the 1981-1985 economic crisis in the closing years of the Marcos dictatorship,” the group said. Ibon said the labor force grew only by 487,000 despite the working age population growing by 1.1 million in January 2016. “These results are consistent with growing numbers of discouraged workers which in effect lowers unemployment figures. Unemployed workers are dropping out of the labor force or potential new participants are not bothering to join the labor force, or both,” it added. The group cited neoliberal economic policies as the culprit behind the “worsening jobs situation” in the country “that have stunned Filipino industry and kept local agriculture backward,” which it said was aggravated by “growing labor flexibilization and contractualization.” JE/rga RELATED STORIES SWS survey: Number of unemployed Filipinos hits 10M UN chief alarmed at prospect of rising global unemployment
2016-05-24 16:25 Yuji Vincent business.inquirer.net
33 The big man! Virat Kohli's small step that can make a huge difference Indian star batsman Virat Kohli is famously known for his brilliant talent as well as his angry-young-man image on the cricket field. But dig down deep and you may figure that the RCB skipper has a soft and sensitive side to him as well. Kohli's recent post on Twitter speaks alot. He is pictured with a few kids, and here's why. Virat Kohli Foundation, founded by the Indian captain, has joined hands with Smile Foundation in order for youth empowerement as well as securing a better future for children. Meanwhile, Kohli's RCB team will take on Gujarat in the IPL 9 playoffs today in Bengaluru for a place in the final.
2016-05-24 16:23 By mid www.mid-day.com
34 Regulation of Beduin settlement is 'an issue of national importance of the first order' State Comptroller Joseph Shapira’s report published on Tuesday found that one third of the estimated 200,000 Beduin in Israel live in unrecognized villages and the solution to the problem is “an issue of national importance of the first order.” The issue touches on legal, social, economic, and security issues that affect the entire country, it said. The current situation, it continued, allows the Beduin population, which is generally poor, to become a breeding ground for crime and resulting in further alienation of these citizens from the state. The main recommendations of the report included a call for the regulation of ownership claims “as soon as possible” and speeding up implementation of an action plan. It called for the government to determine and explain its policy, especially with the local Beduin population. The report also called for the development of basic infrastructure in legal recognized villages. Even some recognized villages remain without adequate infrastructure, electricity, or water distribution. “As long as the infrastructure part of the recognized Beduin communities are underdeveloped and do not provide a decent standard of living for residents, these communities cannot serve as attractions for the Beduin population that lives in unrecognized settlements.” The report did note that the government decided on a five-year Negev development plan (2012-2016) of NIS $1.2 billion. In addition, the report recommended for a policy to be drawn up that deals with how to enforce illegal construction. Over the years, Israeli governments have tried to regulate Beduin settlement in the Negev and to integrate Beduin into Israeli society by improving their standard of living, noted the report. However, from 2008 until 2014, the government was only able to settle about 1 percent of claims within the total land area in dispute. In addition, during this period, only around 3,400 people were resettled or around 3% to 5% of the scattered residents not in recognized villages. But this success is canceled by the fact that Negev Beduin have a very high birth rate, estimated to be at 5% annually. The Beduin population is estimated to double in about 15 years. The report emphasized that the subject of regulating Beduin settlement does not depend on the government alone, but requires cooperation from the Beduin population and its leaders. The report did not deal with this issue. In 2007, the government directed the Minister of Construction and Housing to appoint a committee to regulate Beduin settlement in the Negev. Retired judge Eliezer Goldberg headed the committee. Then, in 2013, the government decided to suspend the Prawer-Begin Beduin resettlement bill which had gained opponents on the Left and Right. The Prawer-Begin bill was a five-year economic development initiative seeking to regulate Beduin settlement in the South. It aims for a compromise solution for tens of thousands of Beduin scattered in unrecognized villages throughout the Negev, legalizing 63 percent of claimed land. Beduin supporters oppose the bill because they say the legislation would result in up to 40,000 Beduin losing their land. Opponents on the Right criticize the bill as too generous, saying the state would be giving away land for free that Beduin could not prove to be theirs in court. The more time goes by without a deal, continued the report, it hurts both the state and the Beduin as much of the population continues to live in limbo and the government falls more behind in improving living standards.
2016-05-24 16:07 ARIEL BEN www.jpost.com
35 'Significant shortcomings' in IDF's ability to stockpile certain munitions State Comptroller Joseph Shapira found "significant shortcomings" in the IDF's ability to acquire weapons in the Ground Forces and Air Force. In a report published on Tuesday, Shapira noted that the IDF is "committed to making changes in its force build-up plans and operational plans, and adjust them to the changing reality, as well as to the reality it expects [to encounter] in the long-term. " The need to change force-build up plans, the report said, is in line with research carried out by the headquarters of the IAF and Ground Forces, which take into account emerging risks in the unstable Middle Eastern security environment. Nevertheless, the report said it found failings, some of 'which were found in past checks as well, into "selected issues relating to the interaction between planning processes and budgeting in the IDF. " Problems were also found in acquiring certain, unnamed types of munition, and "infrastructure for the national production [of munitions] in the weapons industries," the report said. Shapira called on the defense establishment to hold itself to account and repair the failings, as well as "learn the require lessons to prevent their repeat. " In listing the main failings, the report said that from October 2013 to July 2015, the IDF did not update its General Staff munitions acquisition plan, which includes figures on operational needs, and the status of stockpiles of various types are arms. After a three-year delay, the Ground Forces concluded in January 2014 that it was failing to meet guidelines in stockpiling a certain type of munition, the report said, without naming weapon in question. "Only at the start of 2014 did the Ground Forces begin reevaluating and updating its headquarters research work, which was written up between 2008 and 2010, on this certain type of munition," the report said. By July 2015, when the Comptroller completed his check, the IDF's Planning Directorate and Ground Forces failed to stipulate set targets in the above mentioned munition, and the Ground Forces did not have an updated plan on acquiring this munition, according to the report. The air force, for its part, did not take necessary steps to promote the development and acquisition of a certain type of munition, even though the deputy chief of staff at the time (and current chief of staff), Gadi Eisenkot, called for this to be done. "For over 8 years, the air force did not update its goals on preparing munitions of certain types. This, despite the changes that occurred in recent years in the threats, and the importance of updating goals for the force build-up process," the report said. "Since at least 2012, the air force did not set a budget for maintenance and safeguarding of some of these munitions," it added. The report called for the ground forces to quickly complete its research into munitions of a certain type, and reach decisions on the build-up of its force. It called on the air force to complete its examination of how best to acquire certain types of munitions, and formulate a policy on the need to maintain, develop, and acquire them. Responding to the report, the IDF said it welcomed the findings, and is studying "the necessary conclusions. " It noted that the report relates to the years 2014 to 2015, and "does not reflect what the IDF is doing these days. " In January 2016, the IDF updated and sent out its munitions program, an initiative led by the Planning Directorate, the IDF Spokesman said. The plan reflects the latest threat scenarios and the General Staff's updated combat plans in multiple arenas, it added. The IDF is developing and acquiring different types of munitions on a regular basis, and a plan to acquire specific munition cited in the report for the air force was frozen "due to it being a low priority issue compared to other issues in the working plan, and in light of threat scenarios," the IDF said.
2016-05-24 16:01 YAAKOV LAPPIN www.jpost.com
36 36 Shapira blasts PM for Bibi Tours Affair; AG, Comptroller fight over need for criminal probe State Comptroller Joseph Shapira in his annual report published on Tuesday blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his conduct in the multiyear saga which has been termed the Bibi Tours Affair. The report’s allegations of problematic conduct regarding possible double billing, use of public bonus miles for personal use for overseas flights by Netanyahu and other issues, relate to his time as finance minister from March 2003 to August 2005. Some of the points in the report which stand-out the most include that $50,000 of Sara Netanyahu’s flights during that time were paid for by non- governmental actors without appropriate accounting and approvals. There are similar allegations for flights for their sons. Also, Yehiel Leiter, an employee of Netanyahu, fronted personal costs for him. The report also notes that the Netanyahus stayed in October 2014 at expensive locations in the US and in the French Riviera at least partially at the expense of Israel Bonds for $4,270 and 4,133 euros. Netanyahu has vehemently denied that the allegations amount to anything problematic, let alone anything criminal. It still remains unclear whether the prime minister’s conduct will lead to any kind of additional criminal investigation, though Knesset State Control Committee Chairwoman Karin Elharar said on Tuesday that Attorney- General Avichai Mandelblit would update her committee on the issue in the very near future. Shapira was at loggerheads with former attorney-general Yehuda Weinstein for closing an initial probe of the matter in September 2014 without a full criminal investigation. At the time, Weinstein explained that after an initial review, “at the end of the day, in light of the balance of the evidence collected, it could not be found that there was a basis to open a full criminal investigation” of the prime minister. That review had focused on a limited number of accusations of double- billing for reimbursements or forged receipts, such as for an August 2006 flight to London and a September 2006 flight to New York by Netanyahu. Weinstein accepted Netanyahu’s explanation that the London flight only appeared to be a double-billing because, for practical expediency, his wife Sara’s flight had been marked as paid for by the same source as his flight when, in reality, it was paid for by a separate source. The New York flight had two sets of reimbursement documents because the same organization had two different names and the first reimbursement documents were canceled when the group asked for the papers to be redone. However, that was not the end of the matter. Similarly to the Harpaz Affair, where prior comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss disagreed with Weinstein’s initial decision not to criminally investigate, Shapira decided to keep digging on his own. Shapira passed on new findings to the attorney-general’s office in May and December 2015. More recently, Shapira requested that Mandelblit, the new attorney-general as of February, decide whether to criminally probe alleged double-funding, deviations in financing and problems with transparency in El Al’s records regarding the Netanyahu family’s use of state bonus miles for personal travels. His Tuesday report stops short of demanding that criminal investigation, but he makes it clear that he has brought new evidence to Mandelblit’s attention and heavily hints throughout that only a full criminal probe will clear the cloud of impropriety over the affair. Reportedly, Shapira suspects Mandelblit of dragging his feet on the issue as he believed Weinstein did. Shapira’s report reviewed the prime minister’s conduct regarding his flights and flights of his family members overseas. It explicitly notes having left out aspects of the most serious potential criminal charges, some of which go both earlier and later than the 2003-2005 timeframe, since it expects Mandelblit to be reviewing them formally. The focus was funding for flights provided by non-government sources, such as Israel Bonds, payment of costs by his former bureau chief as finance minister and deficiencies in the process by which the government has approved ministers overseas travel requests. At the outset, the report summary already notes that it came about because at first blanch Netanyahu’s travels “departed from the rules which apply to the issue.” The comptroller writes that, like other ministers during that time, Netanyahu never consulted the committee for gifts or for approvals about whether receipt of the funding for the travels, especially from private sector sources, might constitute receiving an illegal gift or benefit. All that was submitted was a request for approval from the government to take a trip, without providing the details of the trip, the purpose, a list of the family members coming along or the source of the trip’s funding. This could create the impression of conflicts of interest or other violations, whether any of the funding was illegal or not. In any event, Shapira said that going forward, before accepting an offer to be flown somewhere, ministers should submit the details of who is financing their trips to these committees to make sure there is no violation. In discussing the broader issue with the comptroller at a personal hearing in January, Netanyahu took the position that flights financed by a foreign organization were not the same as being financed by a private individual, even if the individual was the one who put out the funds. Under this approach, the details one is obligated to provide for approvals would be less because there is no special concern that a minister will do something for the individual who paid. As finance minister, he took 15 trips overseas defined as part of his role as a minister. Seven of the trips were paid for by the state and eight of the trips were paid for by outside funders. One-and-a-half flights were paid for by foreign governments, two by Jewish organizations, three-and-a-half by Israel Bonds and one flight from another international organization. Regarding Sara Netanyahu’s flights being funded by non-government actors to the tune of $50,000, the comptroller said the amounts were far too high especially where she, unlike her husband, was not contributing to any government-related function. Netanyahu responded that it is accepted custom for spouses of ministers to be flown with them for various functions and that this is doubly true when it comes to the wife of a former prime minister, which he was in the 2003- 2005 period. Another issue was that in some cases, the source of the funding for the prime minister was different than the source for Sara Netanyahu’s flights or for the couple’s children. In one case which the comptroller was particularly perturbed by, Netanyahu’s bureau chief from when he was finance minister, Yechiel Leiter, used his personal credit card in July 2005 to pay $2,280, covering Netanyahu’ and his two sons costs of travel to England. Israel Bonds and a businessman identified only as “Businessman B” financed Netanyahu’s sons' flights and hotel expenses on a January 2005 trip to the US and England. In September 2011, Leiter told a comptroller representative that he did not remember the instance, but that he was “very surprised because of the large sum.” In August 2015, Leiter confirmed in writing that he had used his credit card to pay for the flights, but was reimbursed by Netanyahu. In January 2016, when Shapira personally questioned the prime minister, he told him that every time Leiter paid for him, he was reimbursed. Still, Shapira said that government employees should not be paying costs for their superiors, and certainly not when there was no emergency. The report also criticizes Netanyahu for poor record-keeping regarding who funded the flights of his security detail during his trips. A statement was sent out on behalf of the Netanyahus referring to the allegations as a “mountain that turned out to be a molehill” and claiming that the prime minister’s critics are trying to hold him to a higher standard than others. It added that the prime minister’s travels included “no conflicts of interest, no double-billing and nothing illegal.” The statement added that Shapira had found that Netanyahu had conducted himself the same as other ministers at a time three years prior to more solid rules being established about ministers’ travels in 2008. Further, it emphasized that Weinstein closed the file previously and that, “We are convinced that the same will happen with the new materials sent to him in 2015.” The prime minister has been plagued over the years by accusations of misuse of public funds on numerous occasions corresponding to colorful affair titles like “Bedgate” and “Bottlegate.” However, unlike former prime minister Ehud Olmert who is currently serving at least 18 months in prison for criminal financial violations, none of the allegations against Netanyahu have stuck and none have even led to a criminal probe to date.
2016-05-24 16:00 YONAH JEREMY www.jpost.com
37 Air ambulance with seven on board crash lands in Delhi New Delhi : An air ambulance with seven persons on board crash landed in Najafgarh area of South West Delhi. According to Delhi Police, the chartered plane of Alchemist airlines was coming from Patna. All the seven persons have been rushed to the Rao Tularam hospital, the police said adding, one person sustained major injuries. Further details are awaited.
2016-05-24 15:50 By PTI www.mid-day.com
38 IPL 9 playoffs preview: 'Fab 4' RCB vs GL, KKR vs SRH in high-octane battle As the play-offs stage of the Indian Premier League 9 season begin today, we take a look at the four teams who will battle it out for the 2016 title. Gujarat Lions will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, while two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders square off against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Here's a statistical lowdown and some facts about IPL 9's big four. Gujarat Lions: Captain - Suresh Raina Suresh Raina. Pic/ AFP Coach - Brad Hodge Group stage - finished 1st Best result - debut season Leading runscorer - Suresh Raina (397 runs) Leading wicket taker - Dwayne Bravo (15 wickets) Dwayne Bravo. Pic/ AFP Royal Challengers Bangalore: Captain - Virat Kohli Coach - Daniel Vettori Group stage - finished 2nd Best result - Runners-up (2009) Leading runscorer - Virat Kohli (919 runs) Leading wicket taker - Yuzvendra Chahal (19 wickets) Yuzvendra Chahal. Pic/ AFP Sunrisers Hyderabad: Captain - David Warner David Warner. (Pic/ AFP) Coach - Tom Moody Group stage - finished 3rd Best result - playoffs (2013) Leading run scorer - David Warner (658 runs) Leading wicket taker - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (18 wickets) Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Pic/ AFP Kolkata Knight Riders: Captain - Gautam Gambhir Gautam Gambhir. Pic/ AFP Coach - Jacques Kallis Group stage - finished 4th Best result - Champions (2012, 2014) Leading run scorer - Gautam Gambhir (473 runs) Leading wicket taker - Andre Russell (15 wickets). Andre Russell. Pic/ AFP The IPL final will take place on May 29th, Sunday.
