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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-07 12:01 1 Reuters: Top News - powered by FeedBurner ATHENS/DIKILI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey and Germany said on Wednesday an agreement between Ankara and the EU meant to stem... 2016-04-07 01:14 639Bytes (4.03/5) feeds.reuters.com 2 Chinese Link to ‘Panama Papers’ Widens A new report citing leaked documents adds a handful more names to the list of senior Chinese political figures with relatives identified as clients of a Panamanian law firm who (2.00/5) have set up or invested in companies incorporated in offshore tax havens. 2016-04-07 12:01 1KB www.wsj.com 3 Strong quake strikes Vanuatu; no injuries or tsunami threat WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Another strong earthquake struck the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Thursday but there was no tsunami threat and no immediate reports of 2016-04-07 12:01 1KB wtop.com (2.00/5) any damage or injuries. The magnitude-6.9 quake was…

4 Novelist’s life a ‘whirlwind’ since essay about gang rape NEW YORK (AP) — A novelist who last week posted an open letter saying the gang rape her character endured in the best-selling “Luckiest Girl Alive” was based on her own 2016-04-07 12:01 3KB wtop.com (2.00/5) experience in high school…

5 Rare First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays found in Scotland

(2.00/5) LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - A rare, nearly 400-year-old copy of a first edition of William Shakespeare's collected plays has been found at a stately home in... 2016-04-07 07:37 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 6 Student activist hacked, shot to death in Bangladesh Three motorcycle-riding assailants hacked and shot a student activist to death as he was walking with a friend in Bangladesh's capital, police said Thursday. 2016-04-07 12:01 3KB mynorthwest.com 7 Firefighters race to save 2 other natural parks CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—As authorities in central and southern Mindanao are engrossed in snuffing out a persistent fire on Mt. Apo, their counterparts in the northern part are racing to save two other 2016-04-07 12:01 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 8 Spike Lee premieres University of Missouri film near campus COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Spike Lee documentary about protests at the University of Missouri this fall, which were spurred by what activists said was administrators’ indifference to racial issues on campus, made its premiere… 2016-04-07 12:01 3KB wtop.com 9 Mumbai triple blasts: Muzammil 'falls short of rarest of rare', escapes the noose Bomb planter Muzammil Ansari awarded life imprisonment as the judge felt that if a person is hanged, he would not feel the suffering of the victims or their dependents 2016-04-07 12:01 3KB www.mid-day.com 10 Police say Minneapolis driver shot in road rage incident MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police say a woman was shot four times in Minneapolis after she honked her horn at another vehicle that cut her off. Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder says the 39-year-old woman was… 2016-04-07 12:01 1KB wtop.com

11 Golf: Anirban Lahiri 'at home' in Augusta India’s leading golfer says he is better prepared in his second stint for the year’s first Major that begins today 2016-04-07 11:05 2KB www.mid-day.com 12 Mumbai: School charges second admission fee for KG to Std I Students risk losing a year as parents lock horns with RBK School for demanding Rs 5k admission fee for kids promoted to Std I as they had already paid Rs 25k three years ago 2016-04-07 10:56 3KB www.mid-day.com 13 Mumbai: Conman promises marriage, cheats woman of Rs 80 lakh over 6 years The two began dating in 2010 after interacting on a social networking platform; another woman in South Africa claims that she too was duped in a similar manner 2016-04-07 10:27 4KB www.mid-day.com 14 Panama papers: Hacking our systems was the only crime: Mossack Fonseca co-founder One of the founders of the law firm at the center of the explosive ‘Panama Papers’ revelations on off-shore holdings said his company was hacked by servers from abroad 2016-04-07 09:44 1KB www.mid-day.com 15 IRVCL top honcho held A top official of Hyderabad-based construction company IRVCL, which had undertaken construction of the Vivekananda flyover that collapsed last week. With this latest arrest, the number of apprehensions made in this case now stands at nine 2016-04-07 09:42 1KB www.mid-day.com 16 [VIDEO] Florida Woman Gives Governor A Piece Of Her Mind At Starbucks A woman working on her laptop at a Gainesville, Fla. Starbucks apparently had way too much coffee earlier Wednesday when she took on Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the Miami Herald reported. In the video, captured by a man who identifies himself as Stephen Bender... 2016-04-07 09:37 1KB article.wn.com 17 Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce 2016-04-07 09:29 5KB www.mid- day.com 18 Even ICC does not give equal grants to all its members: Anurag Thakur BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur today said that disbursement of financial grant even in cricke's global body ICC has always been performance based where the top Test playing nations got more share compared to the associate members 2016-04-07 09:27 2KB www.mid-day.com 19 BCCI must discuss if Rahul Dravid is the right man for coach: Anurag Thakur BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur today said that the cricket board will have to deliberate over Rahul Dravid's candidature before taking any decision on India's next coach but assured that the right person will be selected at the appropriate time 2016-04-07 09:27 2KB www.mid-day.com 20 Mumbai: MNS gets HC permission to hold rally at Shivaji Park In a relief for the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) yesterday, the Bombay High Court granted the party permission to hold its Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar 2016-04-07 09:23 2KB www.mid-day.com

21 People are more important than playing IPL, says HC The court noted that hosting the IPL in drought-hit Maharashtra would be a criminal waste of water, asking the state government whether the matches can be shifted out of the state 2016-04-07 09:22 2KB www.mid-day.com 22 Tech difficulty delaying Shivaji memorial: Devendra Fadnavis Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday informed the Legislative Council the delay in execution of a project for construction of a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji is due to “technical difficulty” in the plan 2016-04-07 09:21 1KB www.mid-day.com 23 Swiss police raid UEFA headquarters The Swiss police raided the headquarters of European football's governing body UEFA on Wednesday in the wake of FIFA president Gianni Infantino denying any wrongdoing after leaked documents suggested he signed off on a contract with two businessmen who have since been accused of bribery 2016-04-07 09:20 1KB www.mid-day.com 24 IPL 9: Dwayne Bravo's 'Champion' dance, LED stumps the main attractions Dynamic West Indies all-rounder's smash-hit rap 'Champion' dance during the opening ceremony and use of LED light stumps are the two major attractions of the ninth edition of IPL, said Rajeev Shukla 2016-04-07 09:15 2KB www.mid-day.com 25 Sharm el-Sheikh tourism collapse hits resort – in pictures Sharm el-Sheikh is now almost a ghost town, with many resorts being abandoned and businesses forced to close 2016-04-07 09:03 973Bytes www.theguardian.com 26 Shocking! Woman kills baby boy because she wanted a girl: police A woman here killed her 23-day-old baby boy because she wanted a girl and concocted a story about chain snatchers slitting the throat of the infant, police said today 2016-04-07 08:52 1KB www.mid-day.com 27 Plunder complaint filed vs Bongbong MANILA - A youth group marched to the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday to file a plunder complaint against vice presidential aspirant Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. over his alleged multi-million peso kickback from the pork barrel scam. 2016-04-07 07:53 5KB news.abs-cbn.com 28 The Times & The Sunday Times News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times 2016-04-07 03:40 568Bytes www.thetimes.co.uk 29 Junior doctors' strike: 'Difficult' second day expected Plans have been made to deal with a "difficult" second day of the junior doctors' strike, NHS England says. 2016-04-07 07:56 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 30 New Zealand students suffer neck cuts in Sweeney Todd show Two boys received neck wounds during an opening night performance of Sweeney Todd at a private school in Auckland, New Zealand. 2016-04-07 07:51 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 31 Huawei P9 uses Leica dual-lens camera tech to refocus Huawei unveils a dual-camera smartphone that can refocus photos after they have been taken. 2016-04-07 07:56 4KB www.bbc.co.uk

32 Sudan's Omar al-Bashir 'to step down in 2020' Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir tells the BBC he will step down in 2020 when his current term ends, and denies recent reports of abuses in Darfur. 2016-04-07 07:56 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 33 4 Australians detained in Lebanon on kidnapping suspicion BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese authorities have detained four Australians, including journalists, on suspicion they were involved in the abductions of two children i... 2016-04-07 08:11 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 34 Yahoo - Yahoo Statement Regarding Starboard Announcement --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- today noted Starboard Value LP's announcement of its intention to nominate nine director candidates for election to Yahoo's Board of Directors at the company's 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Board's will review Starboard's proposed director nominees and respond in due course... 2016-04-07 08:01 4KB investor.yahoo.net 35 Moms plan thrift shop to support CMS Key Resale group wants to turn castoffs into cash for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. 2016-04-07 07:53 1KB www.charlotteobserver.com 36 Malaysia's 1MDB board offers resignations after parliament report KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Reuters) - Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) said on Thursday its board of directors have collectively offered... 2016-04-07 08:04 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 37 What's the world's loneliest city? In Tokyo, you can rent a cuddle. Loneliness is a health issue in Manchester. And perhaps nobody is as isolated as a migrant worker in Shenzhen. But can we really know what makes a city lonely? 2016-04-07 08:00 9KB www.theguardian.com 38 European diplomats criticise UN plan to curb airline emissions ICAO blueprint criticised for having too many exemptions to be credible, too little detail to be trustworthy and for contradicting Paris climate deal 2016-04-07 08:00 4KB www.theguardian.com 39 Tribune turns up heat in stormwater investigation KMorgan 1192 posts 2016-04-07 09:25 6KB www.thetribunepapers.com 40 editorial: It's cool to be responsible After journeying for hours from Chennai, the city’s first air-conditioned train arrived here in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning 2016-04-07 07:56 2KB www.mid-day.com 41 Rory McIlroy flying under the radar in quest to break Masters duck Rory McIlroy summed it up perfectly when he said he felt less "exposed" at this year's Masters than he did in 2015, when his quest for the career grand slam... 2016-04-07 07:50 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 42 Abbas to meet Hollande to discuss French plan for Israeli- Palestinian peace PA president is slated to travel to Paris on April 15. 2016-04-07 07:37 2KB www.jpost.com 43 Recto: Trail in cyber heist suggests hackers were Chinese MANILA - A Philippine senator said on Wednesday that Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off one of the world's biggest cyber heists at the Bangladesh central bank, citing the network of Chinese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila. 2016-04-07 06:27 4KB news.abs-cbn.com