2016-05-24 15:39 By mid www.mid-day.com
39 Spanish tribunal: BDS is unconstitutional, discriminatory Citing anti-discrimination laws, a Spanish constitutional tribunal recommended scrapping a local government motion calling for a boycott against Israel. The Ministerio Fiscal, an advisory judicial authority charged with guaranteeing equality in the judiciary, made the recommendation this month, according to a statement by ACOM, a Spanish pro-Israel lobby. The recommendation comes after ACOM sued the northern municipality of Gijon for declaring itself “a space free of Israeli apartheid.” The motion, passed in January, also said the city would not pay for services of firms implicated in “human rights violations” in Palestinian territories. It said the city supports the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts, sanctions and divestment against Israel. Gijon, a city of 270,000 residents, is located 290 miles north of Madrid. But the Ministerio Fiscal said in its nonbinding recommendation that the objectives of Gijon’s boycott “violate the constitution as well as the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.” The motion’s clauses, according to the tribunal, “jeopardize the fundamental right to equality without discrimination on the bases of appearance, ethnicity and religion.” A motion similar to the one passed in Gijon was defeated last week by a majority of delegates in Tarragona, an eastern Spanish city with 130,000 residents. Tarragona is the fifth Spanish municipality where BDS motions have failed in recent weeks, while motions supporting an Israel boycott have passed in four Spanish municipalities. Spain’s government has repeatedly expressed its opposition to BDS, which is illegal in neighboring France because it is deemed discriminatory. Britain’s ruling party is formulating similar legislation, officials said earlier this year. Long seen as a hub of anti-Israeli lobbying in Europe, Spain has recently taken actions that angered BDS promoters, including a January offer of $107,000 in compensation for damages caused to an Israeli West Bank university due to its exclusion from a scientific competition for political reasons. Unlike the parliaments of Britain, France and other European countries, which have pledged unconditional support for Palestinian statehood, in 2014 Spain’s Congress passed a nonbinding motion in which it said it would only support a Palestinian state if it reached a peace agreement through talks with Israel – language that was hailed as a diplomatic victory for Israel and its supporters.
2016-05-24 15:37 www.jpost.com
40 Rio Olympics 2016 medal winners to be considered for Khel Ratna, Arjuna New Delhi: In a bid to ensure that Olympic medallists get immediate recognition, the Sports Ministry today said medal winners from the upcoming Rio Games will be considered for this year's Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards. The ministry the decision has been taken so that athletes need not wait for one full year after their medal-winning performances at the Olympic Games. The medal winners in individual events who have already not been conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in the past will be considered for the highest sporting honour. "Medal winners in team events, who have played stellar roles in the medal won by the team for the country in Rio Olympics 2016 such as number of goals scored, number of goals saved etc., and who have already not been conferred with Arjuna Award in the past will be considered for Arjuna Awards," the Ministry said. As per the existing provisions of the schemes of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, sports achievements of the sportspersons for the last four years preceding the year of award, i.e., sports achievements during the period 2011 to 2015 are to be considered.
2016-05-24 15:36 By PTI www.mid-day.com
41 San Francisco to consider immigrant sanctuary protections SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco officials plan to take another run at clarifying sanctuary protections for people who are in the country illegally, a policy that landed the city in national hot water last year when a Mexican man shot and killed a woman walking along a waterfront pier. The Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal Tuesday that spells out when law enforcement can turn over criminal suspects to federal immigration authorities. The measure calls for law officers to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement only if a defendant is charged with a violent crime and has been convicted of a violent crime within the last seven years. That would be the only time city workers, including police officers, could disclose immigration status. But San Francisco’s sheriff has resisted the limitation, saying that she wants greater discretion over what is a relatively small pool of detainees. The sheriff, as a constitutionally elected official, does not have to follow the board’s orders. The measure’s chief sponsor, Supervisor John Avalos, postponed a vote on the ordinance earlier this month, saying that he wanted everyone on the same page. Advocates of sanctuary protections say a clear division between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities is needed to foster trust. The law dates back to 1989. The killing of Kate Steinle in July 2015 and the arrest of Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez put San Francisco’s leaders on the defensive as critics and outside politicians called for a change in the city’s sanctuary law. The sheriff at the time cited the law in defending the release of the man, a repeat drug offender and habitual border-crosser. He lost re-election to a candidate who said she would have considered greater communication between the city and federal governments. Sheriff Vicki Hennessey has said that the office receives about five requests a week to notify ICE of a detainee’s status. She has not notified ICE in any of those cases, she said. Hennessey also said that, like her predecessor, she may have ignored ICE’s request for notification about Lopez-Sanchez, but at least she would have reviewed his case.
2016-05-24 15:08 Teresa Molina www.washingtontimes.com
42 Hawaii could be first to put gun owners in federal database HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii could become the first state in the United States to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country. Most people entered in the “Rap Back” database elsewhere in the U. S. are those in “positions of trust,” such as school teachers and bus drivers, said Stephen Fischer of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division. Hawaii could be the first state to add gun owners. “I don’t like the idea of us being entered into a database. It basically tells us that they know where the guns are, they can go grab them” said Jerry Ilo, a firearm and hunting instructor for the state. “We get the feeling that Big Brother is watching us.” Supporters say the law would make Hawaii a leader in safe gun laws. Allison Anderman, a staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the bill was “groundbreaking,” and that she hadn’t heard of other states introducing similar measures. Sen. Will Espero, who introduced the bill, and the Honolulu Police Department said Hawaii could serve as a model for other states if it becomes the first to enact the law. Yet others say gun owners shouldn’t have to be entered in a database to practice a constitutional right. “You’re curtailing that right by requiring that a name be entered into a database without doing anything wrong,” said Kenneth Lawson, faculty at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law. Legal experts say the bill could face challenges, but would probably hold up in court. Recent Supreme Court rulings have clarified states’ ability to regulate gun sales, said David Levine, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The bill will undergo a legal review process by departments including the Attorney General’s Office, which supported the bill, before Gov. David Ige decides if he will sign it into law, said Cindy McMillan, a spokeswoman for the governor. The cost to enter names in the database will be covered by a fee paid by gun owners, which wasn’t defined in the bill. Even though other states don’t enter gun owners in the database, Honolulu Police Department Maj. Richard Robinson said it will still benefit Hawaii police. Right now, Hawaii gun owners undergo a background check only when they register a gun, so police have no way of knowing if they’re disqualified from owning a gun in the future unless they try to register a new firearm. “We were only discovering things by accident,” said Robinson, who helped draft the bill. “They happen to come register another firearm, we run another background check, and then we find out they’re a prohibited person.” That happens about 20 times each year, he said. Some local gun owners say the law confirms their fear that the government would know exactly who and where people keep their firearms. “This is an extremely dangerous bill. Exercising a constitutional right is not inherently suspicious,” said Amy Hunter for the National Rifle Association. “Hawaii will now be treating firearms as suspect and subject to constant monitoring.”
2016-05-24 15:08 FILE www.washingtontimes.com
43 Obama pushes for better rights in Vietnam after arms deal HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday pressed Vietnam to allow greater freedoms for its citizens, arguing that better human rights would improve the communist country’s economy, stability and regional power. On his second full day in the southeast Asian nation, Obama also met with activists and entrepreneurs as part of a push for closer ties with the fast- growing, strategically crucial country. The visit included the lifting of one of the last vestiges of Vietnam War-era antagonism: a five-decades-old arms sale embargo. In a speech at the National Convention Center, Obama sought to balance a desire for a stronger relationship with Vietnam with efforts to hold its leadership to account over what activists call an abysmal treatment of government critics. Nations are more successful when people can freely express themselves, assemble without harassment and access the internet and social media, Obama said. “Upholding these rights is not a threat to stability but actually reinforces stability and is the foundation of progress,” Obama told the audience of more than 2,000, including government officials and students from five universities across the Hanoi area. “Vietnam will do it differently than the United States does … But there are these basic principles that I think we all have to try to work on and improve.” Freedom of expression is where new ideas happen, Obama said. “That’s how a Facebook starts. That’s how some of our greatest companies began.” Journalists and bloggers can “shine a light on injustice or abuse” when they are allowed to operate free of government interference or intimidation, he added. And, stability is encouraged when voters get to choose their leaders in free and fair elections “because citizens know that their voices count and that peaceful change is possible. And it brings new people into the system,” Obama said. Obama also traced the transformation of the U. S.-Vietnamese relationship, from wartime enemies to cooperation. He said the governments are working more closely together than ever before on a range of issues. “Now we can say something that was once unimaginable: Today, Vietnam and the Unites States are partners,” he said, adding that their experience was teaching the world that “hearts can change.” Earlier Tuesday, Obama met with six activists, including a pastor and advocates for the disabled and sexual minorities. He said several others were prevented from coming. “Vietnam has made remarkable strides in many ways,” Obama said, but “there are still areas of significant concern.” Obama also referred in the speech to China’s growing aggression in the region, something that worries many in Vietnam, which has territorial disputes in the South China Sea with Beijing. Obama got a round of applause when he declared that “big nations should not bully smaller ones,” an allusion to China’s attempt to push its rivals out of disputed territory. Obama said the United States will continue to freely navigate the region and support the right of other countries to do the same. After Hanoi, Obama flew to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. He visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda, considered one of the most beautiful pagodas in southern Vietnam and a repository of religious documents that includes more than 300 statues and other relics. A strong smell of incense hung in the air as visitors frequently burn incense outside the main temple to announce to the heavens their arrival. As Obama paused before one statue, a guide explained that if he wanted to have a son, he should pray to her. “I like daughters,” Obama replied. Story Continues →
2016-05-24 12:27 President Barack www.washingtontimes.com
44 WhatsApp neighbour? Social media neighbourhood groups have penetrated high suburban walls and created a platform for neighbours to communicate. WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages may be the easiest way to tell your neighbour to turn off his lights during the day or warn of criminal activity, but it can spark tension among neighbours, too. The administrator of the Table View Frustrated Residents’ Association’s Facebook page has had to come up with clear guidelines for users. The page’s founder, Leon Alhadeff, said the group boasted close to 3,000 members and was created as a platform for the community to vent its frustration and interact on civic issues. “I have blocked people from the group for inappropriate posts, inciting violence and using vulgar language, ” said Alhadeff. Zubair Patel, the administrator of a community WhatsApp group in the south of Johannesburg, said the group of more than 600 members had successfully put in place an effective monitoring system. Patel has had to remove members from the group for a number of reasons and one specifically for making reference to the apartheid regime. “I cut one of the guys out of the group because he spoke about ‘the good old days’ — those days may have been good for some people but not everyone,” said Patel. Social media specialist Sheena Kretzmer said: “Online interactions need to be treated just as reallife social interactions are; if you wouldn’t stand at your neighbour’s wall and shout at him, don’t do it via WhatsApp . “Respect the privacy of others, don’t air dirty laundry or spread gossip about neighbours, it’s not polite or acceptable in real life and nor should it be on WhatsApp,” said Kretzmer. She said although social media platforms were a useful tool they also posed security risks as they were created largely in good faith.
2016-05-24 12:16 SHENAAZ JAMAL www.timeslive.co.za
45 Drilling for clues to dinosaurs' demise About 20km off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, on a platform above the crater left behind when a massive asteroid struck the earth, they are travelling back through 66million years of the earth's history. The area surrounding the crater, known as Chicxulub, is now characterised by serene seas and breathtaking sunsets. But it was once the site of a collision with the force of about 100million atomic bombs. Joanna Morgan, a professor of geophysics at Imperial College London and co-chief of the study at Chicxulub, describes the immediate aftermath of the asteroid's impact: "The first thing you'd see would be thermal radiation, so it's very much like a nuclear explosion. "You get a great big, expanding vapour plume that then at a certain temperature turns red hot and radiates heat," she says, explaining that everything within 1000km of the site would be incinerated. That fireball was followed by hurricane-force winds, and a cloud of dust and sulphur that blocked out the sun. "Within a few hours the whole of the earth would be dark," she says, "and it would immediately get cold, something like 5C to 10C colder than before and that lasts for many months, possibly a few years. " Dinosaurs had reigned for more than 150million years, but in little more than an instant in geological terms they vanished from the earth. While scientists generally agree that the crash landing Chicxulub was the primary factor precipitating the mass extinction, there is less consensus as to what symptom of the asteroid's impact - the blocking of photosynthesis, acidification of the ocean, or another cause entirely - was the most deadly. That is one of many questions the team drilling into the crater hope to help answer. Perhaps more importantly, they hope to determine how life returned after 75% of the planet's living things were wiped out. "One of the interesting things we would like to do is to look at the way life comes back here in the ocean that re-formed over the crater," says Sean Gulick, a professor at the University of Texas and the drilling project's other co-chief. Discovering which species survived and why could provide a link between the age of the dinosaurs and our own, he explains. "In some cases very few species of particular types made it through at all, and yet everything we have in the surface ocean now evolved from those few species. " The team of 12 scientists living on the platform and the additional 21 contributing to the project hope that the answers lie in the rocks they are bringing up to the surface each day. Some are blackened with unmistakable evidence of the impact itself. Others contain fossils left by the survivors and their descendants. Using shipping containers that have been repurposed as laboratories, they are in the midst of what Gulick calls a "voyage of discovery" that will continue in Germany after the two months of drilling are complete. The implications of those discoveries may be far-reaching. Noting that large-impact craters are far more common on many planets than on earth, Gulick says his team is looking for signs that they may be potential habitats for microscopic organisms. Scientists of the future may, therefore, look to ground zero of one of the world's most deadly events for signs of life beyond the earth. - © The Daily Telegraph
2016-05-24 12:17 David Lawler www.timeslive.co.za
46 Woman gangraped in Thane, two youths arrested Thane: A 24-year-old women was allegedly gangraped by two youths in Kalwa area of the district, police said on Tuesday. The victim, who separated from her husband about four years back, was sleeping at home in Jaibhim Nagar of Kalwa along with her two children on Sunday night. The two youths - Vikas alias Ambadas Awhad (21) and Vishal Gopichand Telore (20) - barged into her house in the wee hours on Sunday at around 1.15 am, Kalwa police station sub-inspector S M Dhadve said. They allegedly pulled her out of the house at knife-point and then took turns to rape her, he said. Prior to the offence, the accused threatened the woman that they would slit her throat and kill her two children if she resisted their move, he said, quoting the complaint filed by the victim. Based on the complaint, the two accused -- one of them a newspaper vendor -- were arrested yesterday, police said. The duo has been booked under sections 376(d), 452, 506(2) and 323 of the IPC, he said. The accused were produced in a local court which remanded them in police custody till May 28, Dhadve added.
2016-05-24 15:00 By PTI www.mid-day.com
47 Dust storm kills five in Uttar Pradesh, damages property Lucknow : A dust storm in Uttar Pradesh in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday claimed at least five lives, uprooted trees, and caused heavy damage to mango crop, electric poles and other infrastructure, police said. One man was killed in Meerut district when a hoarding ripped apart from the poles hit him. An infant was killed in Daboi Khurd village of Sambhal district when a wall collapsed on her. More incidents of wall collapse claimed a life each in Hardoi and Unnao districts. A person was also killed in Kanpur rural due to an incident related to the dust storm, an official said. A huge tree was uprooted at the world famous Taj Mahal in Agra. The overhead wire on the railway tracks near the Mathura oil refinery snapped leading to halting of trains for more than an hour. Railway traffic was also hit at many other places. Heavy damage to mango crop across the state has also been reported. The storm was followed by rains with Sultanpur district receiving the maximum at 4.6 mm. While the dust storm and the subsequent rains brought down the temperature at many places, the regional Met office said the phenomenon would not last long and that the heat wave would soon return.
2016-05-24 14:55 By IANS www.mid-day.com
48 True Love gets real The magazine has now not only posted "before" and "after" pictures of the cover picture but several other less-than-flattering photos as well. The magazine's June edition features Kganyago on the cover, and upon its release yesterday, several people on social media objected to the digital airbrushing. Kganyago herself took to Instagram and said: "Nick Boulton is one of the most amazing photographers in the country. "He captured me beautifully, it must be disheartening for him to have his work continuously retouched to [the] point of no recognition. " True Love's editor, Dudu Mvimbi Leshabane, said the magazine stood for female empowerment and would not intentionally do anything to compromise women and their public profile. She said: "We have a responsibility not to tarnish our cover stars' image, to produce authentic content for our readers and to uphold the brand's integrity. " The magazine has released four sets of "before" and "after" images of the star. It is evident that cellulite and other blemishes were removed and that, in at least one photograph, Kganyago has been slimmed down. Speaking to The Times, she said: "I am happy and content with my life and for the first since I lost my child I opened up to them and it's being overshadowed by the pictures, that's the sad part. " Kganyago said it was sad and tacky that a publication that celebrates African wome n would first Photoshop her to the point she barely resembled her true self and then expose her for having cellulite, instead of apologising. "I think the Photoshop was exaggerated on the cover to the point that the image did not look like me, my nose and my mouth to be specific," she said. Kganyago, who made her début on the cover of the magazine in the November 2013 edition, said the magazine had managed to disappoint her twice. The star said that while she would not take legal action against True Love, she was wary of posing for them again. "I've always been anti-body shaming. It's something that happens everyday on social media. If they felt the need to remind me about my cellulite, they need not have. I see it in the mirror every day," said Kganyago.
2016-05-24 13:34 Shenaaz Jamal www.timeslive.co.za
49 Mnet to host ‘Special M Countdown in China’ Cable music channel Mnet will host the “Special M Countdown in China” at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on May 28, production company CJ E&M announced Tuesday. The concert will bring together top Korean and Chinese artistes. Korean artistes who are performing include seven-member boy band BTOB, five-member rock band FT Island, six-member girl groups G-Friend and T-ara, Jun Jin of idol band Shinhwa, K-pop quartet Sistar, six-member boy band VIXX, Jun Hyo-seong of K-pop quartet Secret, five-member girl group Fiestar, and 12-member girl group Cosmic Girls, which was jointly formed by Korean and Chinese agencies. Chinese artistes that will be on stage include Taiwanese singer and actress Wu Ying Chie, Jolin Tsai, a Taiwanese singer- songwriter who won the 2015 MAMA Best Artist Award, Li Yuchun, a Chinese singer and actress who rose to stardom after winning a talent contest in 2005, and SNH48, the largest girl group in China consisting of five teams with 105 members. The concert will be broadcast in Korea on Mnet at 6 p.m. on June 2. RELATED STORY Network aims at growing US Asian market
2016-05-24 14:53 The Korea entertainment.inquirer.net
50 Archives Former Georgia Tech guard Marcus Georges-Hunt is getting his share of looks from NBA teams in advance of the draft. Last week, Georges-Hunt worked out for Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston and Utah on four successive days, Wednesday through Saturday. He told the Nuggets website that his next workout will be with Utah on Tuesday. In Denver, one of his workout partners happened to be former Yellow Jacket forward Robert Carter, who transferred to Maryland after two seasons and remains a close friend of Georges-Hunt’s. The two went one-on-one, part of which was caught on camera. Georges-Hunt is not likely to be taken in the two-round draft June 23, but seems a strong candidate to be signed to a summer-league team, through which he could potentially earn a spot in a team’s preseason camp. Georges-Hunt, who earned his degree from Tech earlier this month, said that his goal is to “defensively, show that I’m a lockdown defender, I’m able to finish in transition, finish with contact, and be able to knock down open shots.” Georges-Hunt’s senior season enabled him to demonstrate his versatility and scoring and passing skill. He was tasked with defending many of the ACC’s best over his four seasons, including North Carolina’s Reggie Bullock, Duke’s Seth Curry, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant and Virginia’s Joe Harris and Malcolm Brogdon. All either have been, are or almost certainly will be in the NBA. “It’s funny, because it seems like everybody I’ve guarded is in the NBA now on some roster,” Georges-Hunt said. “I thank Georgia Tech for putting me on those types of players and challenging me.” There are no comments yet. Be the first to post your thoughts. Sign in or register.
2016-05-24 11:59 georgiatech.blog.ajc.com
51 The New Cabal At NNPC | Kachikwu Superintending Over Corrupt Staff As IPMAN & AMFSON Gear Up For Mega Showdown. Corruption at the NNPC, over the years, seems to be defiling all interventions by successive administrations in Nigeria as our investigation have revealed that corruption in the corporation is at an all-time high. From our interaction with a cross section of stakeholders in the oil and gas sector we discovered that efforts to curd corruption in the corporation by the President Buharis’ administration is not yielding the desired result as staff of PPMC/NNPC have devised new ways of extorting monies from petroleum products marketers. Adebo Audu, an independent marketer in Warri, Delta state, South South Nigeria, revealed to our correspondent that staffs of PPMC/NNPC are responsible for the intermittent scarcity of the petroleum products. He said “PPMC staffs are frustrating Independent Marketers, why will they ask for a percentage of our profit before giving us allocation and when we refuse right in our presence they will tear the allocation. They only give product allocation to marketers that have given them a share of their profit upfront”. The rot, in NNPC, in recent times was blamed on, Kachikwu Ibe, the Minister of state for Petroleum who recently said the corporation was in the process of building 109 additional NNPC Mega station. While a section of the industry see this as a welcome development another section however see it as an unnecessary waste of scarce resources, yet another section see it as a plot to destroy IPMAN, Independent Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Association Of Mega Filling Stations Owners Of Nigeria (AMFSON). Most Petroleum Products Marketers believe that this move by Kachikwu Ibe, was borne out of selfishness and wickedness, and flagrant disregard for the rule of law. A high ranking member of IPMAN in Kaduna wondered why the minister was thinking of establishing more mega stations when they have not been able to satisfy NNPC affiliate stations with products. While complaining about the unwholesome practices at the PPMC/NNPC under the watch of Kachikwu, he said the minister seem to be superintending over a new cabal at the corporation who specialize in extorting monies from IPMAN/ AMFSON members before issuing allocation of petroleum products. He lamented that he is given two allocations of Petrol (PMS) monthly and the profit from each truck is 80 thousand naira and asks “How can 160 thousand naira pay all my staff, service and maintain the stations and still keep me in business?” An executive of IPMAN in Kaduna, Bako Abdullahi Yelwa, opined that “for the PPMC to sue IPMAN to court, claiming that they don’t know us and they don’t have any business with us speaks volumes. It is under Kachikwu Ibe that we are hearing this, how can you claim you don’t know us and you have been doing business with us for over 30 years, Is it because he knows that we are the only ones that can expose all his corrupt practices since he was made the GMD and now the minister? More so, all the kerosene allocations he claimed to have allocated to marketers, since he became minister, are allocations he gave to his relations, friends and cronies. I challenge anybody to ask any marketer if they have gotten allocation” Similarly another Indigenous marketer, who does not want his name mentioned, described Kachikwus’ achievements as ignoble saying “There’s nothing to carry home about Kachikwus’ 6 months in office, his only achievement are confusion and contemplating the award of contacts for building of new empty PPMC/NNPC Mega filling stations with the aim of exterminating the existing Indigenous Independent Marketers despite their huge contributions towards the growth and development of the Nation”. He further said “With the present crashing down of crude oil price globally to its worst level of below $35 per barrel, Kachikwu should concentrate on constructing new simple modular Refineries & hasten to reactive the existing ones so that our local production can rise to cope with the nation petroleum products demands or even beyond. This will create more employments opportunities for many Nigerians in addition to boosting the nations’ economy. Kachikwu doesn’t care”. He concluded by saying that “No wonder, one can clearly understand the motives behind Kachikwus’ desperate efforts to destabilize the Indigenous Independent Petroleum Marketers in Nigeria and cover his masters looting and cheating to Nigerians”. While we await outcome of the suit instituted against IPMAN & by PPMC/NNPC we will however advice President Mohammadu Buhari, who is also the minister of petroleum resources, to put on hold all plans to build more NNPC mega stations until all refineries have been turned around, he should ensure that all independent marketers and PPMC/NNPC affiliate stations are supplied adequately with products and he should curb the new Cabal in the Oil & Gas Sector, made up of PPMC/NNPC staffs, from frustrating his efforts to rid the petroleum sector of corruption.
2016-05-24 17:09 Ehis Agbon worldnewsvine.com
52 Senate refuses to stop airlines from shrinking seat sizes WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate refused Thursday to come to the aid of airline passengers squeezed by the ever-shrinking size of their seats. An amendment by Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-N. Y., would have blocked airlines from further reducing the "size, width, padding, and pitch" of seats, passengers' legroom and the width of aisles. "It costs you an arm and a leg just to have room for your arms and legs," Schumer said. The amendment also would have required the Federal Aviation Administration to set standards for the minimum amount of space airlines must provide passengers for their "safety, health and comfort. " Airlines would have had to post the size of their seats on their websites so that consumers could take the information into consideration when buying tickets. READ THIS: The best airlines from 2016 The proposal failed on a vote of 42-54, with all but three Democrats in favor and all but one Republican against. Also Thursday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved amendments seeking to boost security at airports and other transportation hubs in response to last month's attacks in Brussels, as well as the downing of a Russian airliner in Egypt last year that is suspected to have been caused by a bomb planted by an airport worker. Economy-class airline seats have shrunk in recent years on average from a width of 18 inches to 16.5 inches. The average pitch — the space between a point on one seat and the same on the seat in front of it — has gone from 35 inches to about 31 inches. Many airlines are charging passengers for extra legroom in amounts that used to be standard. CLASSY: These airlines offer the best in-flight experiences No senators spoke against the proposal, but airlines opposed to the measure have accused lawmakers of trying to "re-regulate" an industry that has been deregulated since 1978. The vote was the Senate's last this week. Shortly afterward, many senators left to board planes to fly home to their states. See the best and worst airlines in America in the gallery above.
2016-05-24 10:33 Joan Lowy www.chron.com
53 Survey: More than half of Harris residents lean Democratic More than half of Harris County residents lean Democratic for the first time in over three decades, propelled by plummeting support for Republicans among Latinos, according to a survey released Monday by Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The finding, in the midst of a divisive presidential campaign, could signal an important shift in arguably the nation's largest swing county, which narrowly went to President Barack Obama in 2012 by about 970 votes. "Frankly, I'm not all that surprised," said Jim McGrath, a Republican political consultant in Houston and spokesman for former President George H. W. Bush. "These are the fears realized by those on the Republican side who are worried about the irresponsible rhetoric surrounding the illegal immigration issue. " According to the annual survey, which was conducted between January and March, 52 percent of Harris County residents said they identify more with the Democratic Party, compared to 46 percent in 2012. Only 30 percent of residents lean Republican, about the same as in 2012, meaning that it is the share of undecided and new potential voters that has swung largely Democratic. More Harris County residents have leaned Democratic than Republican since 2006, but until this year, no party could claim the support of more than half of residents in the more than three decades the survey has been conducted. Stephen Klineberg, co-director of the institute and author of the report, said the county had been pretty evenly divided among those who said they aligned more with Democrats and those leaning Republican. Though the survey has a margin of error of 3 percentage points, the increase in Democratic support from 2012 to this year is "really remarkable," he said. "The big change is among Latinos. " The survey is conducted by land line and cell phone calls among a statistically representative sample of 808 residents in Harris County. Among 521 Harris County survey respondents who were eligible to vote in 2016, 52 percent leaned Democrat and 37 percent Republican. Among those ineligible to vote in this year's survey, 62 percent were Democrat and 20 percent Republican. To read the entire story, visit houstonchronicle.com .
2016-05-24 10:33 By Lomi www.chron.com
54 Texas GOP to debate secession on convention floor Delegates at state convention for the Republican Party of Texas will have a chance to vote on Texas secession, after a platform item calling for independence passed a special committee on Wednesday morning. It is not expected to pass, but represents a substantial achievement for proponents of a Lone Star nation. The Houston Chronicle previously reported that activists with the Texas Nationalist Movement, a secessionist organization, had helped pass independence resolutions in at least 22 county or district conventions in March. RELATED: In Texas, some local GOPs call for statewide vote on secession Those resolutions went to a 31-member platform committee, which decides what will be put up for discussion at the state convention, which begins Thursday. Tanya Robertson, a GOP official with the State Republican Executive committee who has advocated a secession vote before , said the item passed the committee "overwhelmingly" early Wednesday. RELATED: Texas GOP official wants secession on the primary ballot "It's going to be available for delegates to debate and vote on Friday during the convention," she said. "This is pretty big. This is really pretty huge. " Most party leaders have firmly distanced themselves from the secession talk, and the proposal to hold a statewide vote on leaving Uncle Sam will most likely by swiftly shot down by the assembly of delegates.
2016-05-24 10:33 By Dylan www.chron.com
55 20 people you can bet on to be Donald Trump's vice president Donald Trump says there’s a 40 percent chance he picks someone from this year’s Republican presidential field as his vice president. But the odds- on favorite to win the veepstakes: Newt Gingrich. The former speaker of the house was a perpetual thorn in the side of the Bill Clinton administration. And he sounds like he’s relishing a shot at Hillary Clinton. Gingrich has lavished praise on Trump. The business mogul has not said much about the man named Newt. But oddsmakers and betting markets like Gingrinch’s chances nonetheless. SEE THIS: At home with Donald and Melania Trump In this unpredictable election season, bookies have some other strange options in mind for Trump. On betting site PaddyPower , you can place money on Mitt Romney (66/1), Lindsey Graham (80/1) and even Trump’s daughter (50/1) as of May 13. The site even lets you bet on Donald Trump (100/1) to be the GOP vice president in some kind of convention switcheroo. Some of the candidates with decent odds seem strange as well. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio (each 16/1) have better odds than more logical choices like elected offiials Joni Ernst, U. S. senator from Iowa, and Mary Fallin, governor of Oklahoma (each 20/1). And John Kasich has 9/2 odds (second to Gingrich) despite saying last month there’s “no way” he’d be Trump’s veep. HUH?: Donald Trump denies as he posed as his own spokesman The Democrats have some intriguing potential vice presidential candidates to bet on, too. Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (5/2) is the favorite despite saying being Clinton’s vice president is “not going to happen.” Tim Kaine (5/1), the junior senator from Virginia, and current Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (7/1) are behind Castro. But stranger options can be found down the line, suh as Joe Biden (16/1), Bernie Sanders (16/1), Bill Clinton (66/1) and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (150/1) See 20 people you can bet on to be Trump's vice president in the gallery above.
2016-05-24 13:30 www.chron.com
56 Ted Cruz tells voters what really annoys his wife Presidential candidate Ted Cruz knows he has an annoying habit, and his wife can't agree more. The Houstonians took questions from voters and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper during a town-hall meeting in New York on Wednesday, revealing tidbits about their courtship, marriage and the effect of the campaign on their family life. (Fun fact: Ted Cruz brought home about 100 cans of Campbell's soup after their honeymoon because Heidi Cruz doesn't like to cook.) A voter asked Mrs. Cruz what does her husband do that annoys her the most. Ted Cruz weighed in. DELEGATE BATTLE: High-stakes delegate game heats up in Texas "She hates my iPhone," he said, adding he's "addicted" to the games and social media. Heidi Cruz agreed. Despite a rigorous campaign schedule full of speeches, fundraisers and interviews, the Texas senator can't seem to let go of the device. During the telecast, the Cruz children joined their parents on stage, and gave Cooper a scoop. Caroline Cruz revealed her 8th birthday is Thursday. The talkative girl stole the show and said she's going to enjoy chocolate cake and a "Build a Bear" party during the celebrations. She also said she hopes to get an American Girl doll. Catherine Cruz, 5, had little to say as she sat on her mom's lap. The topics during the town hall did turn serious, as Ted Cruz attacked nemesis Donald Trump, who caused an uproar after re-tweeting an unflattering photo of business exec Heidi Cruz next to a glamour shot of Trump's model wife, Melania. Heidi Cruz said she was unbothered by the insult, and is focused on helping her husband get to the White House. TARGETING TRUMP : Cruz accuses Trump of threatening delegates Cruz's GOP rivals, Donald Trump and John Kasich, along with their families, participated in CNN town halls earlier in the week. The Republican New York primary will be held on April 19.