44 JV Ejercito posts bail, says Zamoras behind case MANILA – Senator Joseph Victor ''JV'' Ejercito on Thursday posted P30,000 bail for his graft case involving the use of P2.1 million from the city's calamity funds to purchase high-powered firearms. 2016-04-07 06:27 4KB news.abs-cbn.com 45 Livonia - News Livonia - News 2016-04-07 02:40 2KB rssfeeds.hometownlife.com

46 TINGNAN: Mga anak ng mga kandidato sa pagka-Pangulo Nag-iikot sila sa iba-ibang bahagi ng bansa para manligaw ng boto para sa kanilang mga magulang. 2016-04-07 06:29 853Bytes news.abs-cbn.com 47 Schreuder offers 'something different' Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says scrumhalf Louis Schreuder offers his side something different on attack. 2016-04-07 07:31 2KB www.sport24.co.za

48 Two Australian students shot after trying to buy drugs in New Orleans – video Two university students from Western Australia have been shot in New Orleans after venturing into the West Bank area to buy drugs 2016-04-07 07:22 1KB www.theguardian.com 49 Marks & Spencer faces more pressure after 'flat market' hits clothing sales Retail giant Marks & Spencer is facing further pressure to shore up its clothing business after a "flat market" hit quarterly sales. The high street bellweth... 2016-04-07 07:19 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 50 Superfan begs Gary Barlow to sing at 30th birthday with amazing video Jill Campbell, 29, from Dundee, rewrote the hit Back for Good and performed in a now viral video in the hopes of persuading Barlow to come to her Take That themed 30th party. 2016-04-07 07:18 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 51 'Terrified' college students mistake priest for KKK member Contact WND Students at Indiana University Bloomington melted down after a priest carrying a rosary was misidentified as a whip-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan. An alert by one of the university’s residential hall advisors quickly spread across campus and social media on Monday. Students were urged to... 2016-04-07 07:16 4KB www.wnd.com 52 'Houston 5' to N. C.: 'Corporate terror' will never prevail Contact WND The media are filled with the news that North Carolina is “losing” 400 potential PayPal jobs because of its new religious freedom law, which protects women and girls from seeing men in their restrooms and locker facilities. A CNN headline said the state’s “bathroom bill” “just cost the... 2016-04-07 07:16 11KB www.wnd.com 53 'Greatest show on earth' wasn't a circus Contact WND “The Greatest Show on Earth” was owned by P. T. Barnum, who died April 7, 1891. Selling millions of tickets, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus had big draws including General Tom Thumb, a man only 25 inches tall,... 2016-04-07 07:15 3KB www.wnd.com 54 Lena Dunham says Kardashians are great role models The Girls favourite explained to Seth Meyers on Late Night how she is a massive fan of the reality television personalities, though she has a special affection for youngest sister Khloe. 2016-04-07 07:08 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 55 Prince William pushes for FA reform to stay relevant April 7 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William has urged the Football Association to reform its governance structure to avoid falling short of modern standards... 2016-04-07 07:06 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 56 An Australian girl, eight, is stranded in Bali without a passport Eight-year-old Ebony Silva has been stranded in Indonesia with an expired Australian passport for more than three years because her mother refuses to sign immigration paperwork. 2016-04-07 07:04 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 57 Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O come under fire for 'Wong number' segment Australian breakfast radio duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have landed themselves in hot water after a recent phone prank segment called 'Wong Number' involving two Chinese restaurants. 2016-04-07 07:03 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 58 Broken-hearted: Russian man dies after 2-month search for 4-legged friend A heartbroken elderly man from the Siberian town of Bratsk died after two months of failed efforts to track down his dog. His one and only wish to meet his beloved pet again touched web users and attracted a host of volunteers. 2016-04-07 06:59 2KB www.rt.com 59 Is this Gap advert racist? Clothing giant says it will pull advert photo showing a white girl resting her arm on a black girl's head in response to online controversy. 2016-04-07 05:46 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 60 School bus explodes moments after kids evacuated Contact WND A Florida school bus exploded into flames on Tuesday just moments after its driver removed all the children inside. Like the reporting you see here? Sign up for free news alerts from WND.com, America’s independent news network. Witnesses in Apopka told WKMG-6 that students... 2016-04-07 05:45 2KB www.wnd.com 61 Thomas Tuchel not expecting Jurgen Klopp to go easy on Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund have been warned that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will show no mercy to his former club on his return to the Westfalenstadion. Klopp takes... 2016-04-06 22:57 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 62 Extradition hearing for UK man wanted for child sex crimes continues A man who had been on the run for more than 15 years from child sex charges in the United Kingdom is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court. 2016-04-07 06:39 1KB www.news24.com 63 Judgment expected in Winnie's Qunu case The Mthatha High Court is expected to hand down judgment in Winnie Madikizela- Mandela's challenge to her ex-husband former president Nelson Mandela's estate. 2016-04-07 06:37 1KB www.news24.com 64 Brussels bomber had job at European Parliament One of two ISIS jihadists who blew themselves up at Brussels airport briefly worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament several years ago, the EU body says. 2016-04-07 06:35 1KB www.news24.com

65 ICC: 'Relentless intimidation' sank Kenya case The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has blamed a "relentless" campaign of witness intimidation as the reason behind a decision to drop the case against Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto. 2016-04-07 06:34 2KB www.news24.com 66 Sony hack suit: Court approves multimillion dollar class action settlement A US district court has approved a multimillion dollar settlement deal in a lawsuit brought by Sony Pictures employees, for damages they suffered as a result of the massive hack attack on the company in 2014 that leaked troves of sensitive data. 2016-04-07 06:13 2KB www.rt.com 67 Israeli businesses, government brace for annual Anonymous cyber-attacks Past attempts have targeted the sites of Yad Vashem, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Israel Defense Forces website, with limited success. 2016-04-07 06:03 3KB www.jpost.com 68 Clinton hits Sanders on gun control, sharpens attacks PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Armed with a blistering tabloid cover, Hillary Clinton is pitting Bernie Sanders against the parents of children murdered in Sandy Hook,... 2016-04-07 06:03 6KB www.dailymail.co.uk 69 Catch Jack Parow on the road as he films his new TV show When Jack Parow returns from his European tour he is going to hit the ground running to shoot the second leg of his Dis Hoe Ons Rol TV show. 2016-04-07 06:00 2KB www.channel24.co.za 70 EU referendum: Owen says Leave vote will help reverse NHS competition Former Labour and SDP grandee Lord Owen says leaving the EU is the only way to protect the NHS from market forces. 2016-04-06 20:58 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 71 Hail slams into metro Atlanta amid severe storms, power outages Hail has taken over in north Georgia as storm systems lead to severe weather across metro Atlanta. 2016-04-07 05:51 1KB rssfeeds.11alive.com 72 Health Ministry okays physicians’ assistants track at Safed college After years of rejecting the idea of physicians’ assistants arguing it would “lower the level of medical care,” the Health Ministry has approved a... 2016-04-07 05:47 3KB www.jpost.com 73 Security alert ahead of William and Kate's trip to India The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will travel to India at the weekend as security is tightened following a police warning of a possible terror threat. Punjab... 2016-04-07 05:03 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 74 Senior judge criticises 'insensitive' handling of IVF case A senior judge has strongly criticised an IVF clinic in London over errors with paperwork for a lesbian couple. 2016-04-06 20:58 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 75 Herzog’s show of contempt for UN’s ‘Zionist is Racism’ resolution is remembered "The message that my father related back then at the UN is still relevant today, perhaps more than ever before," Mike Herzog said. 2016-04-07 05:34 5KB www.jpost.com

76 Putin intelligent strategist, Russia played constructive role in Syria, Iran – Kerry on Charlie Rose Just as the Pentagon ranked Russia as its No.1 threat, Secretary of State John Kerry lauded Moscow’s “constructive role” in major diplomatic breakthroughs such as the Syrian ceasefire and Iran nuclear deal. He also had rare compliments for Vladimir Putin. 2016-04-07 05:33 5KB www.rt.com 77 Bernie Sanders: 'We have a path toward the White House' Speaking after his victory in Wisconsin Bernie Sanders said that his campaign had "a path toward victory and the White House". 2016-04-07 05:21 686Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 78 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times A global rise in the number of executions recorded last year saw more people put to death than at any point in the last quarter... 2016-04-07 01:30 1KB atimes.com 79 Tokyo's hedgehog cafe encourages you to embrace prickly pets – video Animal lovers have been lining up at a Tokyo cafe to spend time with 20 to 30 different breeds of hedgehogs. 2016-04-07 04:58 996Bytes www.theguardian.com 80 ‘There’s no such thing as bad dialogue,’ says ‘Forbes’ editor in Jerusalem Despite closing down Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda shuk in a pub crawl the night before, Forbes editor Randall Lane was on hand early Wednesday morning... 2016-04-07 04:56 4KB www.jpost.com 81 Ombudsman: Napenas, Purisima liable for the 62 killed in Mamasapano Retired Police Director Getulio Napeñas, one of Vice President Jejomar Binay's senatorial candidates, is in hot water after the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to hold him accountable for the 62 lives lost during the Mamasapano clash. 2016-04-06 21:58 994Bytes news.abs-cbn.com 82 Candidates' kids seek youth vote Four weeks before the elections, the children of presidential bets are doing their share for their parents' campaigns. 2016-04-06 21:58 748Bytes news.abs-cbn.com 83 Gwinnett Boy Scout troop devastated by theft BUFORD, GA (WXIA) -- They're out 10-grand in equipment and learning a hard lesson. A Gwinnett County Boy Scout troop was devastated when a trailer holding all of their equipment was stolen, leaving them with nothing. 2016-04-07 04:31 2KB rssfeeds.11alive.com 84 Nearly 14% of veterans engage in suicidal thinking – study A two-year national study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs found that 280 out of some 2,000 veterans reported suicidal thinking. At more than triple the rate for the general public, the authors hope to highlight ways to address the issue. 2016-04-07 04:30 3KB www.rt.com 85 Disease quadruples in 3 decades Contact WND (CNN)It’s a potentially fatal disease whose risks can in many cases be prevented through lifestyle measures. So why has diabetes seen a massive increase in sufferers? The number of people living with the potentially fatal disease has quadrupled since 1980, to more than 400 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Worldwide, diabetes killed […]... 2016-04-07 03:13 1KB www.wnd.com 86 Yen surge squeezes Nikkei, oil up as dollar slips By Wayne Cole SYDNEY, April 7 (Reuters) - The yen powered to 17-month peaks on Thursday, trampling Japanese exporter stocks in the process, while a broadly s... 2016-04-07 04:23 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk

87 Melissa George cradles her five-month-old son Solal Blanc in Sydney Now five months old, the little tot has been lucky to travel with is mother Melissa George as she returned to Australia to promote the release of recently-launched medical drama. 2016-04-07 04:22 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 88 Google expanding self-driving vehicle testing to Phoenix, Arizona | NewsDaily Test drivers use a Lexus SUV, built as a self-driving car, to map the area before a journey without a driver in... 2016-04-07 03:06 4KB newsdaily.com 89 Remembering the Kurdish uprising of 1991 Photographer Richard Wayman recalls his time in northern Iraq during the Kurdish uprising of 1991. 2016-04-07 04:11 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 90 Terror suspects face stricter pre-charge bail measures Terror suspects who attempt to leave the UK or fail to hand over their passports after being freed on bail by police could face jail in future under new proposals. 2016-04-07 04:11 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 91 Newspaper headlines: Focus on government's EU brochures Several of Thursday's papers lead with the government's £9m campaign to publicise arguments against leaving the European Union. 2016-04-07 03:00 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 92 Margate carer filmed dancing naked around disabled man A carer is filmed dancing naked around a severely disabled young man at a residential care home in Margate. 2016-04-07 01:54 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 93 Ashley Greene looks incredible in a low-cut crimson hued dress in NYC The 29-year-old wowed in a fire engine red dress on Wednesday in New York City. The actress showed of her cleavage in the bold low-cut frock while on the red carpet for The Hollywood Reporter event. 2016-04-07 04:08 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 94 The best and worst performances from 15 seasons of ‘American Idol’ For the past 15 years, American pop culture has been intertwined with the TV show, “American Idol.” Chances are you gathered with family and friends to cheer for your favorite up-and-co… 2016-04-07 04:01 1KB fox13now.com 95 Maine high court to hear Merrill Kimball’s appeal in bee farm killing The 73-year-old lobsterman from Yarmouth was convicted last year of murder in the shooting death of Leon Kelley over the inheritance of Brown's Bee Farm. 2016-04-07 04:00 5KB www.pressherald.com 96 Mainers relish ‘amazing’ gig as volunteers at the Masters They bask in the history and aura of Augusta National as gallery guards, work near golf's stars and even get to play a round outside the tournament. 2016-04-07 04:00 8KB www.pressherald.com 97 Merle Haggard, country music legend, dies Merle Haggard, the country music legend whose songs, such as "Okie from Muskogee," made him a voice for the workingman and the outsider, has died. 2016-04-07 03:59 1KB rss.cnn.com

98 On from Wisconsin, Republican convention fight more likely than not Would be the first contested GOP convention since the 1940s. 2016-04-07 03:58 4KB www.jpost.com 99 Jesse Eisenberg loves his “mercurial” roles: “It’s wonderful to perform in a way that the authenticity of the character is of paramount concern” Salon talks to "Batman v. Superman"'s Lex Luthor about his new film "Louder Than Bombs" 2016-04-07 02:43 4KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 100 How “American Idol” destroyed itself: The reality game show changed the rules for music — and made itself obsolete "American Idol"'s legacy isn't just the talent it discovered, but in how it shaped how fans and artists interact 2016-04-07 02:47 5KB salon.com.feedsportal.com Articles

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-07 12:01

1 Reuters: Top News - powered by FeedBurner (4.03/5) ATHENS/DIKILI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey and Germany said on Wednesday an agreement between Ankara and the EU meant to stem the flow of migrants to the Greek islands was showing signs of success, but many were still trying to cross the sea and the route remained far from sealed off.

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2 Chinese Link to ‘Panama Papers’ Widens (2.00/5) BEIJING—A new report citing leaked documents adds a handful more names to the list of senior Chinese political figures with relatives identified as clients of a Panamanian law firm who have set up or invested in companies incorporated in offshore tax havens. A report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on Wednesday linked relatives of two current members of the Communist Party leadership—Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Liu Yunshan, who oversees propaganda and ideology—to offshore commercial... Panama Papers: Icelanders wary of 'total anarchy' bbc.co.uk 2016-04-07 12:01 Chun Han www.wsj.com

3 Strong quake strikes Vanuatu; no injuries or tsunami threat (2.00/5) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Another strong earthquake struck the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Thursday but there was no tsunami threat and no immediate reports of any damage or injuries. The magnitude-6.9 quake was the third strong earthquake to strike Vanuatu since Sunday, although none have caused problems. The quake hit 109 kilometers (68 miles) west of the village of Sola and 453 kilometers (281 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Vila, according the U. S. Geological Survey. Its depth was 32 kilometers (20 miles). Shadrack Welegtabit, the director of Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office, said he didn’t feel the quake in the capital and hasn’t received any reports that it has affected the island nation. He said he’s not sure what has triggered the recent spate of earthquakes. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a destructive tsunami. Vanuatu sits on the Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common. The nation is also prone to volcanoes and cyclones. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has put his Loudoun County house on the market for a reported $2.749 million.

Strong Quake Strikes Vanuatu; No Injuries or Tsunami Threat abcnews.go.com 2016-04-07 12:01 The Associated wtop.com

4 4 Novelist’s life a ‘whirlwind’ since essay about gang rape (2.00/5) NEW YORK (AP) — A novelist who last week posted an open letter saying the gang rape her character endured in the best- selling “Luckiest Girl Alive” was based on her own experience in high school said Wednesday that the past few days have been a “whirlwind.” The 32-year-old Knoll, beginning a tour to promote the book’s paperback release, told a gathering of about 50 friends and fans at a Barnes & Noble bookshop that the response to her essay had been intense and overwhelmingly positive. “This has been, to put it mildly, a whirlwind week,” she said, adding that she had been thinking about a quote by W. H. Auden, “Art is born of humiliation.” “This book was born of my humiliation,” she told the audience. “This book is my pain, and this book is my power, after years of powerlessness.” “Luckiest Girl Alive” was published last year and caught the attention not just of the general public but of Reese Witherspoon, who is producing a planned film adaptation, with Knoll writing the screenplay. Parallels between Knoll’s life and the heroine of her novel, Ani FaNelli (or TifAni FaNelli), were clear from the start. Both grew up in the suburbs, attended private school in Philadelphia and worked in magazines (Knoll is a former editor at Cosmopolitan). But Knoll had long kept a crucial connection secret, acknowledging that she had dodged questions about Ani’s rape, questions raised in part by the book’s dedication: “To all the TifAni FaNellis of the world, I know.” “I’ve been running and I’ve been ducking and I’ve been dodging because I’m scared,” Knoll wrote March 29 in an essay titled “What I Know,” which appeared on LennyLetter.com, a website co-managed by Lena Dunham. Knoll was greeted warmly Wednesday and read a brief passage from the novel about Ani’s determination to leave high school behind. To the author’s surprise and relief, she received few questions about her essay. Audience members asked instead about her favorite authors (Gillian Flynn, Donna Tartt, Flannery O’Connor), her writing process and her work on the screenplay. “I do want to talk about the essay, but I don’t want it to drown out the book,” she said after the reading. “I think it was a good balance tonight.” One attendee, Elizabeth Blanchard, said that she had bought “Luckiest Girl Alive” when it first came out and that Knoll’s essay intensified her feelings about it. “It makes it more personal,” the 24-year-old Blanchard said. “To learn about what she went through takes the book to a different level.” Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has put his Loudoun County house on the market for a reported $2.749 million. Novelist's life a 'whirlwind' since essay about gang rape dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-07 12:01 HILLEL ITALIE wtop.com

5 Rare First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays found in Scotland (2.00/5) LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - A rare, nearly 400-year-old copy of a first edition of William Shakespeare's collected plays has been found at a stately home in Scotland, on the Isle of Bute. Experts consider the First Folio, as such editions are known, the most reliable text for 36 plays written by the man considered by many to be the world's greatest playwright. They include "Macbeth" and "As You Like It". The edition found at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute was authenticated by Emma Smith, professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University. "The collections managers were in touch to say they had a Shakespeare First Folio and my first reaction was yeah, right, sure you do. But on much closer inspection they turned out to be right," Smith told the BBC in an interview. The three leather-bound volumes, worth an estimated 2.5 million pounds, bring the total of known surviving copies in the world to 234. "Without this (edition) we would have lost probably half of Shakespeare's work," Smith said. They were collated and first published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death, according to the British Liabrary. The details of the hands through which the folio passed are documented in a letter from the book's 18th century editor, Isaac Reed, accompanying the book, Smith said, helping the authentication process. The folio will be on display for the first time at Mount Stuart from Thursday as part of an exhibition that will run until 30th October. This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death on 23rd April 1616. (Reporting By Elisabeth O'Leary Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Shakespeare's First Folio discovered on Isle of Bute bbc.co.uk 2016-04-07 07:37 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