2016-05-24 13:30 By Dana www.chron.com
57 Analysis: A decade of Hamas Hamas swept into power in the Palestinian Authority via the ballot box in 2006 by promising to root out corruption and secure Palestinian rights. A year later, Hamas violently expelled the Palestinian Authority from Gaza, which the terrorist group has illegitimately – and disastrously – ruled since. A decade of Hamas’s aggression and mismanagement has plunged Gazans into misery and hurled the dream of Palestinian statehood backward. But it didn’t have to be this way. Hamas’s entry to Palestinian politics could have been a watershed moment. The Palestine Liberation Organization, begun as an armed revolutionary group dedicated to Israel’s destruction, made the tactical decision to remain relevant by engaging in secret negotiations with Israel that led to the 1993 Oslo Accords and the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Palestinians were closer to statehood than ever before. Hamas won the 2006 elections because the Palestinian people saw the PA as ineffective and corrupt. They believed they could trust Hamas to put the good of the Palestinian people above ahead of its own. Global leaders demanded that Hamas recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by past agreements before it received international recognition as the leader of the PA. Hamas could have earned the moral authority to force the Palestinian issue to the forefront of the international stage. It would have had the global legitimacy to lead and the domestic credibility to negotiate and enforce a treaty with Israel. The Palestinians’ faith in Hamas has been rewarded with Hamas violently separating itself and Gaza from the PA, launching three wars with Israel and squandering international aid intended to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure. An extensive web of tunnels beneath Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel are a reminder that Hamas’s leadership continues to value tactical advantages above the welfare of the Gazan people. Instead of building roads to connect Gazans to hospitals and schools, Hamas has built tunnels reportedly used by Islamic State fighters in the Sinai to receive medical and military assistance in Gaza. Gazans continue to suffer while the peace process remains frozen and the West Bank and Gaza remain politically divided. PA President Mahmoud Abbas purportedly shifted the Palestinians away from the second intifada and toward a non-violent strategy, but that has resulted in only small symbolic victories while statehood remains elusive. Abbas has also failed to rein in the virulent anti-Israel propaganda emanating from Palestinian institutions. Now the PA faces a financial crisis and a restive Palestinian populace that has grown weary of their leaders’ failures to deliver. Abbas is seen as a weak leader who can’t extract even the smallest concession from Israel, but yet is now in the eleventh year of a four-year term. The PA is reportedly struggling to avoid collapse and with no clear successor to Abbas, Hamas could well sweep into power in the West Bank as it did in Gaza – whether through elections or through violence. Hamas may have brought Gaza to ruin but it stands on its reputation of standing up to Israel, something the Palestinian street believes Abbas and the PA may be incapable of doing. But the collapse of the PA and a Hamas takeover of the West Bank is a no- win situation for Palestinians and Israelis. Should that happen, expect the major world powers to reevaluate their relationships with the Palestinians, likely resulting in cuts to much-needed financial assistance. Another war between Israel and Hamas would be inevitable – and this time with Hamas on both Israel’s western and eastern fronts. Israel would have to strike a decisive blow against Hamas, endangering the lives of millions of Palestinians. Israel would also be forced to reestablish total occupation and administration of the West Bank and Gaza or allow Hamas to hold territory from which to launch rockets and other attacks at will. Israeli settlers in the West Bank would find themselves under constant threat on the wrong side of Israel’s security barrier. And Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Airport could be easy targets for Hamas rockets. A two-state solution might be too big a gulf to cross now, but Israel and the PA could find ways to work together to prevent this nightmare scenario through smaller measures. Some Israeli officials have proposed boosting the Palestinian economy to discourage terrorism. The first planned Palestinian city of Rawabi in the West Bank presents such an opportunity. Unfortunately, Rawabi sits mostly empty, a victim of Israeli bureaucracy that has been slow to connect vital utilities and Palestinian obstinacy that views the builders’ partnerships with Israeli companies as traitorous. Rawabi could provide housing and economic opportunity for Palestinians, but first Israel and the PA must remove these obstacles. The PA also needs to take control of the rhetoric emanating from Palestinian mosques and government institutions. As long as the Palestinian people are fed propaganda that knife-wielding terrorists attacking civilians are martyrs or that Israel seeks to destroy the Aksa mosque, the Palestinian people will never accept peace. Ten years after Palestinians voted Hamas into power, they are a house divided and despair has driven the violence of recent months. Palestinians need to see their daily lives improve and recognize that only diplomacy, not violence, can bring those improvements. Otherwise, Hamas will continue to hold the Palestinian people hostage and Israelis will share in their suffering. The author is a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a not-for-profit, non-partisan international policy organization formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideology. CEP combats extremism by pressuring financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment and advocating for effective laws, policies and regulations.
2016-05-24 14:46 Josh Lipowsky www.jpost.com
58 It's a grind but Stan's the man The Blitzboks have some big mental barriers to scale if they hope to be serious gold medal contenders at the Olympic Games in August after a season of "what ifs" on the World Sevens Series circuit.
2016-05-24 13:10 Reuters www.timeslive.co.za
59 BUHARI VANGUARD APPOINTS CORDINATORS……. Supports Buhari for 2019 In a press release signed by the Vanguard National Chairman, Alhaji Musa Aliyu stated that the appointments of the two Cordinators were approved by the Vanguard’s National Working Committee meeting held in Abuja recently. The release stated that the choice of the two gentlemen were based on their track records in previous assignments, adding that the group has also agreed to align itself with the resolution of the APC’s NEC meeting that President Buhari should continue in 2019. “As a matter of fact, four years is not enough for President Buhari to correct all the wrongs done to this country in the past 16 years. “Presently, President Buhari has barely three years to go in this administration and that is why we in the Buhari Vanguard want to support resolution reached by the APC at their NEC MEETING, that Buhari should continue in 2019. We support it if only President Buhari will accept it,” he said.
2016-05-24 17:09 Ehis Agbon worldnewsvine.com
60 The Fast-Approaching Clash of Civilizations Part 5 on the Doctrinal Foundations of Islam By Mike Scruggs- In 1993, Harvard Professor of Political Science Samuel P. Huntington published an article in Foreign Affairs, based on his 1992 lecture at the American Enterprise Institute, entitled “A Clash of Civilizations.” In 1996, he published his expanded thesis in a bestselling book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Unfortunately, the political classes in the United States and Europe paid little attention to his work and thesis. The need for cheap oil, the lust for cheap-labor profits, and the emerging dominance of multiculturalist philosophies and rabid forms of diversity-engineering and political correctness blinded Europe and America to the true nature of Islam that had been much better understood by previous generations of cultural and political leadership. Islam can only be defined by its sacred doctrinal standards—the Koran and the Hadiths (traditions) and Sira (life example) of Muhammad—and measured by its true history. It cannot be redefined according to political correctness standards and whitewashed history no matter how much liberal academic and media blather and Muslim Brotherhood bribery attempt to portray Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance. It is basically an aggressive totalitarian ideology wrapped around a core mixture of religious borrowings expediently amended by Muhammad and including a number of heretical Jewish and Christian tales. In the not too distant past, Western religious and political leaders had a firmer grasp on the truth than the fairytale version of Islam that now endangers the U. S., Canada, and much of Europe. In a 2004 raid on a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Virginia, the FBI uncovered a strategic plan to deceive American leaders on the nature of Islam, destroy American Constitutional government by “Civilization Jihad,” and impose Sharia Law on all. We are in a Clash of Civilizations and are very near losing it by making immigration a sacred cow, by which ignorant and depraved politicians are pouring millions of Muslim immigrants into the West with little thought or conscience regarding their belief and commitment to the Islamic doctrines of Supremacy, Sharia Law, Jihad (Holy War against all non-Muslims), and their likely catastrophic consequences. Increased terrorism is but a small but certain part of the risk. The sacred doctrines of Islam call for its religious and political dominance in every nation. Relentless deception and agitation leading to violent Jihad and the overthrow of all competing religious, government, and judicial systems are obligatory to the faithful followers of Muhammad. Islamic Law (Sharia) embraces every facet of Muslim life and the lives of non-Muslims who come under its dominion. We have also foolishly extended the meaning of religious liberty to absurd politically correct levels endangering millions of lives and the religious freedoms of everybody but Muslims. We must not take leave of our senses to accommodate sacred cows or unrealistic social expectations. Here are just a few of the warnings left to us by revered leaders of the past. Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Church, born 1927. Pope 2005-2013. “Islam has a total organization of life that is completely different from ours; it embraces simply everything…There is a very marked subordination of woman to man; there is a very tightly knit criminal law, indeed, a law regulating all areas of life, that is opposed to our modern ideas about society. One has to have a clear understanding that it is not simply a denomination that can be included in the free realm of a pluralistic society.” Edward Gibbon, English historian (1737-1794), author of: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. “Instead of a perpetual and perfect measure of the divine will, the fragments of the Koran were produced at the discretion of Muhammad; each revelation is suited to the emergencies of his policy or passion; and all contradiction is removed by the saving maxim, that any text of Scripture is abrogated or modified by any subsequent passage.” Sir William Muir, Scottish historian, scholar, and translator of Middle Eastern languages. (1819-1905). ‘The sword of Muhammad, and the Koran, are the most fatal enemies of Civilization, Liberty, and Truth, which the world has yet known. Some, indeed, dream of an Islam in the future, rationalized and regenerate. All this has been tried already, and has miserably failed. The Koran has so encrusted the religion in a hard unyielding casement of ordinances and social laws, that if the shell be broken the life is gone. A rationalistic Islam would be Islam no longer. The contrast between our own faith and Islam is most remarkable. There are in our Scriptures living germs of truth, which accord with civil and religious liberty, and will expand with advancing civilization. In Islam it is just the reverse. The Koran has no such teaching as with us has abolished polygamy, slavery, and arbitrary divorce, and has elevated woman to her proper place.” Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) was the 26th President of the United States (1901 – 1909) “Christianity is not the creed of Asia and Africa at this moment solely because the seventh century Christians of Asia and Africa had trained themselves not to fight, whereas the Muslims were trained to fight. Christianity was saved in Europe solely because the peoples of Europe fought. If the peoples of Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, and on up to and including the seventeenth century, had not possessed a military equality with, and gradually a growing superiority over the Mohammedans who invaded Europe, Europe would at this moment be Mohammedan and the Christian religion would be exterminated. Wherever the Mohammedans have had complete sway, wherever the Christians have been unable to resist them by the sword, Christianity has ultimately disappeared. From the hammer of Charles Martel to the sword of Sobieski, Christianity owed its safety in Europe to the fact that it was able to show that it could and would fight as well as the Mohammedan aggressor… The civilization of Europe, America and Australia exists today at all only because of the victories of civilized man over the enemies of civilization, because of victories through the centuries from Charles Martel in the eighth century and those of John Sobieski in the seventeenth century. During the thousand years that included the careers of the Frankish soldier and the Polish king, the Christians of Asia and Africa proved unable to wage successful war with the Muslim conquerors; and in consequence Christianity practically vanished from the two continents; and today, nobody can find in them any “social values” whatever, in the sense in which we use the words, so far as the sphere of Mohammedan influences are concerned. There are such “social values” today in Europe, America and Australia only because during those thousand years, the Christians of Europe possessed the warlike power to do what the Christians of Asia and Africa had failed to do — that is, to beat back the Muslim invader.” President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) simply said, “The precept of the Koran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that Muhammad is the prophet of God.” John Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian highly influential in the Protestant Reformation in Europe and the religious and political philosophies of American colonists including the “founding fathers,” said that Islam “substituted an idol for the true God.” Methodist founder John Wesley (1703-1791) spoke of Muslim rage, fury, and revenge and called them “destroyers of mankind.” America’s most renowned theologian, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), thought there was a possible connection of Muhammad and Islam to Revelation 16:13-14 concerning the end times. Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is concerned about Muslim immigration and wants a temporary halt to it. Democrat Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton is calling for open-door immigration and more Muslim immigration in particular. The Clintons and the Clinton Foundation have received substantial millions in donations from Muslim governments. But where do our Congressional candidates stand on Muslim immigration? As usual, most are avoiding the issue. Congressional issue avoidance could prove fatal to our liberties.
2016-05-24 11:24 Part 5 www.thetribunepapers.com
61 Republicans hit Vermont governor on alleged job shifts MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican candidate for governor, is charging that Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration is improperly transferring exempt employees to protected, classified status Scott, joined by Republican legislative leaders, wrote to administration officials that attempting to reclassify positions in order convert the current governor’s employees into full-time, classified positions is not good government. Shumlin spokesman Scott Coriell says Scott has it wrong and that such transfers are not occurring. He invited the letter writers to produce some specific examples.
2016-05-24 12:56 - www.washingtontimes.com
62 62 4 groups get state money for lobster research, education PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine’s marine resources department is providing grant funding to four organizations for research and education involving lobsters. The largest grant will go to University of Maine System in the amount of slightly more than $127,000. It will help the university develop a project called “A Proactive Approach to Addressing Lobster Health in the Context of a Changing Ecosystem.” The university system will focus its project on how changes in the ocean can impact lobster reproduction and the animals’ susceptibility to disease. The other grants will go to Penobscot East Resource Center, the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance and Colby College. Colby’s grant of more than $81,000 will help the college perform an analysis of the economic impacts of the lobster supply chain in Maine.
2016-05-24 12:56 - www.washingtontimes.com
63 WATCH: Emma Watson as ‘Belle’ in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ official trailer The 1991 classic Disney fairytale “Beauty and the Beast” is finally getting a refashioned makeover as its enchanting trailer was released on Monday. “Harry Potter” alumnus Emma Watson will star as Belle, the gorgeous young heroine. In the trailer, the memorable voices of original characters Lumière and Cogsworth were heard conversing to each other. “Look, a girl,” Lumière exclaimed, who is voiced by Ewan McGregor. “What if she is the one?” Watson was focused on the trailer’s final scene as she attempts to touch the Beast’s forbidden red rose. The film’s release date and the words “Be Our Guest”, which was the tale’s popular song, glistened the screen. Accompanying Watson in the main cast is “Downtown Abbey” seasoned British actor Dan Stevens, who will appear in the film as the Beast, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Acclaimed star Emma Thompson will play Mrs. Potts while Welsh actor Luke Evans will portray the boastful antagonist and Belle’s annoying lover, Gaston. The Disney remake was part of a string of fairy tale films such as Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), and The Jungle Book (2016). The ‘Tale as Old as Time’ is finally conquering the big screen on March 17, 2017. Gianna Francesca Catolico
2016-05-24 14:31 INQUIRER.net entertainment.inquirer.net
64 Texas GOP platform says majority of Texans share homosexuality Journalists at the 2016 Texas GOP convention pointed and chuckled, but now the entire nation has caught on : the party's platform calls "the majority of Texans" gay. It's a grammatical error. It was unintentional. Most Texans probably aren't gay, but who knows. The language adopted by the party in Dallas last weekend reads: "Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that has been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nations [sic] founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. " The key error there is the verb "has. " The authors probably meant it to apply to the "unchanging truths," but in English we can't say unchanging truths "has. " That would be "have. " So the sentence says that homosexuality has been ordained by God and is shared by most Texans. Writing in the Washington Post, University of Minnesota Law School professor Dale Carpenter raised an important question : how exactly do Texans share their homosexuality? "Perhaps it means that there is a certain amount of homosexuality that most Texans pass around to each other. If someone doesn't seem to have enough, one Texans may loan or even give another Texan some of his," he wrote. "Of course it should be emphasized that a majority but not all Texans share homosexuality. There may be some who hoard it. " The grammatical gaffe also made headlines in Reuters , NPR , the Huffington Post and scores of other publication, in what amounts to some embarrassing coverage of the Texas GOP. But according to Willie, this is nothing new.
2016-05-24 10:06 By Dylan www.chron.com
65 Bernie Sanders Just Nominated a Man to the Democratic Platform Committee Who Accused Israel of Committing a Holocaust | The American Spectator In an effort to placate Bernie Sanders, the DNC (via Hillary Clinton) have seen fit to allow Bernie to appoint five people to the DNC’s Platform Committee. Sanders appointed environmental activist Bill McKibben (who I saw introduce Bernie here in Boston last October), Native American activist Deborah Parker, academic Cornel West, Congressman Keith Ellison and Arab American Institute President James Zogby. This would be the same James Zogby who has said Israel is committing “a Holocaust” against the Palestinians. For good measure, Zogby has also called Israelis “Nazis.” Not surprisingly, Zogby also supports the BDS Movement characterizing it as both “legitimate” and “moral.” West also supports BDS. Congressman Ellison is more cagey, but has long been associated with individuals and organizations who are overtly anti-Israel. Yes, the Obama Administration has long been unsympathetic to Israel, but now that Bernie Sanders (a Jew no less) sees fit to add overtly anti-Israel people to write the party’s platform, the DNC’s approval is an exercise in useful idiocy. Given all the anti-Semitism that has enveloped Britain’s Labour Party, I shudder to think what the Democratic Party will look like in four years from now thanks to one socialist.
2016-05-24 10:48 Aaron Goldstein spectator.org
66 5 dead after skydiving tour plane crashes in Hawaii HONOLULU — Five people died after a skydiving tour plane crashed and caught fire in Hawaii, one of two plane crashes reported Monday in the islands. It happened about 9:30 a.m. on the island of Kauai, the county fire department said. The pilot, two skydive instructors and two tandem jumpers were believed to be on the plane. Four of them were pronounced dead at the crash site, just outside Port Allen Airport. One man was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The group was believed to have been part of a tour operated by SkyDive Kauai, county firefighters said. The company offers tours from Port Allen. SkyDive Kauai is listed in state documents as a trade name for D & J Air Adventures, which FAA records identify as the registered owner of the aircraft. Company President David Timko said he didn’t have any comment because the crash is under investigation. But he said he offers his condolences to the families of those killed. Kauai firefighters said the identities of the dead haven’t been released. The National Transportation Safety Board will work with officials to determine the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration will also investigate. The plane was a single-engine Cessna 182H, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. It’s unclear what led to the crash. A few hours later Monday off the coast of the island of Oahu, emergency responders took one person to a nearby hospital after a small aircraft crashed in the water off Makaha Beach Park. County lifeguards brought two people to shore from a single engine aircraft that was about 30 yards off the coast, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said. The other person in the airplane wasn’t injured, Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright said. State Department of Health data shows 20 visitors died in aircraft crashes in Hawaii from 2005 to 2014, including one skydiver. The others were killed in plane, helicopter and light sport aircraft crashes. Over the same period, 24 residents were killed in air crashes, including four skydivers. RELATED STORIES Cebu student crashes in skydiving mishap 1 killed in Arizona skydiving accident Pilot flying skydivers survives crash on Bantayan Island
2016-05-24 14:27 Associated Press newsinfo.inquirer.net
67 Holland Christian's Mike Mokma throws 2nd perfect game of season; hits two home runs in same inning To say it's only been a good season for Holland Christian 's Mike Mokma would be an understatement. Improving to 9-0, the Michigan State University commit threw his second perfect game of the season in a 14-0 victory over Grandville Calvin Christian on Monday. The first perfect game was on April 19, when Mokma threw 15 strikeouts to defeat Holland . Mokma's delivered 10 stikeouts in five innings (mercy-shortened game), only throwing 55 pitches. Majority of Calvin Christian hitters were out in three pitches or less. "From the first pitch, you could tell his command was doing something special," assistant coach David Nykerk said. "When he gets into a rhythm like he did tonight, he becomes near- unstoppable," head coach Jim Caserta said. With Mike's success this season, the Holland Christian coaching staff is experiencing something they've never seen. "A perfect game never gets old, but now it's nothing unusual for Mike," Nykerk said. "It's been something unique to watch. " To add to his stat line, Mokma hit two home runs (both in the fifth inning); a two-run blast and the other a grand slam, making it a total of 6 RBIs for the day. "I've never seen this type of combination of hitting and pitching before," Nykerk said. Besides his raw talent, head coach Jim Caserta believes that Mokma's biggest strength is his knowledge of the game. "He just lives and breathes baseball," Caserta said. "He knows he's not going to throw [a pefect game] every time, so when he doesn't, he will always fight to get runners out even if he's not playing his best. " "He doesn't get enough credit for his baseball smarts," Nykerk said. "He's a textbook student of the game. " In this week's Grand Rapids instant poll, Mokma is the leading nominee for the 'pitcher you would never, ever want to face.' Polling closes on Wednesday, May 25 at 10 a.m. Holland Christian finishes the regular season 27-5 and clinched its league championship. First round of playoffs start June 1. See More Sports News »
2016-05-24 10:22 Robbie Triano highschoolsports.mlive.com
68 Video: TSA Security Head Removed from Post Now Playing: Man Gets Death Penalty Case Tossed 30 Years Later Now Playing: VA Secretary Under Fire Comparing Veteran Wait Times to Amusement Park Now Playing: Judge Expected to Issue Ruling in Freddie Gray-Officer Trial Now Playing: Padres Under Fire for Leaving Gay Men's Chorus Voiceless on Pride Night Now Playing: Baltimore Police Officer Found Not Guilty in Freddie Gray Death Now Playing: Oregon Mom Turns to Social Media in Alleged Child Abuse Case Now Playing: Vietnam Veteran's Touching Goodbye to His Horses Now Playing: Muslim Kids Read Letters Sent From Japanese Internment Camps in Powerful Film Now Playing: Video Captures Survivors of Plane Crash Swimming to Shore Now Playing: TSA Announces New Plan to Ease Security Lines at Newark Airport Now Playing: Fiery Crash Kills 5 on Skydiving Trip in Hawaii Now Playing: Parents of American Student Killed in Paris Attacks Accept Her Degree
2016-05-24 14:23 ABC News abcnews.go.com
69 David Cameron claims holidays would cost more outside EU David Cameron has claimed family holidays in Europe could be an average of £230 more expensive if the UK votes to leave the EU. In a speech to airline staff, the PM said a weaker pound, coupled with increased air fares and mobile phone roaming charges, would push up costs. The claim comes amid mounting anger from Leave campaigners about the exit warnings produced by the government. Vote Leave accused the PM of "talking down our country". And UKIP's Nigel Farage said the PM was trying to "turn the truth on its head". He said rises in air passenger duty and taxes on carbon emissions were the reason for expensive holidays. The UK's EU referendum takes place on June 23. Speaking to Easyjet workers in Luton, Mr Cameron picked up on Monday's warning that leaving the EU could spark a recession - which was dismissed as "propaganda" by Leave campaigners. He claimed there were "very strong retail arguments" in favour of staying in. The PM was introduced on stage by Easyjet chief executive Carolyn McCall, who earlier told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was "highly likely" fares would rise if the UK left the EU. According to the government's calculations, by 2018, four people travelling together on a nine-night break to Spain could pay £225 more, with eight nights in France up £210, a fortnight in the US £620 and 10 nights in Portugal £325. Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott said Mr Cameron had not listened to warnings from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon about negative campaigning. "It's remarkable to see the Prime Minister talking down our country and our economy day after day," he said, adding that the UK economy would grow outside the EU as a result of new trade deals with India and China. The war of words between the two sides of the referendum debate has become increasingly bitter in recent weeks. On Twitter, former No 10 aide Steve Hilton attacked "pathetic, patronising scares". Mr Hilton, who is backing a vote to leave the EU, also told Today both sides were "treating people like imbeciles". Taking questions after his speech, Mr Cameron said there were always going to be arguments within his party, which he said was "finely balanced" on the EU question. But he said he "absolutely believed" his party could "come together afterwards and accept the result". He rejected accusations of government scaremongering about the consequences of leaving the EU, saying he was doing the "totally responsible thing" by setting out his case. On Sunday, the PM intervened to say the UK did have a veto after pro- Brexit Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt said the migrant crisis would hasten talks over Turkey's EU bid and the UK was powerless to stop it. Mr Cameron rejected the idea he had been accusing Ms Mordaunt of lying, saying: "The person who made these statements got it wrong - that's life.... the record is now properly corrected. " In other referendum news, Labour's former deputy leader Harriet Harman complained that the debate so far had been dominated by men, saying broadcasters should be giving more airtime to female voices. Ahead of a news conference on the issue, she said the most commonly- heard voices in the debate were "three white, male, Tories" - Mr Cameron, Boris Johnson and George Osborne.
2016-05-24 11:52 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
70 Video: Man Gets Death Penalty Case Tossed 30 Years Later A black man who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by an all-white jury in Georgia, has successfully convinced the Supreme Court that the jury selection in his case was racially biased three decades later.
2016-05-24 14:22 ABC News abcnews.go.com
71 Mark Carney defends 'Brexit risk' stance Bank of England governor Mark Carney has robustly defended his stance on the UK's EU referendum debate and accused one of his prominent critics of trying to "undermine" the Bank's remit. The comments came in testy exchanges during Mr Carney's evidence to the Treasury select committee. Mr Carney was answering questions from Jacob Rees-Mogg, who favours Brexit. He said the Bank had a responsibility to the British people "who don't want risks kept from them". Earlier this month, the Bank of England gave its starkest warning yet that a UK vote to leave the EU could hit the economy. Mr Carney warned that the risks of leaving "could possibly include a technical recession". Vote Leave campaigners strongly criticised Mr Carney, with Mr Rees-Mogg calling for him to resign. During the hearing, Mr Rees-Mogg argued that the Bank of England would not comment on opposition economic policy during a general election campaign, so should not comment on the effects of a UK departure from the EU during the referendum campaign. He told the governor: "It's very convenient that you're giving out the same propaganda as the Chancellor [George Osborne]. " Mr Carney rejected the analogy, saying: "This is not a general election, Mr Rees-Mogg. " He went on to say: "We have a responsibility to discharge our remit and we have a wider responsibility to the British people, who don't want risks kept from them. " Mr Carney said the Bank's remit was to deliver "low, stable, predictable inflation". "It may be inconvenient for you," he told Mr Rees-Mogg, "but we have made it more likely that we will bring inflation back to target, whatever the outcome of the referendum, sooner and more sustainably, and that will be a better economic outcome. " He continued: "To suggest otherwise is to try to undermine that. " Mr Rees-Mogg disputed Mr Carney's answer, saying: "I do suggest otherwise. " The governor replied: "And so you try to undermine that. "
2016-05-24 11:52 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
72 Legislature to consider statewide regulations on Uber, Lyft AUSTIN – The Texas Legislature will consider establishing statewide regulations for rideshare application companies such as Uber and Lyft, a powerful lawmaker said Sunday, a day after voters here dealt the industry a setback by upholding rules imposed by the city council. The to-be-determined proposed regulations, which will be considered in next year's legislative session, will aim to be "consistent and predictable" for the companies, said the lawmaker, Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown. >> Click the gallery above to see the places Texans used Lyft the most last year "It has become increasingly clear that Texas' ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti- competitive regulations," Schwertner said in a draft announcement shared with the Houston Chronicle. "As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition. " Uber and Lyft have reduced drunk driving and provided jobs, the draft emphasizes. Schwertner was among several state lawmakers to decry Saturday's vote in Austin, which upheld regulations requiring that rideshare drivers undergo fingerprint background checks and that companies report data about operations, among other rules. Uber and Lyft spent more than $8 million to defeat the regulations through a proposition campaign, but 56 percent of voters rejected it. RELATED: See the most popular places Houstonians used Uber the most The companies responded by saying they would no longer operate in Austin, starting Monday. "Local control turns to local tyranny again in Austin," tweeted state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving. "#txlege needs to intervene. " Another lawmaker, Republican state Rep. Tony Dale of Cedar Park, tweeted a photo of a request for an Uber to come to the Texas Capitol and a simple message: "See you in 2017. " The drama appears to mirror a situation that played out last year, after Denton banned fracking. In response, lawmakers approved a bill that essentially banned fracking bans, and Denton was forced to repeal its law. Statewide regulations would affect Houston, where a battle over the rideshare application companies also is playing out. The state's largest city imposed its own rules requiring fingerprint background checks 18 months ago, prompting Lyft to leave the city. Uber stayed, but its general manager recently wrote a letter to the Houston City Council saying that it would ultimately leave if the regulations were not repealed. "We have worked hard and taken extraordinary steps to help guide drivers through the current process in Houston," said the general manager, Sarfraz Maredia. "However, a year and a half later, it is clear the regulations are simply not working for the people of this city. "
2016-05-24 09:57 By Brian www.chron.com
73 Marcos camp sues Comelec, Smartmatic officials for script change A supporter of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday filed a complaint against officials of Smartmatic and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for violating the Cybercrime Law during the May 9 elections. Abakada-Guro Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, campaign adviser of Marcos, filed the 15-page complaint at the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office. The respondents were Smartmatic Executive Marlon Garcia, Smartmatic Project Director Elie Moreno, Smartmatic Technical Support Team member Neil Banigued, Smartmatic personnel Mauricio Herrera; Comelec IT officer Rouie Penalba and two other Comelec personnel Nelson Herrera and Frances Gonzalez for alleged tampering of the communication systems used on the May 9 elections. “May sinasabi doon na hindi pwede makialam o maglabas, tumingin or kalikutin ang ilang bahagi ng sistema at walang makialam tungkol dun sa (It is said there that no one can meddle with, release, view, or tinker with some parts of the system, and that no one should interfere regarding matters of) communications or electronic that has anything to do with information and communication system,” dela Cruz told reporters. “It was illegal access in the sense that the systems were accessed without the permission of the owner, which is Comelec,” he added. READ: Marcos insists VP count tainted The complaint stemmed from a script change introduced by Smartmatic on the night of the May 9 elections while the transmission of votes was going on. On the night of the elections, Garcia supposedly altered the script in Comelec’s transparency to correct the “ñ” in the names of the candidates. Both Smartmatic and Comelec claim that the change would not affect the results of the votes. Atty. Jose Amor Amorado, head of the Marcos legal team, questioned the Comelec personnel for accessing the system without informing proper authorities. “All of them were present inside the room when Garcia introduced the script since Comelec IT allowed him to that.. There is consent given without authority from Comelec,” he said. “What is surprising is this IT personnel under IT department had the courage and temerity to allow Smartmatic to access the system…What authority did the IT personnel of the Comelec have at that time to give the Smartmatic the password?” he added. READ: Marcos insists on system audit Marcos is in a close fight for the vice presidency against Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo, who is leading the race based on the unfinished unofficial quick count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting. His camp claims that after the new script was introduced at the night of the elections, it affected the results of the votes in favor of Robredo. CDG READ: Robredo victory now ‘unassailable,’ says Macalintal
2016-05-24 14:14 Frances Mangosing newsinfo.inquirer.net