6 Student activist hacked, shot to death in Bangladesh NEW DELHI (AP) -- Three motorcycle-riding assailants hacked and shot a student activist to death as he was walking with a friend in Bangladesh's capital, police said Thursday. The killing on Wednesday night follows a string of similar attacks last year, when at least five secular bloggers and publishers were killed, allegedly by radical Islamists. Police suspect 28-year-old Nazimuddin Samad was targeted for his outspoken atheism in the Muslim-majority country and for supporting a 2013 movement to demand capital punishment for war crimes involving the country's independence war against Pakistan in 1971, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Nurul Amin. No group immediately claimed responsibility. The assailants, who had been riding a single motorcycle, escaped after the assault while shouting, "Allahu Akbar," or "Allah is great. " Fellow students and friends of Samad rallied Thursday at the state-run Jagannath University, where Samad was studying law and had attended class the evening of the attack. "This is very sad for us. We are trying whatever we can do to support the family during such difficult time," university proctor Nur Mohammad said. People also flooded Samad's Facebook page with messages to their late friend. "Friend, please pardon us. You were, you are, you will be (with us)," wrote one friend called Rahat Chowdhury. Many of Samad's posts criticized radical Islam and promoted secularism. A supporter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular Awami League party, Samad also took part in the movement that successfully pushed for prosecutors to have more scope for going after suspected war criminals. Hasina's government has been cracking down on radical Islamist groups, which it blames for the deadly attacks last year on secular bloggers, minority Shiites, Christians and two foreigners. It accuses the opposition of supporting religious radicals in seeking to retaliate against the government for prosecuting suspected war crimes. Some of the attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group, but the government dismisses those claims and says the Sunni extremist group has no presence in the country. Two international groups promoting freedom of expression said the ongoing attacks showed Hasina's government was failing to protect people. "We urge the Bangladeshi police and other authorities to do everything in their power to investigate and prosecute this vicious attack on free speech and thought, and halt this terrible pattern of murders," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar of PEN America, a group of 4,400 U. S. writers. She also called on the U. S. and other countries to provide refuge to writers and secularists being targeted in Bangladesh. Samad's killing "is a cruel illustration of the costs of inaction," she said. The Center for Inquiry also expressed concern. The center's public policy director, Michael De Dora, said the Bangladeshi government "must do much more to protect its own people from marauding Islamist killers. " "These murders keep happening because they are allowed to happen," Dora said. Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2016-04-07 12:01 Associated Press mynorthwest.com

7 Firefighters race to save 2 other natural parks CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—As authorities in central and southern Mindanao are engrossed in snuffing out a persistent fire on Mt. Apo, their counterparts in the northern part are racing to save two other natural parks, Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan. At least five fires have broken out in within and around the protected area of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon province since April 2, razing a total of 851.5 hectares of natural forest and grassland. The burnt areas also covered sites of the the National Greening Program (NGP) of the government. The Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park has a total land area of 47,270 ha, of which 31,236 ha have been declared a protected area. It straddles the towns of Talakag, Libona, Manolo Fortich, Sumilao, Impasug-ong and Lantapan, and Malaybalay City in Bukidnon. Officials said the fire was spreading toward Libona town and was endangering the safety of at least 23 families living in Sitio Alawon in Barangay Sil-ipon. On the other hand, the fire on Mt. Kalatungan, also in Bukidnon, has so far damaged 143.85 ha of natural forest and grassland. No ‘fire out’ yet Maria Theresa Allen, Bukidnon provincial environment and natural resources officer (Penro), said that while the fires in the two mountains had already been contained by newly established fire lines, a “fire out” could not yet be declared as more efforts were needed to fully quell these. Allen said the volume of destroyed flora and fauna had yet to be determined, but most likely, she said, some of the endemic trees were burned down, too. In a meeting held on Tuesday, environment and local officials led by Gov. Jose Ma. Zubiri appealed for more volunteers to finally put out the fires. At least P35 million was also needed to counter the grass fires and to rehabilitate the mountains. Zubiri has pledged P5 million from the provincial government’s fund for the purchase of firefighting equipment and honorarium for the volunteers. Bukidnon, he said, had a surplus fund of almost P1 billion from last year’s budget. Volunteers The Office of the Civil Defense in Northern Mindanao held a separate briefing on Wednesday, reporting that over 100 volunteers had been involved in setting up the fire lines. “We have to stop the fires as soon as possible. The life of the province depends on these mountains. We will do everything within our powers and capacities to solve this. We will not allow any forest fires in our province,” Zubiri said, adding that this was the first time in 43 years that a fire affected any protected area in the province. Cloud-seeding on Apo In Digos City in Davao del Sur province, cloud-seeding operations failed to douse the fire on Mt. Apo, which had been raging since Black Saturday. Though it rained on Tuesday, embers continued to burn the next day, according to Harry Camoro, spokesperson of the Incident Management Team on the Mt. Apo fire. “It did little,” he said, referring to the cloud-seeding activities that started on Sunday. Some 50 medicinal red tea trees (Leptospermum flavescens Sm.), locally known as “tinikaran,” have been burned on the Apo side of Sta. Cruz town, also in Davao del Sur, Camoro said. “The area is highly combustible and there’s a possibility that a new fire could develop,” said Rye Glenn Trinidad, president of the Mindanao Mountaineering Federation, as he narrated how dry the mountain had become due to the drought. Camoro said more firefighting equipment had arrived and that volunteers were using water sprayers to quell the burning embers. Mt. Matutum closed In Koronadal City, the South Cotabato Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) and the local government of Tupi, South Cotabato province, announced the closure of Mt. Matutum from mountaineering and other tourism-related activities. Mt. Matutum, a stratovolcano that stands 2,286 meters above sea level (masl), has also been a favorite mountaineering and tourist destination in Mindanao. Emil Sumagaysay, Tupi municipal disaster risk reduction and management council action officer, said the decision to shut the mountain was reached after two forest fires occurred on its slope. On March 27, a fire of unclear origin broke out in Barangay Kablon, about 305 masl on the southern side of Mt. Matutum. It damaged about 5 ha of grassland but was immediately subdued, Sumagaysay said. Another fire occurred on the other side of the mountain on March 30, damaging about a hectare of grasslands. Campers were seen in the area before the blaze. “To ensure that a massive fire like the one going on in Mt. Apo is prevented, the PAMB decided to shut down the mountain,” Sumagaysay said.

2016-04-07 12:01 Edwin Fernandez newsinfo.inquirer.net

8 Spike Lee premieres University of Missouri film near campus COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Spike Lee documentary about protests at the University of Missouri this fall, which were spurred by what activists said was administrators’ indifference to racial issues on campus, made its premiere Wednesday night at a theater near the campus. Lee worked with ESPN to make the documentary, “2 Fists Up,” which examines how the Black Lives Matter movement sparked activism at the University of Missouri and the rest of the county. Lee contacted the university to set up a screening of a one-hour version of the film, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported. It was shown at the Missouri Theatre in downtown Columbia. About 800 people were in attendance, the Columbia Missourian and Kansas City Star reported. University of Missouri System interim President Michael Middleton introduced Lee to the crowd ahead of the screening. The documentary was initially slated to premiere May 31 as part of a package of short films by Lee collectively called “Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints.” Jennifer Cingari, a publicist for ESPN Films, said the network still plans to premiere a 22-minute version of the documentary on the network’s platforms around that time. A third 30-minute version of the documentary will also be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival this month in New York City. “Spike is excited about it. He really wants people to see it,” Cingari told the Daily Tribune. “It got such a good response. He feels a connection to this.” Lee was on campus last month to interview subjects for the film and record footage of the Concerned Student 1950 group as it protested at multiple spots on campus. The protests resulted in campus chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe resigning amid discord that included a graduate student’s hunger strike and members of the school’s football team pledging to boycott the rest of their season until Wolfe was gone. Missouri football coach Barry Odom said he was not contacted to be in Lee’s film or about his players meeting with Lee, but said he trusts they were “responsible” and handled it “the right way.” Odom was promoted after former coach Gary Pinkel announced he was retiring days after the season ended because he was suffering from cancer. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has put his Loudoun County house on the market for a reported $2.749 million.

2016-04-07 12:01 The Associated wtop.com

9 Mumbai triple blasts: Muzammil 'falls short of rarest of rare', escapes the noose The special POTA court on Wednesday sentenced three convicts of the triple blasts of 2002-03 — bomb planter Muzammil Ansari, Farhan Malik Khot and Dr Wahid Abdul Ansari — to life imprisonment. Also Read: Mumbai triple blasts case: POTA court sentences bomb planter to life imprisonment Haseeb Mulla, Wahid Ansari, Ateef Mulla, Muzammil Ansari, Gulam Khotal, Farhaan Khot and another convict in the Mumbai triple blast case being produced in court on Wednesday. Pics/PTI Key accused and SIMI operative Saquib Nachan, Ateef Nasir Mulla, Gulam Akbar Abdul Sattar Khotal and Hasib Zubier Mulla — who were convicted under POTA and Arms Act — were awarded a jail term of 10 years. Three other convicts — Mohammed Anwar Ali, Mohammed Kamil and Noor Mohammed — were given a two-year jail term. The court also slapped a heavy fine amounting to lakhs of rupees on the convicts — 75 per cent of which will be paid to the District Legal Services Authority (DSLA) and the rest to Central Railway (CR) as compensation for the blast at the Mulund station. Short of rarest of rare The prosecution had sought a death penalty for Muzammil. To this, judge PR Deshmukh said, “…Muzammil just falls short of the rarest of the rare case. I am not inclined to endorse a death sentence for Muzammil.... I am of the view that if a person is hanged, within a fraction of a second, his life comes to an end and he does not realise or feel the mental, emotional and physical pain which the victims of the crime or the dependents of deceased suffered or are suffering.” Read Story: 2002-03 Mumbai triple blasts convict asks for IQ test, claims declining mental health On awarding the compensation to DSLA and CR, instead of the victims or their dependents, he said, “There is no sufficient material on record [on the compensation], though some injured witnesses admitted about the receipt of compensation from the railways. Hence, there is difficulty in awarding compensation to the victims and dependents.” During his deposition, an investigating officer told the court that in his statement, Nachan had disclosed that he, along with his brother, Atif, had visited Kalyan two months before the first blast that rocked Mumbai in 2002. There, a Pakistani national, Irfan Karim, gave him an AK-56 rifle, a pistol, the key to a flat of Mohammad Nadeem Paloba (who was acquitted of all charges by the court) and some documents. The consignment was later traced by the police to a medical store. The court accepted the prosecution’s case against Nachan. Muzzamil, on the other hand, was nailed by direct evidence from six eyewitnesses who saw him either place the bags containing the bombs or in their vicinity. His confession that he was a key part of the conspiracy, the recovery of chemicals and explosives from him and the forensic report that matched the chemicals found at the blast sites with those seized from him sealed his fate.