74 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. Teacher: We have to fight for our kids’ sake What worked almost four decades ago spells success today Firefighters on scene within 3 minutes, fire found in attic Superintendent expects courts to decide if local schools have mandated accommodations Vet reflects on PTSD as 50th anniversary ceremonies honor those who served in Vietnam 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. Look to the sky for released balloons honoring veterans Take a moment to thank those who have served and protected us Veteran trucked supplies to the front lines, took concentration camp survivors to safety Some 75 volunteers were expected at Heritage Park Saturday for the annual Rouge Rescue. Some 60 survivors of ovarian cancer shared 388 years of survival between them. Open call to Michigan runners heading to NYC in November. The class-action lawsuit was filed last month Alleged drunken driver takes nap in traffic; also in crime: beatdown, shoplifting galore To encourage shopping at businesses affected by construction on Hamilton Row the the Birmingham Shopping District and the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber worked together to present the Hamilton Hums business walking tour May 12. Three seats are available in November’s South Lyon school board race Brummer, Kent Lake and Hardy elementary schools will see temporary classrooms next year As graduation nears, NHS senior reflects a positive attitude in spite of adversity Buy a cup of java on June 1 and help out with a good cause
2016-05-24 08:57 rssfeeds.hometownlife.com
75 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times The U. S. Air Force relies on more than 5,000 aircraft to give it unmatched dominance over every other competitor on earth. The U. S. Navy, for its part, counts on more than 3,700 aircraft and 273 deployable battle force ships, which constitute the largest and most technologically advanced sailing branch in the world. This much is true — no country can possibly hope to challenge the United States with military means on a global scale and win. But key to America’s global strength are huge air and naval bases which are vulnerable to being overwhelmed and destroyed by swarms of precision-guided weapons in a limited, regional war. The Navy also cannot expect its ships to survive if they come under attack by sufficiently large numbers of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles of the kind now fielded by China. While better protected from missiles than bases, the current breadth of U. S. technology and doctrine cannot compensate for this weakness. The result is that the Pentagon must radically rethink its missile defenses, or risk serious losses in the opening hours of a future conflict. But according to a recent report, the solution could be lots of futuristic lasers, guns and electromagnetic weapons that can engage enormous numbers of incoming missiles at relatively short ranges. And lots of drones. “Since the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon had the luxury of assuming that air and missile attacks on its bases and forces would either not occur or would be within the capacity of the limited defenses it has fielded,” analysts Mark Gunzinger and Bryan Clark wrote for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, an influential defense policy think tank. “These assumptions are no longer valid.” Gunzinger and Clark’s report does not describe anything new for U. S. military planners. Russia, China and Iran have are investing heavily in missiles with an eye toward targeting American bases. But it’s China that is of particular concern, owing to the fact that Beijing is producing very large numbers of highly-accurate and long-range missiles. Worse, the United States has fewer options to spread out its bases in the Western Pacific — it is largely stuck to islands — than it does in Europe or the Middle East, where dispersed “clusters” of bases are more feasible. Beijing already fields thousands of cruise missiles and hundreds of ballistic missiles which can hit U. S. bases in South Korea, Okinawa and Guam. The U. S. Air Force has deployed Patriot air-defense batteries to the Western Pacific, but the anticipated target for the Patriot is a lone North Korean ballistic missile. The Patriot cannot stand a chance if China throws everything it has at America’s installations. There is a similar threat facing America’s surface ships. The bulk of the United States’ cruise-missile defenses are on warships, such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with Aegis — an advanced suite of radars, command and control computers and anti-air missiles such as the Sea Sparrow, SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6. This is a formidable defensive weapon system … when your enemy doesn’t have a lot of missiles to throw at you. In fact, the Navy designed these systems for engaging a relatively small number of incoming missiles at long ranges. This makes the SM family large, heavy and expensive. Another problem is that the ships’ launchers — the Mark 41 VLS — cannot be rearmed at sea. A single Arleigh Burke destroyer has around 90+ air-defense missiles. But not every missile will hit its target. In their report, Gunzinger and Clark note that an attacker could expend 32 anti-ship missiles — at a cost of less than $100 million — to deplete a destroyer’s entire compliment of SM-6s (worth $300 million) given a 70 percent success rate on the part of the defending ship. That doesn’t include the cost of the destroyer, which is about $2 billion. And all it takes is a single missile to either sink the ship, cripple it, or render it out of action for weeks or months. Even if the destroyer survives, it must return to port and rearm. All told, this tactic means China could, in effect, bankrupt the U. S. Navy over time. China’s missiles are getting smarter. The YJ-18, in particular, is a very deadly anti-ship missile. Having only appeared in China’s arsenal within the past few years, the YJ-18 can travel 290 nautical miles, most of the way at a speed of 0.8 Mach. But once the missile closes toward a target — and within range of a defending vessel’s weapons — it dumps one of its “stages” and accelerates to a speed of Mach 2.5. Which makes it difficult for its intended victim to track and destroy it. However, there is a way to stop China’s missiles from delivering a knockout blow to the U. S. military in the Western Pacific, but it will take years and be expensive, too. The solution is also … complicated. The main takeaway from the report — the United States can no longer take it for granted that long-range missile interceptors will do the trick. Instead, Gunzinger and Clark propose a mix of tactical tricks and new technologies, including electromagnetic railguns with guided high-velocity projectiles, air- defense lasers and guided artillery rounds like the kind DARPA is developing. To make it harder to target U. S. forces, the report suggests dispersing bases when possible and hardening existing ones to force China to expend heavier, more expensive and longer-range weapons of its own. To strike the missile launchers before they fire, the authors want drones — lots of them — and stealthy bombers (like the B-21) that can penetrate China’s air defenses. The United States wouldn’t have to abandon air-defense missiles — it just can’t depend on expensive, longer range variants. Electromagnetic weapons would be enormously expensive to develop (with manufacturing costs in the tens of millions of dollars each), so these will likely be less common than lasers, high-powered microwave weapons and short-to- medium range missiles that can be fired en masse. If this vision ever comes to pass, it would be a major conceptual shift in how the Pentagon conceptualizes anti-missile defenses. Navy warships today include close-in weapons such as Phalanx to hit missiles during the seconds before they strike, but this is a last resort. What the report proposes is an networked grid of almost entirely short- range weapons, with the railguns and more affordable — and therefore more numerous — missiles focusing on striking targets at medium range. With lasers, you’re only limited by how much power you can generate. That’s a concern for ships, not so much with land bases. We also don’t how well this would work … unless an actual war breaks out — a real-life demonstration we’d be better off without. This article first appeared in WarIsBoring and the National Interest. It is republished here with permission.
2016-05-24 01:45 atimes.com
76 Supreme Court nixes plea for 100 percent cut in water to liquor industry in Maharashtra New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea seeking 100 percent cut in supply of water to the liquor industry in Maharashtra so that millions of people faced with unprecedented drought could be provided with water. Dismissing the plea as withdrawn, an apex court vacation bench of Justice Prafulla C. Pant and Justice D. Y. Chandrachud said it was a policy matter and any interference in this by the judiciary would amount to taking over governance. Telling the petitioner that the Bombay High Court has already directed 60 percent cut in supply of water to the distilleries, the bench said that the PIL petitioner before the high court could seek modification of that order. Observing that some aspects of the policy matter have to be left to the state government, the bench asked why cut in water supply to the industry should be 60 percent and not 30 percent or 70 percent. The bench also wondered if the plea for 100 percent cut in water supply to the liquor industry was not for "publicity". The petitioner Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale had questioned an interim order of the Bombay High Court which said that a balance has to be struck between the needs of the people for drinking water and the needs of the industry. Kale said human needs must takes precedence over the needs of the industry because the right to access to drinking water is fundamental to life. There is a duty cast on the state under Article 21 of the constitution to provide clean drinking water to its citizens, the petitioner argued.
2016-05-24 14:07 By IANS www.mid-day.com
77 CBI questions Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday began questioning Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat in an alleged political horse-trading case, in the wake of a "sting" video showing him offering bribes to buy legislative support in the state assembly. Harish Rawat Rawat reached the CBI office here around 11.15 a.m. and his questioning began a little later, an official told IANS. The "sting operation" video showed Rawat offering money to rebel Congress lawmakers to win their support ahead of a March 28 floor test in the 70-member Uttarakhand house. The floor test never happened as the state came under President's Rule a day earlier. The video was shot by a Noida-based private TV channel, Samachar Plus, and was released on March 26 by nine Congress legislators who had rebelled against Rawat's government.
2016-05-24 14:05 By IANS www.mid-day.com
78 No threat from Islamic State: Rajnath Singh New Delhi : Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said there is no threat to India from Islamic State (IS) as people of the Muslim community are against the IS. "Along with the alertness of the security, the Muslims in India are against the IS. They cannot grow in India as Muslims won't allow them," Singh said in an interview to ETV. Rajnath Singh Speaking about underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Singh said: "He would be nabbed and brought back to India. " "Dawood is an international terrorist and there is need to take the help of international agencies to nab him. All the relevant documents against Dawood have been given to Pakistan," the home minister said. Singh claimed that in last two years the internal security of the nation has been strengthened and Terrorism, Naxalism and Maoism was controlled to a large extent. He said both official and non-official reports justify this. On Pathankot attack, the minister said the security agencies have given right reply to the January 2 attack. Singh also said Congress was gradually "losing people's faith". "In coming days Congress will lose its political clout," the minister said. When asked about the "surgery" needed in Congress, Singh said: "It is their internal matter", adding that there was a need for Congress to introspect.
2016-05-24 14:03 By IANS www.mid-day.com
79 Special report: A lack of cooperation by law enforcement has helped organize crime thrive Organized crime in Israel benefits from insufficient cooperation between police, prosecutors, and regulatory bodies, according to the State Comptroller’s report. In a section entitled “The Financial Battle against Serious and Organized Crime”, the report states that the Tax Authority, the Israel Police, the State Prosecutor’s office, and other bodies lack the level of cooperation needed to target illegal banking and money laundering, in particular the thousands of currency exchange businesses across Israel. According to a 2015 Justice Ministry report, there were only 6 inspectors in the Finance Ministry responsible for regulating more than 2,000 currency exchange stores across the country. The same report estimated that the unofficial, unregulated economy known as the “gray market” is worth as much as NIS 130 billion or more annually. The gray market includes the underground banking system which many estimate may rival the size of the legal, regulated banking system in Israel. These include “loan sharks” dealing with small, high interest loans to every day Israelis who often can’t get loans from banks or don’t have the luxury of waiting, and bigger “gray market” players who secure massive unregulated loans to businesses who need the short term cash flow. The billions reaped in this unofficial economy are laundered in a multitude of ways, but most prominently through the currency exchange stores that dot the country, the control of which has often sparked turf wars in the underworld. The Comptroller’s report states that police do not take steps to reign in currency exchanges which operate without licenses, and that this neglect, in addition to the scant licensing requirements and regulatory requirements on the industry “ease the path for crime organizations to move into this field. The size and severity of the operations of the currency exchanges among criminals and their use as a central means of laundering money for crime organizations is well known, nonetheless, by the time the report was done, no systematic method was shown for dealing with this.” The Comptroller’s exam found that while property seizures have increased in recent years, they are not nearly as high as they could be, because police, prosecutors, and the Tax Authority, often work independent from one another on the subject of seizures, and that greater coordination could increase the amount of assets seized. “The comptroller’s office believes that the effective way to fight the war on organized crime and to reduce the phenomenon of crime, is through greater cooperation and by causing damage to the revenue base of criminal organizations,” the report states. On Tuesday, Israel Police said in response to the report that “the economic harm caused to criminals and the deterrence created by the combined financial efforts against organized crime (as can be seen with criminals who have moved their operations abroad) speak for themselves. The dozens of special police cases, joint task forces, and integrated investigations are evidence of this, as is the large amount of seizures.” “At the same time, we will study in depth the findings of the report, and in the few cases where it says we have room to improvement we will take actions in accordance with these findings.”
2016-05-24 13:58 BEN HARTMAN www.jpost.com
80 Mumbai Crime: 7-year-old girl raped, murdered; body dumped in creek A body of a 7-year-old girl was found late on Monday night at Patel wadi area in Malad (west). During investigation it revealed that the girl was first raped and later murdered, after which her body was dumped in the creek. The girl went missing yesterday around 4 pm, and the matter was reported to the Malwani police station at around 8 pm. Police immediately registered a kidnapping case and started investigations. At around 11:30 pm, her body was discovered by the locals, along with police, from the mangroves near the creek. According to police sources, the girl was used to stay along with her granny. Her father is a painter and used to stay along with her mother at Madh area. The victim was studying in Class II. The body was sent for postmortem at Shatabdi Hospital. The Malwani police, along with the Crime Branch are investigating the case.
2016-05-24 13:49 By Samiullah www.mid-day.com
81 Bob Dylan’s forgotten pro-Israel song, revisited “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now,” Bob Dylan sang in 1964’s “My Back Pages.” Reverse-aging or no, the legendary Jewish folk singer turns 75 on Tuesday. While Dylan’s Jewishness has been examined and reexamined over the years, relatively little attention has been paid to his 1983 song “Neighborhood Bully” — a rare declaration of full-throated Israel support by a mainstream American rocker. The lyrics (posted in full here) equate Israel with an “exiled man,” who is unjustly labeled a bully for fending off constant attacks by his neighbors. Dylan released the song on his second studio album, “Infidels,” in the wake of his brief born-again Christian phase during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some of the lyrics sound like they could have been taken from speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who often portrays Israel as besieged. Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man His enemies say he’s on their land They got him outnumbered about a million to one He got no place to escape to, no place to run He’s the neighborhood bully Others are reminiscent of the 2015 campaign ads for religious Zionist political party Yisrael Beytenu, in which Education Minister Naftali Bennett urges Israelis to “stop apologizing.” Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized Old women condemned him, said he should apologize. Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad He’s the neighborhood bully “Neighborhood Bully” came after Israel’s controversial 1982 Lebanon War, at a time when even Israelis were questioning their government. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman and raised Jewish in Wisconsin, Dylan has maintained Israel ties throughout his life. He visited the country several times in the late 1960s and 1970s and even took steps toward joining a kibbutz. He played three shows in Israel in 1987, 1993 and 2011. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement pressed him to cancel his most recent performance — to no avail. Even more recently, Israelis can thank Dylan for the 2014 Rolling Stones concert in Tel Aviv, the band’s first visit to the country. According to Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Dylan gave them the idea. “He was coming off stage and said, ‘We’re going to Tel Aviv,’” Wood told Israel’s Channel 2 at the time. “He had a big smile on his face and said he loved it there.”