2016-04-07 12:01 By Sailee www.mid-day.com

10 Police say Minneapolis driver shot in road rage incident MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police say a woman was shot four times in Minneapolis after she honked her horn at another vehicle that cut her off. Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder says the 39-year-old woman was driving Tuesday when the vehicle cut her off. Elder says she honked and the vehicle slowed next to her driver’s side, and a passenger shot her. Multiple media outlets report the woman was hit once in the stomach and three times in the arm and that she was in a hospital in stable condition. No one is in custody, and an investigation is ongoing. Everything you need to get out and enjoy those beautiful blossoms: parking tips, event guides, FAQs, photos and more. Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has put his Loudoun County house on the market for a reported $2.749 million.

2016-04-07 12:01 The Associated wtop.com

11 Golf: Anirban Lahiri 'at home' in Augusta Augusta (Georgia): When you see Anirban Lahiri (right) from a distance he exudes a feeling of "being at home". Whether it is on the practice range, the course or the clubhouse or even making his way through the various parts of the Augusta National Golf Club. There is a sense "I know where to go". India golfer Anirban Lahiri That’s what will be the key as he negotiates the world’s most famous golf club this week in his second appearance at the Masters. "I have been here before, I have played with all the guys here. I know which alley to take to get to most places around the club and I know the course, so that sense of awe, which was there was last year, is not there any more," says Lahiri, 28, with a lot of confidence. He catches a word with Hideki Matsuyama, a good friend of his; exchanges pleasantries with Patrick Reed; gives a thumbs up to another couple of players; an acknowledgement here and a nod there. Yes, he is very much at home at this level, along with the best in the game. On Thursday, Lahiri will play his first round with Jimmy Walker, a multiple winner on PGA Tour, and European Tour regular, Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark. "I made lot of friends at the Presidents Cup last year. Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and all the others are great guys. As you play, you get to know them and the families more and it makes you feel more comfortable and confident. " Talking of the year’s first Major, he said, "The Masters is the first pit-stop when you talk of the Majors and one starts thinking about it 3-4 months in advance. The schedule, the training for the initial months of the year revolves around that. I worked a bit with my coach, Vijay Divecha. The ball striking was great around the time of the PGA Championships (he was tied fifth), and we worked on putting and some other aspects of the short game. "This is a confidence game. So even if you putt the four and six footers early on, it builds on. At Augusta, chipping and putting will be crucial and I feel the conditions could be tough around Friday. So, I will need to take all my chances; make the makeable putts and be ready to bite the bullet. "

2016-04-07 11:05 By V www.mid-day.com

12 12 Mumbai: School charges second admission fee for KG to Std I Some students of senior KG, who have just completed their academic year, face a possibility of losing an academic year as their parents and school are at loggerheads over admission fee. While Mira Road’s RBK School has asked parents of students who are being promoted to Std I to deposit Rs 5,000 admission fee again, the parents claim that they had already paid Rs 25,000 three years ago while admitting their child into the school. Parents show mid-day the letters they had sent to the school, the education department and the board The worried parents have written letters to the state education department and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, which the school is affiliated to, but have not got any response. “We had paid the admission fee when we admitted our child in nursery of this school three years ago. Now, why do we have to pay that again? When we ask the school about this, the management claims the kindergarten is run by a different organisation but we see all students with same identity cards and the classes are also held in the same premises,” said a parent. Another parent added, “When we started asking questions, the school threatened to issue a school leaving certificate in our child’s name. They have already charged us Rs 500 for admission forms. It took us some time to get all parents together against the school after being subjected to such threats.” These parents met on Sunday and decided to fight against this demand. They also plan to move court against the school for such harassment. Year at stake “When in ICSE schools new academic sessions begin in April, this school has changed its timetable so much that their pre-primary section’s academic year ended on Tuesday. But they had set last day for payment of fee as March 15. Parents were sent SMSes that if they failed to pay the fee, their child’s seat will be gone. This scared a few parents who paid the fee but all of us, who are fighting, are worried about our ward’s future,” added another parent. These parents had approached the state education department and the ICSE board last week but haven’t heard anything. Another ‘irregularity’ The school also charges mandatory ‘professional sports’ fee, but the parents claim there is nothing professional about it. “There is no assigned time for it and every class gets two hours in a week for sports, when they are left to play on their own. Moreover, if they wish to be trained by a private coach on weekends, they have to pay additional fee,” said a parent. School says Meeta Nigam, the school’s headmistress, told mid-day, “We are not doing anything that is not correct. Whatever fee is being charged has been consented by the Parent Teacher’s Association of the school.” When mid-day questioned the school’s principal, Nalini Shetty, she said, “The pre-primary and the primary sections are different entities and that is why we take the fee again.” About the mandatory sports fee, Shetty said, “This started because parents asked for it. If they want, we can stop it but nobody has approached me for it.”

2016-04-07 10:56 By Vinay www.mid-day.com

13 Mumbai: Conman promises marriage, cheats woman of Rs 80 lakh over 6 years Take everything on social media with a generous helping of salt. A case of rape and cheating has been registered against a 35-year-old resident of Andheri East for allegedly swindling Rs 80 lakh from a Dubai-based woman. Also Read: P olice arrests conman who duped 60 women into marrying him Sameer Mehra befriended the woman, a divorcee, on a social networking website in 2010 According to the complaint, Sameer Mehra befriended the woman, a divorcee, on a social networking website in 2010, saying he was recently divorced as well. The two struck a rapport. A few days later, Mehra reportedly asked her to marry him and convinced her to visit India to introduce her to his family. Looking forward to a fresh start, the woman visited Mumbai and stayed at a flat she owns in Kandivli. The two met for the first time in Andheri, where Mehra arrived in a luxury car in a bid to impress her. In the course of time, they grew closer and stayed in each other’s homes. Smooth talker As soon as she returned to Dubai, Mehra asked her to move to India and help him better his business of automobile spare parts manufacturing. He came up with a sob story of how he had suffered huge losses in his business and needed to pay the advocate who helped him with his divorce. He smooth-talked her into parting with Rs 2 lakh initially, and then large sums of cash over the next few months. The woman told mid-day that she gave him R80 lakh in total. “I loved him and I did not mind giving him money. But this became a habit for him.” Read Story: Conman held after robbing and running from several wives Over the years, the woman kept reminding Mehra of his promise of marriage, but he brushed it off each time with excuses. During this period, the woman visited India twice — in 2014 and December 2015 — and even paid for his trip to Dubai. In January this year, a woman from South Africa warned her on Facebook of Mehra’s modus operandi of targeting rich, divorced women. The South African national claimed that Mehra had tricked her into parting with Rs 7 lakh, making similar promises of marriage. Blinded by her love for Mehra, the Dubai woman ignored the warning. She, however, began noticing warning signs — he started ignoring her phone calls and claimed that his parents were against their relationship. Determined to win his parents over, the woman met them. The family, however, raised objections to the fact that she already had two children from a previous marriage. The woman reminded them that Mehra knew about her children when he befriended her and that he had even met them during his trip to Dubai. The woman was finally onto Mehra when she learnt in January this year of his impending marriage to a woman from Mumbai. “I spoke to her and told her about my relationship with Mehra. She assured me of calling off the wedding, but didn’t do so,” said the Dubai resident. It was after this that she approached the MIDC police on March 18 and revealed Mehra’s game. She also told them about the conversation she had with the South African national. “We have registered the complaint and had sent a team twice to arrest Mehra, but he was not at home. We are on the lookout for him,” said Sailesh Pasalwar, senior inspector of MIDC police station. When mid-day spoke to the South African national, she said she had decided not to pursue a case against Mehra because it would involve coming to India to file a complaint against him.

2016-04-07 10:27 By Shiva www.mid-day.com

14 Panama papers: Hacking our systems was the only crime: Mossack Fonseca co-founder Panama City: One of the founders of the law firm at the center of the explosive ‘Panama Papers’ revelations on off-shore holdings said his company was hacked by servers from abroad. Ramon Fonseca said the firm Mossack Fonseca had lodged a criminal complaint with Panamanian prosecutors on Monday over the breach. Ramon Fonseca He added that in all the reporting so far “nobody is talking of the hack, and that is the only crime that has been committed.” In a telephone message responding to questions, Fonseca said, “We have lodged a complaint. We have a technical report that we were hacked by servers abroad.” He did not specify from which country the hack was carried out. Fonseca also rued the fact that reporting on the 11.5 million documents taken from Mossack Fonseca’s computer system focused on the high-profile clients who had used the law firm to set up offshore companies to hold their wealth. “We don’t understand. The world is already accepting that privacy is not a human right,” he said.

2016-04-07 09:44 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

15 IRVCL top honcho held Kolkata: A top official of Hyderabad-based construction company IRVCL, which had undertaken construction of the Vivekananda flyover that collapsed last week. With this latest arrest, the number of apprehensions made in this case now stands at nine. IVRCL assistant vice-president of Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) and administration of the Eastern Region, Ranajit Bhattacharjee, was arrested late last night after questioning at Lalbazar, the headquarters of Kolkata Police, a senior officer confirmed yesterday. Bhattacharjee, who had fallen sick and was hospitalised after the March 31 collapse, was discharged from the hospital last evening following which he was taken to Lalbazar immediately. Soon, a search would be conducted at IVRCL’s office in Kolkata from where Bhattacharjee operated.

2016-04-07 09:42 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

16 16 [VIDEO] Florida Woman Gives Governor A Piece Of Her Mind At Starbucks A woman publicly shamed Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday over cuts to Planned Parenthood funding, shouting at Scott "you're an asshole! " while he waited for coffee at a Starbucks in... A Florida woman who is clearly not happy with Gov. Rick Scott voiced her concerns in a confrontation at Starbucks that was caught on camera. Scott got an earful from Cara... Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) received a scalding reception during a visit to a Starbucks in Gainsville, Florida, Tuesday, when a woman confronted him for refusing to expand... GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A video captured a woman confronting Gov. Rick Scott as he stopped for coffee Tuesday in Gainesville. “You cut Medicaid, so I couldn’t get Obamacare,” ... Florida Gov. Rick Scott got far more than just a cup of coffee when he stopped into a Starbucks in Gainesville on Tuesday. He received a barrage of criticism from a woman... It starts like a joke — Gov. Rick Scott walks into a Gainesville Starbucks — but one patron wasn’t laughing. Scott stopped in at the coffee chain for a cup Tuesday after...