2016-05-24 13:46 Gabe Friedman www.jpost.com
82 Migrant tragedy: Anatomy of a shipwreck An unprecedented operation by the Italian Navy is under way off the coast of Libya to recover the wreck of a migrant boat that sank in April last year - leading to the deaths of up to 700 migrants, the largest single loss of life in the Mediterranean in decades. Only 28 people survived the sinking on the night of 18 April - among them, a 27 year old Tunisian man who is currently facing trial in the Sicilian port town of Catania, accused by prosecutors of being the skipper of the migrant boat and part of a network of Libyan smugglers. Mohammed Ali Malek faces charges of multiple manslaughter, human trafficking and irresponsible sailing of the boat. Prosecutors have asked for an 18-year jail sentence. In an exchange of letters with BBC News from his jail in Catania, Mohammed Ali Malek claims that he is innocent, not the captain but just another migrant who paid 2,250 Libyan dinars ($1,600) to get on the boat that would take him to Italy, where he had lived in the past. But court documents show that all the other survivors - including a Syrian man also under arrest and accused of being second-in-command - told officials that not only was Mohammed Ali Malek captain of the boat, but that his lack of sailing skills had caused the tragic collision with a Portuguese ship that had come to its rescue. Few concrete details are known about the exact dynamics of the accident - so what do we know now about how this overcrowded migrant boat ended up in the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea? The boat's journey started, like so many others, on the beaches near Garabulli, in Libya. The migrants, most of them sub-Saharan Africans fleeing from poverty and conflict in their home countries and further violence in Libya, were being held at an illegal centre near the coast. From there they were taken in small groups by dinghy to a wooden fishing boat anchored off the coast, where they amassed on the deck and inside the hull. The 27m-long (90ft) boat is thought to have been carrying more than 800 migrants. Mohammed Ali Malek was one of those operating the dinghies, survivors told Italian prosecutors. As soon as the fishing boat was packed with migrants, he took the helm and brandished a wooden stick to coerce migrants to follow his orders, they said. The boat set off at the crack of dawn on 18 April. According to the survivors, it quickly became evident that he had little experience commanding a boat. They claim he did not know how to read a compass and that he asked for help from the migrants huddled on the deck. Hasan Ksan, a Bangladeshi survivor, said that the captain had used a satellite phone several times to communicate with his colleagues back onshore in Libya - and that he was armed with a gun. The boat continued its journey for several hours - and by mid-afternoon, the captain of the boat followed what by now is the regular procedure for migrant boats making the long crossing. Once in international waters, he placed a distress call with the Italian coast guard in Rome and asked for rescue. Abdullah Ambrousi was the commander of the King Jacob, an enormous Portuguese container ship that was sailing nearby. He received a call from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome, asking him to change course and attend to the fishing boat in distress. He did, and after around two hours, the radar on his ship detected the presence of a vessel in its vicinity. But it was so small, and it was so dark, that it was impossible to see anything with the naked eye. The King Jacob started heading towards the signal and Capt Ambrousi ordered his crew to switch on one of boat's headlights. Now he could see it - a wooden, rickety and extremely overcrowded fishing boat. Inside the hull of the boat was Ousmane Gano, a 31-year old migrant from Senegal. The migrants on the upper deck of the vessel told those amassed inside that they could see "a big ship" that had come to their rescue, he explained. "They asked us not to move to keep the boat stable. " Capt Ambrousi told Italian investigators that he steered the King Jacob to avoid collision, but that whoever was sailing the migrant boat continued to do so erratically, as if trying to "follow" the King Jacob's sudden change of route. He then insists that he ordered his crew to switch off the King Jacob's engines to avoid a collision. But from the bridge, he saw tragedy unfolding before his eyes. The fishing boat started to sail at slow speed towards the King Jacob - but then, Capt Ambrousi said, it suddenly increased its pace. The small vessel's bow rammed the King Jacob's port side, and then its starboard side scratched against the huge merchant ship. The fishing boat manoeuvred as if sailing backwards - but started to lose balance possibly because of the agitation among the panicked migrants who could see what was happening. It started to capsize, and in less than five minutes, Capt Ambrousi told investigators, the fishing vessel had sunk. Mohammed Ali Malek's timeline of the events that night is not entirely different from what other survivors narrate - but in his account, the "role" of captain is played by "an African man" he cannot identify because "he maybe died in the sinking". He admits in his letters that the two vessels crashed into each other, although in his account it was the King Jacob that hit the small boat. And he alleges that the migrant boat lost balance because "the big blades of the propeller [of the King Jacob] created big waves that capsized our ship and we all fell into the sea". Mohammed Ali Malek sent BBC News a drawing showing his version of how events unfolded - but prosecutors in Catania have no doubt that he is to blame for the crash. His "naive, careless and negligent" sailing of the migrant boat caused the collision, reads his formal accusation, which highlights that the accounts of the crew of the King Jacob and the survivors match almost completely, and that the marks left on the King Jacob's port side also confirm this account. Mr Malek and his lawyer, Massimo Ferrante, made a formal request to include the recordings of the King Jacob's black box as evidence in the trial - the tribunal refused their request, mainly because the recording had been erased with time. Survivors, including Mr Malek, describe the complete chaos that followed the capsizing of the ship. In his letter, he told BBC News how he climbed on to fishing nets and described the scene. "From there I could see many people at sea, shouting for Allah, who sadly then died", he wrote. Letter from Catania prison, May 2016 Interviewed by UK-based research group Forensic Oceanography, a Sierra Leonean survivor told how, once he was safe on the deck of the King Jacob, he could see his friends swimming for their lives, trying to hold on to ropes that had been thrown to save them. An Italian Coast Guard vessel and several other commercial ships rerouted to the scene joined the recovery effort - but only 28 people were saved. The number of dead is still uncertain - so far, 171 bodies have been recovered. Italian authorities fear that, once the wreck of the boat has been examined at port, the total death toll from the event could reach up to 700. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ali Malek awaits the next hearing of his trial in Catania. "To the relatives of the victims I would say that all the accusations against me are influenced by the statements from the other survivors," he wrote in one of his letters. He insisted that he had been accused because he was the only Tunisian on board, and that his alleged deputy Mahmud Bikhit, who is also on trial, was unfairly accusing him of being the captain. "I'm neither a criminal nor a murderer," wrote Mohammed Ali Malek. "I thank God that I'm alive after saving myself from death which many people on the boat faced and started reciting the Quran as they were drowning. " Many believe that the criminal charges against him are only a part of the picture when trying to understand how such a massive loss of life could happen in the Mediterranean. In their report Death by Rescue , researchers Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani claim that the lack of a proper search and rescue operation off the coast of Libya put lives an peril - and was a crucial factor in determining the fate of the migrant boat. A few months before the accident, Italy had suspended Mare Nostrum, its wide-ranging operation in the stretch of sea between Sicily and North Africa. Operation Triton, managed by the EU's border agency Frontex, replaced it. Triton's area of coverage was much more limited in scope, which meant that commercial ships travelling in the area - like the King Jacob - were called upon more often to assist migrant boats in trouble. These merchant ships, the researchers write, were "unfit to carry out the large-scale and particularly dangerous rescue operations involving migrants", and that the burden on them was "excessive". The April 2015 sinking, together with another one a few days earlier which left a smaller number of victims, marked a turning point in the EU's management of the migrant crisis. The reach of search and rescue operations was extended, while a separate mission was launched to fight smugglers at sea, with mixed results. Meanwhile, relatives of the hundreds who died that April night will find consolation in the fact that they finally may be able to bury their loved ones, thanks to Italian efforts to identify all bodies. When announcing the plan last year, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that these people were pursuing "freedom", and giving them a proper burial was a gesture of "humanity". Web production by Christine Jeavans
2016-05-24 16:35 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
83 Why is Bulgaria making a big fuss about the niqab? Bulgaria is set to become the latest EU country to ban the niqab, or face veil, after the right-wing coalition party, Patriotic Front, submitted a bill to parliament as a "pre- emptive measure". Belgium, France and Latvia have already done so but Bulgaria's example stems from the small, southern city of Pazardjik, which has just imposed its own "burka ban", as local media dubbed it. The burka, which covers the eyes, has never been seen in Bulgaria. The face veil is not considered traditional dress for Bulgaria's Muslims, who make up 10% of the country's 7.1 million population. The vast majority are indigenous communities of ethnic Turks, Roma and Pomaks (Bulgarian-speaking Muslims). In fact, women who have been spotted wearing it in the past two to three years are almost all members of a small Salafist, Roma community in Pazardjik. The community has been at the centre of controversy and media attention after one of its preachers, Ahmed Musa, was put on trial three times for spreading "religious hatred". Locals say Musa was born Christian but 20 years ago converted to Islam; he adopted more conservative views after travelling to the West. Only 4% of Pazardjik's 70,000 population is Muslim and only a fraction of that number follow Ahmed Musa. Yet the presence of about two dozen women wearing the niqab in the city created unease in the local administration. What's the difference between a burqa, a niqab and a hijab? The Islamic veil across Europe Bulgaria's vigilante migrant 'hunter' The migrants' hard route through Bulgaria "The main things that motivated and catalysed this [ban] were the terrorist attacks that happened in European countries and the increasing flow of migrants who entered the country in the past few years," explained Rumen Kozhuharov, the head of the municipality. The police had already issued a citation to one woman, he said, for wearing a face veil in the streets of the "Iztok" quarter, a mixed Christian and Muslim Roma neighbourhood where the Abu Bakir mosque of the conservative community was built 10 years ago. A week after the ban came into place no women were to be seen wearing the niqab in the streets of the neighbourhood. Local people were reluctant to comment, saying they distrusted journalists because of the persistent visits of TV crews and their "biased" portrayal of their community. One man at the Abu Bakir mosque, who introduced himself only as Agati, told the BBC that the ban was "an affront to the religion", but he refused to elaborate. Ramiz Sali, former head of the Muslim board in Pazardjik, who now works at the city's 350-year-old Ottoman mosque, said that he didn't care whether a woman covered her face or not, but that Islam only required that she wore a headscarf. The real problems that the Roma neighbourhood faced were high illiteracy and unemployment, he added. "What terrorism are they talking about when half of the Roma neighbourhood are scavenging rubbish containers? " he said. After Pazardjik, five major Bulgarian cities, including the capital Sofia, began considering similar bans. By contrast, Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second biggest city, voted against it; its mayor mocked the proposal saying that it would affect only Mickey Mouse and the Minions. The Grand Mufti's Office in Bulgaria has rejected the face veil ban bill, saying it infringes on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the constitution. "The far-right populist pseudo-patriotic factions are seeking to gain dirty [political] dividends on the back of Muslims, which is dishonourable given the scale of Islamophobia across the world," said Jalal Faik, the secretary general of the Grand Mufti's Office. The face veil was not a major issue in Bulgaria until members of the VMRO Party (part of the Patriotic Front) started calling for a ban in late March. It then gained wide support among both the ruling majority and the opposition left. "[Wearing the face veil] is one of the many steps which lead to radicalisation of the Islamic community in Bulgaria. We shouldn't allow such radicalisation," said VMRO MP Iskren Veselinov. He says the recent terror attacks in France and Belgium prove that such a ban is necessary. "France and Belgium started talking about [a ban] 30 years ago, but implemented it only a few years ago, after two generations of Islamists came of age," he added. According to Dimitar Bechev, visiting fellow at Harvard's Center for European Politics, the face veil ban is part of a political game. He explained that other members of the ruling coalition, including PM Boyko Borisov's GERB party, were supporting the ban to appease their coalition partner, the PF, while the left backed it because of its staunchly nationalistic attitudes. "Here is the threat of a vicious circle emerging: nationalists scapegoating Muslims and pushing certain individuals to radicalisation which in turn would fuel more hate speech," he warned. The face veil ban bill has already been approved by two parliamentary committees, and its supporters expect it to pass before parliament's summer break.
2016-05-24 16:35 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
84 Fallen plane tree becomes symbol of protest in Kashmir A fallen tree in a university in Indian-administered Kashmir has become a symbol of protest and creativity for students. Photographer Abid Bhat meets some of the students who have made the tree their canvas. About 10-15 students of the Music and Fine Arts department of Kashmir University have turned the chinar (plane) tree into an art installation featuring doodles, sketches and text about Kashmir's politics and culture. Some art works also depict the decades-old conflict in the state. Kashmir is a disputed territory with both India and Pakistan claiming it in its entirety. A violent insurgency against Indian rule in Kashmir began in the late 1980s and though it has become less intense in recent years, the causes of the conflict are still far from resolved. India continues to deploy around 400,000 security personnel in Kashmir to maintain peace - a cause for resentment among many local people. In the above artwork, the boundaries of Kashmir are depicted by barbed wires. The students said their drawings were not political, but the meaning of their work was open for interpretation. Some of the creations also display Kashmir's cuisine, culture and wildlife. The majestic chinar is known as the "crown tree" and has become part of Kashmir's identity since it was introduced here hundreds of years ago. Saqib Bhat says people perceive art differently. "This work is not self- centred. We don't want to tell personal tales. We want to share experiences which people can relate to. " Students said they were not doing the artwork for commercial reasons. "We are spending our own money and have not received any outside help," Mr Bhat added. Albila Zehra said their art was essentially "a tribute" to the chinar. "To ensure that we don't miss our classes, we do the artwork early in the morning, during the lunch break and in the evening after classes end. We cover it with polythene and tin sheets to prevent rain from damaging our work. " "We use different techniques like paper mache" to create art on the chinar, art student Anis Rashid said. "We are basically portraying the culture of Kashmir through our art on the fallen tree. "
2016-05-24 16:35 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
85 Man shot, killed at rap video site in south Houston A man was found shot to death Monday night outside at an apartment complex in south Houston where he reportedly was filming a rap video. The shooting happened about 9:15 p.m. at the Scott Plaza Apartments at 4230 Barberry near Ferdinand in the Sunnyside area, according to the Houston Police Department. A person in the area called 911 to report gunfire at the complex. When officers arrived they found the man, who was between about 25 years old and 35 years old, lying in the parking lot. He had been shot in the head and torso. He died at the scene. Police have few leads in the case. They said investigators were told the man, whose name has not been released, was filming a rap video at the complex. It was not known if he was filming at the time of the shooting. So far, investigators have no motive or suspects in the case.
2016-05-24 15:19 By Dale www.chron.com
86 Turner calls for information in killing of northside boy Mayor Sylvester Turner appealed to Houston residents Monday for information on last week's stabbing death of sixth-grader Josue Flores, emphasizing the need to apprehend his killer after police admitted they initially arrested the wrong man. Turner apologized for that wrongful arrest and called on community members to work with law enforcement. RELATED: ' Murderer on the loose' after child's death "I just believe there's somebody or people in this city that have some information that they can provide to law enforcement that will help (get) this person arrested and convicted. What we can do as the Flores family prepares to bury their son — we can do everything we can to bring this person to justice," Turner said. "But it's also going to take a citywide community effort to join with us to make that happen. Help us to bring closure to the Flores family, help us to make sure Josue Flores receives the justice he rightfully deserves. " Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo said she met with other law enforcement agencies on Monday to develop a plan to protect the northside neighborhood moving forward. She also said DNA testing had been expedited in the case, but it was not clear when those DNA tests would come back. Asked if time was lost because of last week's wrongful arrest, Montalvo said, "We never stopped looking, even though we had this individual. " CALL FOR JUSTICE: Community marches in honor of slain 11-year-old Crime Stoppers is offering $15,000 for any information that leads to an arrest. Those with information about the case may contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or Houston police at 713-308-3600. Mike Morris contributed to this report.
2016-05-24 15:19 By Rebecca www.chron.com
87 Tour de France: Special forces to guard race About 23,000 police, including special forces, will provide security for this year's Tour de France cycle race. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said exceptional measures would be in place with soldiers guarding key landmarks. He said the "terrorist threat" following November's Paris attacks remained "very high". France has been in a state of emergency since the jihadist-claimed assaults. The tour runs from 2-14 July. The emergency was extended last week by the French parliament to cover the Tour and next month's European football Championship. Mr Cazeneuve said that the CIGN, an elite police unit, would be on duty throughout the Tour and "ready to intervene at any time if needed". He said it was necessary for the security forces to be "extremely vigilant" during the race because they were up against "a determined enemy willing to strike at any moment". Correspondents says the event - which covers a route of 3,519km (2,247 miles) and attracts up to 12 million spectators - is notoriously difficult to police because crowds gather informally on innumerable narrow mountain roads and city streets. The group known as Islamic State carried out last November's assaults on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium in which 130 people were killed. The Tour de France is a multiple stage race that has been held annually - apart from in wartime - since 1903.
2016-05-24 16:35 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
88 Houston man convicted again for selling animal torture videos across state lines A man serving a 50-year state sentence for making erotic videos in which animals are tortured and slaughtered was convicted in federal court in Houston Monday of selling the same videos across state lines to customers. PRIOR CASE: Brent Justice and Ashley Richards were sentenced earlier this year U. S. District Judge Sim Lake heard the entire case against Brent Justice in a swift three-hour bench trial, convicting him on the spot of the four charges that remained before him. Justice, 54, was found guilty of three counts of making so- called animal crush videos and one count of distributing them to customers. Justice will remain in custody. He will be sentenced Aug. 18. The U. S. Attorney's office called three witnesses. The defense called none and Justice waived his right to testify. The first witness called by Assistant U. S. Attorney Sherri Zack was Justice's co- defendant in the case, Ashley Nicole Richards, who is serving a 10-year state term and got a three and a half year federal term in connection with the videos. Richards, now 25, pleaded guilty to three state counts and entered into a plea deal on four federal counts of making and distributing the videos. When Richards was a homeless teenager, she told the judge, Justice took her into his home and began referring to her to as his niece. Although they did not have a sexual relationship, he persuaded her to wear skimpy outfits and star in a number of videos in which she tortured and mutilated a chicken, a puppy and a kitten. Most of the videos were custom made for people whom she believed had communicated with Justice online. MORE DETAILS: Woman sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty Officer Suzanne Hollifield testified that PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, tipped off her unit, Houston Police Department's animal cruelty division, about the videos and she later determined they were linked to an alias Justice used. A search warrant at the house turned up lights, cameras, a tripod believed to have been used in the videos as well as a mardi gras mask, high heels, a dagger and butcher knife that matched ones used in the videos. Blood spatter on the walls of Justice's home was analyzed and identified by a crime lab as having come from both a dog and a cat. Then Special Agent David Ko took the stand, explaining through emails and receipts he obtained, how Justice sold his videos through PayPal and Western Union to customers in Orange County, Calif., and in the Washington, D. C. area. Philip P. Gallagher, of the federal public defender's office, offered minimal cross examination of the witnesses. However, once testimony was completed, he argued on a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the videos did not meet the federal definition of "obscenity. " The videos showed no acts of bestiality, and Richards was not naked, nor did her genitalia show, Gallagher told the judge. Zack countered that Richards had used profanity in one video indicating she was raping a kitten with a dagger. The judge dismissed the defense motion and said he found Justice guilty of all four counts. He faces a maximum of seven years on each count, or 28 years the judge were to run them consecutively.