2016-04-07 09:37 article.wn.com

17 Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier Of bathtubs and phone booths Guess who’s the latest entrant on Mumbai’s ever- buzzing food-scape? Later this month, a cool and hip neighbour will open up beside SodaBottleOpenerWala. A few days ago, this diarist spotted construction workers fervently adding final touches to a new all-day eatery-cum-bar that shares a wall with the Irani-style café and bar at BKC. Christened Dishkiyaaon, it’s by the owners of popular watering holes, Copa and Sante. A peek inside the roomy space and we were transported into a chic and quirky setting that included swings in place of bar stools, a bathtub with an attached shower, blocks of vertical gardens hanging from a wall and a lovely blue telephone booth! Oozing with a fun, kitschy vibe even while under construction, we’re keeping our ears to the ground to hear the opening gun shot for this one. Style sister act Pic/Pradeep Dhivar Stylist Pernia Qureshi (left) seems mighty pleased with starlet Sonam Kapoor who dropped by to support the annual art show by kids from Deonar’s Gateway School held at Upadasthra House in Kala Ghoda. Soak in Sahyadris on a budget If you’re planning a summer break at scenic locales within the state, you’re sure to bag a sweet deal from Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The tourism body has announced a host of offers for this season at 19 MTDC resorts including at Ganpatipule, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Harihareshwar, Tarkarli, Tadoba, Ajanta, Bhandardara and Malshej Ghat. Educational institutes organising tours with students from six to 16 years can avail a 20% discount, and so can senior citizens above 65. Employees of Brihan Maharashtra Mandal residing outside the state, state government employees, Army ex-servicemen, differently abled individuals and NRI tourists are on the list too. And, if you’re planning to book more than 20 rooms, check out the bulk booking offers. Jazzing it up with the US Navy US President Barack Obama could be accused of re-hyphenating India and Pakistan at the diplomatic high table as he signs off from the White House, but the on-ground bonhomie between the two countries seem to continue unhindered. So much was evident when the US Navy’s seventh fleet flagship Blue Ridge, made a goodwill whistle stop in Mumbai. Members of the US Navy band interact with kids from the Happy Home School for the Blind. Pic/Suresh Karkera The Navy sailors have been visiting orphanages in the city, playing soccer with children from the Oscar Foundation, and even had a concert with the children of Dharavi Rocks. On Wednesday morning, the US Navy 7th fleet band performed for the children at the Happy Home School for the Blind at Worli. The Happy Home choirboys welcomed the band with songs like, When the Saints Go Marching In and La Bamba. The band then reciprocated with a set of Classical American numbers and New Orleans-style Jazz. Towards the end, the kids were given the opportunity to touch and feel the ornate instruments. While the two countries set out to recalibrate relations with a new President, it is good to know that people-to-people initiatives are still on in full swing. What’s cooking for William and Kate? The impending visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has created a buzz and how. From footwear concerns at Banganga to cricket matches at the Oval Maidan, it’s easily emerging as one of the most anticipated visits. So here’s more on it! A source tells the diarist that as soon as the royal couple land in the city, they will be whisked away to the super-swish Tata (Presidential) suite at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Their itinerary includes a tribute at the 26/11 memorial inside the hotel where the couple will also meet a few survivors from the terror attack inside the hotel. The grand big bash at the Taj Ballroom will see nearly 350 of the biggest names from Bollywood and business barons in attendance. An Indian culinary experience will be whipped up for the young couple, we hear. Exactly what, we have to wait to learn. The hotel is yet to receive the couple’s diet preference chart. You can expect to read all about it right here, as soon as we get a whiff of things, that is. Slam dunk in school Pic/Atul Kamble Former India national captain Sambhaji Kadam shows a few hoop tricks to kids from Deonar Colony Municipal School in Govandi. He was there as a part of a workshop at an event to promote education through sports. Art and ahimsa The St Regis Mumbai has curated five works by renowned contemporary Indian artist Sakti Burman. Heavily inspired by Indian mythology, the works tie his unique style to his Indian roots. These selections also aim to express his gentle and non-violent philosophy. Sakti Burman We find the art vibrant and an enlightening addition to the hotel’s famed art collection. The hotel conducts an exclusive art tour every Wednesday and Friday from 5.30 pm-6.30 pm for interested guests the next time you check in. The art might leave you delighted.

2016-04-07 09:29 By Team www.mid-day.com

18 Even ICC does not give equal grants to all its members: Anurag Thakur New Delhi: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur today said that disbursement of financial grant even in cricke's global body ICC has always been performance based where the top Test playing nations got more share compared to the associate members. Anurag Thakur Thakur's comments were in respect to Supreme Court's scathing observations on BCCI's fund allocation process where 11 Indian states were not given a single penny. "The impression we get from the Lodha Committee is that you are releasing huge amounts to some states and you leave it to the states on the ways to spend. You are practically corrupting the person by not demanding explanation in spending of huge money," the two-judge bench of the court comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla observed yesterday. BCCI secretary Thakur, on his part, gave board's explanation in this regard while answering questions from fans on BCCI's official Facebook page. "I think democratisation of sports is not in the interest of sport. Look at FIFA. They are struggling today because of this. Even ICC, which is our parent body, they have associates and affiliate members and they have full members. They deal with full members separately and deal with associate and ffiliate members separately. "This is the norm world over and we are not different from others. You have to earn, if you don't believe in earning your share, I think nobody will work hard. Look at Himachal Pradesh, we were not a full member in early 80s and when we were made full member, we worked hard. We created stadium and done well and I think that should be done by all states," said the BCCI secretary. Thakur pledged that BCCI has taken many steps in the right direction. "BCCI has taken many many steps in right direction, which has been applauded by fans. We will take every steps to improve the game. We are also helping other nations. " "When the observations were made, what BCCI has done in last 40 years. In 1983, BCCI didn't have enough money to honour the 1983 champions but look after 33 years, we have enough money not only to honour the chamnpions but also created beautiful stadia in almost each and every state. We have created wealth not only for BCCI works but also for players and we are also dominating world cricket. " 2016-04-07 09:27 By PTI www.mid-day.com

19 BCCI must discuss if Rahul Dravid is the right man for coach: Anurag Thakur New Delhi: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur today said that the cricket board will have to deliberate over Rahul Dravid's candidature before taking any decision on India's next coach but assured that the right person will be selected at the appropriate time. Rahul Dravid during India U-19 World Cup team's practice match at the Brabourne Stadium in January. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar With Ravi Shastri's contract as Team Director coming to an end after the completion of ICC World T20, Dravid's name has been doing the rounds for the job. Thakur said: "I think media publishes many reports which are not even discussed at any level. Rahul Dravid has done extremely well as a player and he has been outstanding with India A and U-19 players. "Before taking any call, we have to discuss that within BCCI that who we want to hire for the next 2 or 3 years till the 2019 World Cup and who could be best for Indian cricket. But I would like to assure you that we will pick the right person, at the right time," he said during an interaction with fans on a social networking site. There were reports that BCCI's advisory committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, has approached Dravid, currently in charge of India A and India U-19 squads, for the top coaching job.

2016-04-07 09:27 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

20 Mumbai: MNS gets HC permission to hold rally at Shivaji Park In a relief for the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) yesterday, the Bombay High Court granted the party permission to hold its Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar. The permission came only after the party assured the bench that it will take care to not violate the Noise Pollution (regulation and control) Rules, 2000. The bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Prakash Naik had demanded from the MNS an undertaking that it will not violate any rules of the noise pollution act. A petition had been filed by WeCom Trust saying Shivaji Park is in a silence zone, and it questioned how a rally can be held there. Senior counsel V A Thorat, appearing for the MNS told the court, that an undertaking had already been given to the BMC while seeking permission and the party will abide by the law. Thorat also assured the bench that this year MNS was not using loudspeakers but will be using Sound Distribution Systems. They will also be putting up sound barricades. Thorat went on to tell the bench that noted Marathi author Prahlad Keshav Atre (Acharya Atre), and founder of the Communist Party of India and author, Shripad Dange, had always used the park to speak to people, and in a city like Mumbai, one has to have a ground for leaders to speak to followers, it can’t be done at Oval Maidan and Cross Maidan. The MNS will hold a rally on April 8 for Gudi Padwa at the park, where Thackeray is likely to announce the strategy for the BMC polls. The party recently completed 10 years. “We will abide by the law,” said leader Nitin Sardesai.

2016-04-07 09:23 By Vinay www.mid-day.com

21 People are more important than playing IPL, says HC “Shift IPL to some other state, can it be done?” the Bombay High Court asked the cricket authorities — Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Mumbai Cricket Association — yesterday, while noting that hosting the matches in Maharashtra would lead to a “criminal” waste of water in these times of drought. The Mumbai Cricket Association said only non- potable water is used to maintain the pitches and this is supplied by water tankers, but the petitioners questioned where the water is sourced from. File pic The bench of Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik are hearing a PIL demanding that IPL matches be moved out of the state to avoid further water scarcity. Around 20 matches are likely to be played in the state, out of which eight are slated to be held here in Mumbai. MCA’s senior counsel, AS Khandeparkar told the court that around 40,000 lakh litres of water would be required to maintain the grounds and pitches for the Mumbai matches alone. And it will cost another 20,000 lakh litres to prepare the pitches in Pune and Nagpur, which is reeling under a severe water crisis. Advocates Arshil Shah and Ankita Verma, who appeared for the petitioner, Loksatta Movement, pointed out, “In total, around 60,000 lakh litres of water is likely to be used in the state to maintain the pitches, and in such conditions of drought, it will go completely against the water policy of the state.” To this Justice Kanade observed, “How can you waste so much water; it’s criminal. People are more important than playing IPL. The cricket boards are mostly headed by politicians who have not done anything. We are not against the IPL, but some contingency plan must be in place.” Justice Kanade asked the government pleader, Geeta Shastri, to make sure that no water is wasted during drought, and further asked the state to check where MCA was going to source so much water from. The MCA lawyer told the bench that the association mostly used non-potable water, which is not fit for consumption. He said this water is supplied by water tankers. To this, the petitioner’s lawyer, Shah, questioned where the non-potable water comes from? The bench will likely pass an order in the matter today and has asked Maharashtra acting Advocate General Rohit Dev to be present.