2016-05-24 15:19 By Gabrielle www.chron.com
89 Man's killer unknown 3 years after fatal shooting in NW Harris County Three years after a man was gunned down at a sports bar in northwest Harris County, authorities are still searching for his killer. Dominique Johnson was shot about 2 a.m. May 21, 2013, at the bar in the 14900 block of Texas 249, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. After Johnson was wounded, deputies said, his friends loaded him into a car and drove to a home in the 5800 block of Wickover. He died there lying in the street after he was taken out of the car. So far, investigators have been unable to identify a suspect in the case. No other information about the shooting was released Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the sheriff's office Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers tips also can be submitted online at www.crime- stoppers.org. TIPS can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 and tips to CRIMES. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the case or charges being filed against a suspect. All tipsters remain anonymous. 2016-05-24 16:34 By Dale www.chron.com
90 Sunshine and warmth on the way Just One More Thing... We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder.
2016-05-24 13:43 Lauren Foreman www.ajc.com
91 Mumbai: Eastern Freeway ramps thrown open After a three-year delay, the ramps of Eastern Freeway going towards South Mumbai and coming down towards Wadala, which were awaiting opening, were finally opened on Monday by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). An MMRDA official said, “The land on which the ramps have been made is completely proper now and is not sinking. The work of installation of the signals above the ramps has been complete and the traffic department gave us permission to open the ramps.” Sources from MMRDA told mid-day that after the opening of the ramps, there was traffic jam on the location where the ramps meets the Freeway as there were rumblers that were installed to reduce the speed of vehicles coming in speedily from the Freeway. In order to avoid further traffic, the rumblers will be replaced with reflector paint that will be used to do lane marking. On May 1, mid-day had done a story (Mumbai: Eastern Freeway ramps may never see light of day) in which it was stated that how public funds were being wasted as the ramps for allowing mid-way entry onto Eastern Freeway hadn’t been opened despite a lengthy delay. MMRDA officials had said that piers built on marshy land need strengthening first and transport experts had said that sharp curves were a recipe for collision. The 250-metre-long ramps that were opened on Monday will help motorists travelling between South Mumbai and areas like Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Wadala get onto the Freeway easily. As the ramps were leading towards the curve, the traffic police had reportedly refused to clear the opening due to fears of accidents at the spot where the south-bound ramp takes a sharp curve onto the Freeway. The traffic police wanted signals to first be installed at the spot — a suggestion that hasn't gone down well with MMRDA authorities since the Eastern Freeway was pegged to be a signal-less stretch.
2016-05-24 13:39 By A www.mid-day.com
92 President Pranab Mukherjee signs ordinance keeping state boards out of NEET this year New Delhi: After raising queries, President Pranab Mukherjee today signed the ordinance to keep state boards out of the common entrance test (NEET) for MBBS and dental courses for this year. The President promulgated the ordinance this morning after Health Ministry officials returned with the file addressing all the queries raised by him, official sources said. Pranab Mukherjee Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi was at the President's Secretariat early this morning along with top Health Ministry officials to respond to clarifications sought by the President on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The Ordinance had been sent on Saturday to the President, who left for China today on a four-day state visit. After the ordinance on Uttrakhand was overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this month, the President's Secretariat was this time more cautious and raised pointed queries as it was virtually taking on the apex court's order which had directed the Government to hold medical exams under NEET covering government and private colleges besides state boards. The President was briefed by Union Health Minister J P Nadda yesterday mainly on three issues including different exams of state boards, syllabi and regional languages. This was followed by another briefing by officials after which the file was taken back by the Health Ministry last night only to return this morning with additional information and legal advice. The ordinance on NEET, cleared by the Union Cabinet on Friday last, is aimed at "partially" overturning Supreme Court order that had also taken into account the multiple medical entrance tests by states and private colleges as well as allegations of corruption. The court had directed that a common entrance test-- NEET--will be held across India for MBBS and dental courses. But state governments had objected to its implementation from this year, saying it will be too stressful for students as they had little time to prepare for the syllabus and also there were issue of language. They said the students affiliated to state boards will find it tough to appear for the uniform test as early as July and such students will be at a loss compared to those who have followed the central board. After the Supreme Court turned down the plea, the Centre had decided to take the ordinance route. Different states earmark anything between 12-15 per cent seats in various private medical colleges for state quota so that students from one state can get seat in another state. More than 15 states were opposed to NEET and had raised issues like different syllabus and languages during the recent state health ministers' meeting. The next phase of the exam is scheduled for July 24. Nearly 6.5 lakh students have already taken the medical entrance test in the first phase of NEET held on May 1. With the ordinance being promulgated, students of state government boards will not have to sit for NEET on July 24. They, however, will have to become part of the uniform entrance exam from the next academic session. The exam will be applicable for those applying for Central government and private medical colleges. The Supreme Court earlier ruled that the students would have to appear for NEET starting this academic session for admissions into medical or dental colleges in the country.
2016-05-24 13:26 By PTI www.mid-day.com
93 93 PSL Young Player of the Season nomination feels great, says Aces' starlet Modiba The 20-year-old midfielder has made a rapid progression from the third tier to the Premier Soccer League awards nominees list in the space of just 12 months. Modiba watched last years PSL Award ceremony as an ABC Motsepe League amateur player playing for Aces’ feeder team Alexandra City FC. This year, however, the School of Excellence product will be attending the PSL prize-giving ceremony at Emperors’ Palace on Monday night as a nominee for an award previously won by the likes of Thulani Serero, Andile Jali and Keagan Dolly. Aubrey Modiba in action during an Absa Premiership away match at Mamelodi Sundowns Having clocked 29 appearances in all competitions, along with seven appearances from the bench, Modiba has been one of the season’s standout players for AmaZayoni after he made his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates in Soweto on August 18. “When I got promoted to the Aces’ first team, my aim was to play at least 15 games and I must admit it came as a shock for me to have played 25 matches in the League and four in cup competitions, it feels really great,” the Aces’ No.12 said on Tuesday. He admitted he didn’t expect the PSL Young Player of the Year nomination and says he is focused on continuing to improve. “It’s a big award, especially with the number of youngsters in our League who are playing consistently and also that there have been a lot of young players breaking through, so for me to be nominated is a great feeling,” said Modiba. “I can’t say I expected it. I have had a good season but I still have a lot of learn and a lot to improve on. I have to give a lot of thanks to my coaches, teammates and fans for putting their trust in me and helping me improve.” Modiba was nominated alongside Free State Stars forward Sello Jafta and Bafana Bafana and Ajax Cape Town defender Rivaldo Coetzee. Modiba has been an integral part of Owen Da Gama’s qualification for the Rio Olympics Games with the U23s is expected to make the final squad for the Brazil showpiece. Goal of the season: Ben Motshwari vs Chippa, Mpho Makola vs Chippa, Thabo Rakhale vs Aces.
2016-05-24 13:20 Tiisetso Malepa www.timeslive.co.za
94 MMA comes to heartland of Thai kickboxing BANGKOK (AP) - Of all the various fighting styles that combine to create the burgeoning sport of Mixed Martial Arts, it is Thai kickboxing which is at the core of the new discipline. Yet it has taken until this week for Thailand to host its first major MMA event. Initially, there was concern and resistance among the guardians of Thai kickboxing - or Muay Thai as it is known locally - who feared the culturally important martial art would be subsumed by the brash newcomer, draining away fan interest and fighters. Partly, also, the delay was because of the lack of a promotable local hero in MMA ranks, and partly because of the difficulty many outside companies face in navigating the regulatory and commercial landscape of Thailand in order to stage an event. It took a serendipitous meeting between two childhood friends late last year to provide the key to unlocking these problems. When Chatri Sidyodtong, founder of Asia’s principal MMA promotional company One Championship, met up with entertainment entrepreneur Kamol “Sukie” Sukosol, the first outlines were drawn for an event that will come to fruition this Friday: the ‘Kingdom of Champions’ event in Bangkok. As Thais, they knew how to unlock the regulatory and commercial backing to make an MMA event work here, and had the complementary expertise in sports and entertainment. The lingering concerns of the traditional Muay Thai aficionados should be ameliorated both by Chatri’s long and respected history in Muay Thai, and the presence of former Muay Thai champion Dejdamrong Amnuaysirichoke in the main event, a straw-weight fight against Japan’s Yoshitake Naito. Chatri began Muay Thai as a child under the famed tutor Yodtong Senanan - Chatri took his ring name and now surname from his trainer - and has a reverence for the sport that precludes any desire to eclipse it. Instead, he sees a symbiotic relationship between Muay Thai and MMA. “I’ve been a Muay Thai practitioner for 30 years, as a student, fighter, teacher and coach. I love Muay Thai, it will always be my first love,” Chatri told The Associated Press. “In Thailand, historically, the practitioners of Muay Thai have been the lower class, it hasn’t really hit the middle class and upper class, but One Championship is going to give a big boost in popularity from the middle and upper class to support the sport. Even though Muay Thai is a national treasure, who really practices it? I want to make it mainstream.” Thailand is one of the last regional frontiers for One Championship, which has staged events in most parts of Asia and has established itself as the dominant regional player in MMA. The ambitions for the company are high, reckoning on the martial arts heritage of Asia, the development of local heroes and the possibilities of a sports media market which is heavily reliant on foreign products. “Asia is the home of martial arts for the last 5,000 years,” Chatri said. “Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are movie heroes who are billion dollar products themselves, but nobody has ever tried to present the beauty of true martial arts to the mainstream in a commercial manner on a pan-Asian basis. “There are 4.1 billion people in Asia. It’s the largest media market in the world, so there is no reason why One Championship cannot be the largest media property in Asia by far.” UFC is the powerful promotional group for MMA in North America, and moved to the verge of Asia with an event in Australia last year. Chatri believes UFC and One can co-exist without infringing too much on each other’s territory. Story Continues →
2016-05-24 13:11 In this www.washingtontimes.com
95 Vermont police step up patrols ahead of holiday WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Police say they’re stepping up enforcement against drivers impaired by alcohol and other drugs in advance of the Memorial Day holiday. They’ll also be increasing seat belt enforcement. A shorter period of increased enforcement last Memorial Day saw three traffic fatalities, five crashes tied to impairment, 33 total crashes, 12 arrests for driving under the influence and 389 speeding tickets in Vermont. State Police say the effort is part of a larger one being made by similar agencies across the country. They say they aim is to keep the highways safe.
2016-05-24 13:11 - www.washingtontimes.com
96 Police: Driver charged in high-speed chase was off-duty cop FAIRLAWN, Ohio (AP) - Police say a driver who led officers on a high-speed chase in Ohio earlier this month turned out to be an off-duty officer - and so was his passenger. Fairlawn police on Monday released footage of the May 7 chase, which shows an on-duty officer’s apparent surprise when he realizes fellow city officers were in a sport utility vehicle that was clocked going more than 40 mph over the speed limit and failed to stop. The chase lasted for about a minute. Justin Herstich is charged with not complying with police, reckless operation and speeding. The other officer hasn’t been charged. Herstich couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. It’s unclear if he has an attorney. The case wasn’t immediately listed in Akron Municipal Court online records.
2016-05-24 13:11 - www.washingtontimes.com
97 Ex-Craig doctor heads to prison for unlawful prescriptions CRAIG, Colo. (AP) - A former Craig doctor who was convicted of overprescribing narcotic painkillers has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. The Craig Daily Press reports (http://bit.ly/25j6kGZ ) that Joel Miller was sentenced after being found guilty of several charges related to allegations that he overprescribed controlled substances while he worked in Craig from 2008 to 2010. Miller had initially faced 20 years to life in prison but was acquitted of the most serious charge against him, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance resulting in a death, earlier this month. A federal judge had granted the defense’s motion for acquittal because of a missing word in a charging document. Miller would have been the first Colorado doctor to receive a sentence for causing the death of a patient. ___ Information from: Craig Daily Press, http://www.craigdailypress.com
2016-05-24 13:11 - www.washingtontimes.com
98 American Legion post inside prison to be named for soldier BERLIN, N. H. (AP) - An American Legion post operating inside the state prison in Berlin, New Hampshire, for veterans who are inmates is formally being dedicated. Post 123 is being formally named Tuesday for a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Savard was originally from Jefferson. The 29-year-old died from small arms fire while on patrol during combat operations. The Berlin post got its charter in 2013. It is holding a Memorial Day ceremony.
2016-05-24 13:10 - www.washingtontimes.com
99 Refugees and scholars: Colleges offer war- torn a route to US BOSTON (AP) - Colleges in the U. S. are opening their doors - and their financial aid - to Syrian refugees. Over the past year, at least a dozen schools have promised to cover full or partial tuition for Syrian refugees who are accepted for enrollment. They join a coalition of more than 60 colleges that have started providing scholarships to Syrian students since the country’s civil war began in 2011. So far, colleges have awarded scholarships to more than 150 Syrian students. It’s an effort organized by the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit group that offers financial help to students who are displaced by violence and natural disasters. Among more than 11 million Syrians who have fled their homes, the institute estimates that at least 100,000 are qualified to attend college but have few options to do so. “We’ve never really had those numbers before,” said Allan Goodman, president of the institute. “The Syrian civil war is more complicated and at a much larger scale than any other crisis.” To help refugees resume their studies, an initial wave of schools volunteered to offer financial aid soon after war broke out. Since then, many have followed amid pressure from their students. The University of Southern California is offering to pay full tuition for as many as six refugees starting next year. Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania pledged to cover $25,000 a year for five more. Graduate students at USC had pushed the university to offer scholarships for several months before the administration agreed. Tufts University near Boston joined the coalition in late 2013 after a student government called for it. At Davidson College in North Carolina, officials said they learned about the effort only after students brought it to their attention. The private school pledged financial aid to Syrian students last month. “This is largely driven by our students,” said Kaye-Lani Laughna, the international admission officer at Davidson. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to welcome a Syrian student in the next year.” The coalition includes colleges in some states whose governors tried to block Syrian refugees last year, including in North Carolina, New Jersey and Ohio. Experts said they hadn’t heard of any universities taking a similar stand against refugees. Mohamad Bassel Khair, 28, fled Damascus after explosions and firefights became routine. After going to Egypt, where he and his wife couldn’t legally work, Khair heard about scholarships at New Jersey’s Montclair State University and decided to apply. “They gave me a full scholarship, including rooming,” Khair said. “They were so helpful for me.” He is graduating with a master’s in nutrition and food science and is now seeking asylum in the U. S. for his family, including a 2-year-old son. At least one college, though, questions whether it’s legal to earmark financial aid for Syrian students. The University of Colorado Boulder rejected a petition asking to create scholarships for Syrian students, saying it would violate a federal law banning discrimination based on national origin. The school says it already offers other financial aid to help international students, including Syrians. Officials at the Institute of International Education countered that other schools have offered scholarships for Syrian students without facing legal action, and they expect others to follow. Daniel Obst, a deputy vice president at the institute, said that more than 230 colleges recently agreed to waive tuition for at least one Syrian student if the institute can find other sources of money for airfare and lodging. Story Continues →
2016-05-24 13:10 In a www.washingtontimes.com
100 Investigators flood Google’s Paris HQ in tax raid French authorities have raided internet company Google’s Paris headquarters as a national tax case against the firm appears to gain momentum. The breach, taking place in the early hours of Tuesday morning is related to an inquiry probing the company as part of a €1.6bn tax fraud case, according to Reuters. The company has long employed methods to lessen its financial outputs to the extent that the process of chasing tax from seemingly omnipresent multinational companies was branded the 'Google Tax'. 100 investigators participated in the raid in response to the company’s efforts to alleviate its tax bill, especially in European nations, by funnelling profits through countries with minimal tax rates. Such behaviour has brought it into limelight internationally, but especially the UK with chancellor George Osborne clawing back £130m in back taxes from the company – a figure criticised by many considering the company’s dominance of the internet. 2016-05-24 13:10 John McCarthy www.thedrum.com
Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-05-24 18:03