2016-04-07 09:22 By Vinay www.mid-day.com

22 22 Tech difficulty delaying Shivaji memorial: Devendra Fadnavis Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday informed the Legislative Council the delay in execution of a project for construction of a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji is due to “technical difficulty” in the plan. Devendra Fadnavis “The project is to be completed within a time frame of 40 months as per the plan prepared by Project Management Consultant. The delay in execution of the project planned for the construction of the grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji is due to technical difficulty in the plan,” he added. Replying to supplementaries over delay in Bhoomi Pujan for the proposed memorial, Fadnavis said a suitable date is yet to be finalised.

2016-04-07 09:21 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

23 Swiss police raid UEFA headquarters Nyon (Switzerland): The Swiss police raided the headquarters of European football's governing body UEFA on Wednesday in the wake of FIFA president Gianni Infantino denying any wrongdoing after leaked documents suggested he signed off on a contract with two businessmen who have since been accused of bribery. Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, as owners of Cross Trading, bought TV rights for Champions League football and immediately sold them on for almost three times the price. The 2006 contract was signed off by Infantino when he was a UEFA director. According to leaked documents, it sold them to Ecuadorian TV broadcaster Teleamazonas for $311,170. Infantino has said he is "dismayed" that his "integrity is being doubted". "UEFA can confirm that today we received a visit from the office of the Swiss Federal Police acting under a warrant and requesting sight of the contracts between UEFA and Cross Trading/Teleamazonas,' UEFA said in a statement on Wednesday. "Naturally, UEFA is providing the Federal Police with all relevant documents in our possession and will cooperate fully. "

2016-04-07 09:20 By IANS www.mid-day.com

24 IPL 9: Dwayne Bravo's 'Champion' dance, LED stumps the main attractions New Delhi: Dynamic West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's smash-hit rap 'Champion dance' during the opening ceremony and the use of LED light stumps are the two major attractions of the ninth edition of Indian Premier League, said tournament chairman Rajeev Shukla. Dwayne Bravo. Pic/ Suresh Karkera Bravo, who will be playing for the new team Gujarat Lions, is expected to perform the 'Champion Dance' that has now become a rage among the cricket fans of India and IPL is trying to cash in on its popularity. "Dwayne Bravo is performing on Champion Dance during the opening ceremony of IPL-9 in Mumbai. His performance will be the special attraction and there might be a few more West Indies cricketers, who will perform alongside Bravo," IPL chairman Shukla told PTI today. Shukla also informed that the LED stumps, which lights up and has been in use since 2014 across ICC's 20 and 50 over World Cups, will be used for the first time in the cash-rich league. LED stumps were first used during Big Bash 2013 and subsequently in the 2014 and 2016 ICC World T20s along with 2015 World Cup. The LED stumps were an innovation by Bronte Eckermann and no player can keep it as a souvenir. A pair of bails is believed to cost as much as a latest version of iPhone. "The LED stumps will be used during this season's IPL matches. The same company that has supplied LED stumps to ICC has been roped in for the tournament," Shukla said. The IPL governing council has also thought about 'Fan Engagement' and that's why they are trying an innovative idea to connect with the fans during the match. "If there is a run-out or a stumping that has been referred to the third umpire, before the decision is flashed, the fans express their opinion. They will be provided with placards with signs of "out or Not Out" and they can flash it for 30 seconds irrespective of the umpire's decision," said Shukla. There will also be 36 'IPL Fan Parks' with one outside India in the United States. "There will be a Fan Park in the state of New Jersey in the United States. It is the first time that an IPL Fan park will be created outside the country. The 35 in the country is a significant rise from the 16 we had last year," said Shukla.

2016-04-07 09:15 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

25 Sharm el-Sheikh tourism collapse hits resort – in pictures The Red Sea resort is now almost a ghost town, with many hotels abandoned and businesses closed after terrorist attacks in Egypt caused tourist numbers to plummet. Before the Arab spring in 2011, about 15 million tourists would visit Egypt each year

2016-04-07 09:03 Chris McGrath www.theguardian.com

26 Shocking! Woman kills baby boy because she wanted a girl: police Hyderabad: A woman here killed her 23-day-old baby boy because she wanted a girl and concocted a story about chain snatchers slitting the throat of the infant, police said today. Purnima (30), a mother of two boys, gave birth to a baby boy last month. Last night, she claimed that unidentified chain snatchers sprayed some liquid on her face after which she fell unconscious and after gaining consciousness she found the baby's throat slit and her gold chain missing. The baby was declared brought dead at a hospital. Neredmet police registered a case of murder based on her complaint, said inspector S Ashok Kumar. But police became suspicious about her version after visiting the scene of the crime and during the interrogation the woman admitted that she herself had killed the baby because she wanted a girl, he said. She is yet to be arrested though police registered a case of murder against her.

2016-04-07 08:52 By PTI www.mid-day.com

27 Plunder complaint filed vs Bongbong Bongbong says it's an old issue iBalik Ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan calls Ombudsman to investigate Sen. Bongbong Marcos in the pork barrel scam. pic.twitter.com/0gwxXG8phW — Carolyn Bonquin (@carolyn_bonquin) April 6, 2016 MANILA - A youth group marched to the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday to file a plunder complaint against vice-presidential aspirant Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. over his alleged multi-million peso kickback from the pork barrel scam. This is the first plunder complaint filed against a member of the Marcos family. The pending cases of the Marcoses on alleged ill-gotten wealth before the Sandiganbayan are for reversion, reconveyance, restitution, accounting, and damages. Unlike the current pending cases, the crime of plunder passed after martial law is a non-bailable offense. It involves ill-gotten wealth amounting to at least P50 million, acquired by a government employee or official through conspiracy with other individuals. There also has to be a combination or series of acts, not just one. The group iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan (iBBM) accused Marcos of stealing millions of public funds from his Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF) through the fake non- government organizations allegedly run by Janet Lim Napoles. The iBBM based their complaint on whistleblower Benhur Luy's list of lawmakers involved in the multi-billion scam, audit reports, Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and transcripts of statements made during the Senate investigations. The complaint states that a total of P205 million was given to bogus organizations in 2011 and 2012. This includes P15 million to Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc. (SDPFFI), P10 million to Health Education Assistance Resettlement Training Services (HEARTS), P30 million to Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation Inc. (CARED), P30 million to People's Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc. (POPDFI), P20 million to Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc. (KMFI), and P100 million to National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC). The funds were supposedly allotted for organic farming of high-value crops in several towns in Quezon, Pangasinan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan provinces. The complaint cites Commission on Audit (COA) findings which show that the chosen organizations for the project were non-existent, could not be located, or were incapable of handling such government projects. Attached in the complaint are the SAROs authorizing the release of the funds from Marcos' PDAF. The complaint also cites Napoles' statement before the Senate that Catherine Mae "Maya" Santos, a former consultant in Marcos' office, offered to use the senator's project in exchange for a 50%-commission. While the investigating agency has yet to finish the investigation on the pork barrel scam, iBBM wants to speed up the probe against Marcos, who is currently a front runner in the vice- presidential race. The group is alarmed by Marcos' increasing popularity as reflected in recent surveys where he is statistically tied with erstwhile front runner Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. READ: EDSA fatigue: Why Bongbong Marcos is suddenly popular The group accused Marcos of continuing his father, former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos' "legacy" of stealing from the government. "Hindi na tayo makakapaghintay doon sa mga batches ng maifa-file na kaso lalo nga't palapit na yung eleksyon. Nakikita natin tumataas si Bongbong Marcos. Habang papalapit si Bongbong sa Malacañang, siguraduhin natin na panagutin siya sa ninakaw niyang pera," said Rafaela David, spokesperson of iBBM. "Maraming nagsasabi na hindi naman nagnakaw si Bongbong Marcos, ang nagnakaw ang kanyang ama. The truth of the matter is, noong martial law pa lang, may mga koneksyon na pati si Bongbong Marcos ay nagnakaw noong bata pa siya at hanggang ngayon," David added. The iBBM called on Marcos to return the people's money he allegedly stole. One of the senator's rivals, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, has also asked Marcos to return the billions worth of money and assets his family allegedly stole from government coffers during his father's reign. "Hindi naman para sa akin yun, hindi naman para sa amin na mga katunggali sa pulitika. Para iyon sa mga biktima ng human rights violations so kailangan talagang isauli," she said. [Team BBM] @bongbongmarcos on the way to Las Piñas City Hall with his son, Simon, and @MartinRomualdez #TayoAngBUKAS pic.twitter.com/uZrCjYURtq — Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) April 6, 2016 Marcos, for his part, shrugged off the complaint, saying this was an old issue that is just being revived by his rivals. Marcos added that he already expected criticisms after he topped the recent vice-presidential preference surveys.

Bongbong Marcos, inireklamo ng plunder sa Ombudsman news.abs-cbn.com Bongbong Marcos accused of plunder news.abs-cbn.com 2016-04-07 07:53 Carolyn Bonquin news.abs-cbn.com

28 The Times & The Sunday Times Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12 With analysis from Henry Winter, Mike Atherton and Stuart Barnes. Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12 From the FTSE 100 to SMEs to entrepreneurs. Get the story behind the headlines with 12 weeks for £12.

2016-04-07 03:40 www.thetimes.co.uk

29 Junior doctors' strike: 'Difficult' second day expected Plans have been made to deal with a "difficult" second day of the junior doctors' strike, NHS England has said. More than 5,000 operations and procedures have been postponed as a result of the 48-hour walkout which started at 08:00 BST on Wednesday. NHS England national incident director Dr Anne Rainsberry said there would probably be greater impact on Thursday. Junior doctors in England are taking part in a fourth strike in a long-running dispute over a new contract. Dr Rainsberry said: "Patients are at the heart of the NHS and we can only apologise to the thousands of people facing disruption and uncertainty as a result of this ongoing action. "We've already seen the pressure a 48-hour stoppage places on the NHS. "The impact of the action so far is broadly in line with what we were expecting but tomorrow (Thursday) is likely to more difficult and we have made sure we have planned for this. "Patient safety is always our absolute priority and staff across the country will be doing their utmost to make sure patients can continue to access urgent and emergency services. " NHS England said 46% of junior doctors turned up to work on Wednesday. This included those who never intended to strike such as those providing emergency care cover. The latest action means the total number of treatments that have been delayed has now hit 24,500 during the dispute. The Patients Association has come out in support of junior doctors despite the disruption, saying the government should not be imposing the contract. But despite pleas from them and other organisations for both sides to get back round the negotiating table, the government and the British Medical Association (BMA) have remained adamant they will not budge from their positions. Sources indicated there was now little dialogue between ministers and the union with the first ever walkouts of emergency care in the history of the NHS planned for the end of April. The all-out stoppages will take place from 08:00 to 17:00 BST on both 26 and 27 April and will see junior doctors refuse to staff A&E departments as well as emergency surgery and intensive care. The BMA said it had been left with "no choice" in its fight against the government's plan to impose a new contract in which, it said, the profession had "no confidence". Ministers have said the changes, which will see doctors paid less for working weekends while basic pay is increased, are needed to improve care at weekends. This is disputed by the BMA. Over the past few weeks a host of organisations, including patient group National Voices and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, have come forward to call on the government to drop the imposition and the BMA to stop the strikes and reopen talks. BMA junior doctors' leader Johann Malawana said: "By pursuing its current course, the government risks alienating a generation of doctors. "If it continues to ignore junior doctors' concerns, at a time when their morale is already at rock bottom, doctors may vote with their feet which will clearly affect the long-term future of the NHS and the care it provides. "Responsibility for industrial action now lies entirely with the government. They must start listening and resume negotiations on a properly funded junior doctors' contract to protect the future of patient care and the NHS. " Bur a Department of Health spokeswoman said: "This strike is irresponsible and disproportionate, and with almost 25,000 operations cancelled so far, it is patients who are suffering. "If the BMA had agreed to negotiate on Saturday pay, as they promised to do through Acas in November, we'd have a negotiated agreement by now. " Has your operation been postponed because of the strike? Are you a junior doctor? Share your experiences with us. Email [email protected] with your stories. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: Or use the form below

2016-04-07 07:56 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

30 New Zealand students suffer neck cuts in Sweeney Todd show Two boys were taken to hospital after receiving neck wounds during an opening night performance of Sweeney Todd at a school in Auckland, New Zealand. The musical features a barber who murders his customers by slitting their throats and selling their remains to a pie shop. One of the boys, both aged 16, was more seriously hurt but Auckland Hospital said both were in a stable condition. Saint Kentigern College said it was "distressed" over what happened. The head of the private college, Steve Cole told TVNZ, that it was an "unfortunate and isolated incident" involving "a prop that was covered in all sorts of duct tape and silver paper. " The razor did not have a sharp edge and it had been used numerous times in rehearsals, he said. The school has postponed Thursday's performance of the play, and said the boys were expected to be discharged from hospital on Thursday "Plays and performances are a big part of all school life" it said in an earlier statement. "We are also very focused on helping other cast and crew members, along with the wider school community and have offered all students counselling. " Police are also investigating the incident, but said they were treating it as an accident. "It's not a criminal inquiry. In this instance the play is not the reality," said the police spokesman, according to local media. New Zealand's health and safety authorities are also reported to be investigating.

2016-04-07 07:51 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

31 Huawei P9 uses Leica dual-lens camera tech to refocus Huawei has unveiled an Android smartphone that uses dual-camera technology to let owners refocus photos after they have been taken. The feature is the result of a collaboration between the Chinese tech firm and German camera-maker Leica. It means the P9 can create shallow depth-of-field shots more commonly associated with larger lenses. Analysts say the innovation could help Huawei promote itself as a premium brand and expand its market share. The Shenzhen-based company shipped more than 106 million handsets in 2015, representing 44.3% growth on the previous year, according to the research firm IDC . That was the fastest rise in sales of any of the major brands and put Huawei in third place in terms of market share. However, Apple still sold more than double the number of phones and Samsung more than three times the figure. "The camera is one of the things that defines a premium smartphone, and there's still plenty of room to improve the quality of the photography," commented Ian Fogg from the IHS Technology consultancy. "And there are things you can do when you put two camera sensors on the back that you can't do with a single sensor. " Rather than offering users the ability to take two different types of photos- as is the case with LG's dual-camera G5 handset - the P9 combines the data from both its rear sensors to create its 12 megapixel shots. One captures red, green and blue (RGB) information about the view, while the other is limited to collecting monochrome image data. By making use of both types, the firm says, the phone can deliver better contrast and offer superior performance in low-light conditions. But the standout feature is the ability to simulate wide-aperture photography - the effect of allowing more light into a lens in order to create a shallow depth-of-field. A shallow depth-of-field can create striking photographs of a subject with a blurry background. Photography enthusiasts often spend considerable sums on digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) and large lenses to create the look. Unlike these larger cameras, the P9 also allows users to alter the part of the image they want to be in sharp focus after they have pressed the shutter button. This is made possible by the fact that the phone's two lenses capture slightly different views, and built-in software can analyse the differences to deduce depth information. Alternatively, the files can be exported in the RAW file format for editing on a PC. The facility is only available in stills mode, however, and cannot be used to refocus captured videos. Lytro previously tried to sell specialist cameras that offered a similar refocusing ability, however it recently gave up on the consumer market after acknowledging that the rise of smartphone photography had restricted its appeal. Nokia and HTC have also offered refocusing functions on some of their handsets, although they achieved the effect in a different manner. One industry-watcher said that the tie-up with Leica should encourage potential buyers not to dismiss Huawei's dual-camera facility as being a gimmick. "Leica is one of the strongest brands in photography, so having an association with them should make users believe that the quality of the pictures should be good," said Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC. "Of course, the quality of the image won't be the same as is possible from one of Leica's own cameras, but it does tell people that a company that really understands photography has been involved in engineering the device. " However, Mr Fogg added that Huawei would need to get its marketing right to make the most of the partnership. "Leica isn't massively well known outside of serious camera enthusiasts," he explained. "So, Huawei's challenge is how to communicate the benefit of the Leica brand to the general public as it is pushing the P9 as a mass-market flagship and not a niche device aimed at just the camera-centric few. " Other features of the P9 include: It will cost between 599 euros ($682; £485) and 649 euros when it goes on sale on 16 April, depending on how much RAM and built-in storage is desired. The firm is also offering a larger P9 Plus model, which has a 5.5in screen and a bigger battery. It will cost 749 euros. These mark a jump in cost over last year's P8 family, which ranged from 499 to 649 euros.

2016-04-07 07:56 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

32 Sudan's Omar al-Bashir 'to step down in 2020' Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has told the BBC he will step down in 2020, when his current mandate ends. Mr Bashir also denied allegations of abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese forces in renewed violence against black African villages who took up arms in the country's western Darfur region. The president has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on counts of genocide and war crimes. Mr Bashir has been in power since 1989. He won elections in April last year. He told the BBC's Thomas Fessy that his job was "exhausting" and his current term would be his last. "In 2020, there will be a new president and I will be an ex-president," he said. However, sceptics will say that he had already pledged to step down in the past and later went back on his word, our correspondent says. The UN says more than 2.5 million people have been displaced in Darfur since 2003 - with more than 100,000 this year alone. President Bashir said that there was no reason for the UN peacekeepers and aid workers to stay in the troubled Darfur region. He denied reports of recent abuses in the mountains of Jebel Marra where government forces launched an offensive in January. "All these allegations are baseless, none of these reports is true," he said. "We challenge anyone to visit the areas recaptured by the armed forces, and find a single village that has been torched. "In fact, there hasn't been any aerial bombing. " Bashir at a glance: Read our full profile Darfur conflict: A bloody stalemate Where can Sudan's Bashir go now? President Bashir said that there was no reason for the UN peacekeepers and aid workers to stay in the troubled Darfur region. He denied reports of recent abuses in the mountains of Jebel Marra where government forces launched an offensive in January. "All these allegations are baseless, none of these reports is true," he said. "We challenge anyone to visit the areas recaptured by the armed forces, and find a single village that has been torched. "In fact, there hasn't been any aerial bombing. " The president said that people who fled the fighting had gone to government-controlled areas which was "proof that the government does not target citizens". President Bashir said that UN estimates that more than 100,000 people have been displaced in Darfur since January because of the fighting were "highly inflated and not real". "Only a very small number of people have been displaced and they have either reached our positions or [gone to] where the UN peacekeepers [Unamid] are deployed. The president said that UN forces and Unamid "have no vital role to play" in Darfur, "not even in defending themselves and their units". "As peace has returned to Darfur, I think that they have no role to undertake and that's why we want them to leave. " Likewise he said there was no role in the region for aid workers because there is no food crisis in Darfur. He said that estimates that 2.5 million people were living in camps in Darfur were "much too inflated" and the true figure is closer to 160,000. The president dismissed the ICC as a "politicised tribunal" and that evidence of his popularity in Sudan could clearly be seen by the huge crowds that greet him. "These are the same crowds I'm accused of having committed genocide and ethnic cleansing against. This is why I've defied the tribunal, and [why] I've been travelling freely around the world. " Mr Bashir was re-elected last year with about 94% of the vote in an election boycotted by the main opposition parties who said it was not free and fair.

2016-04-07 07:56 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

33 4 Australians detained in Lebanon on kidnapping suspicion BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese authorities have detained four Australians, including journalists, on suspicion they were involved in the abductions of two children in Beirut, police officials and Australian media said Thursday. The officials added that a British citizen has been detained as well on suspicion that he planned to smuggle the children out of Lebanon on his boat. Police officials said the detainees are being questioned over the kidnapping of Noah and Lahela al-Amin. They are the son and daughter of a Lebanese man and an Australian woman who have been living in Beirut since their father Ali al-Amin brought them from Australia. Police said Wednesday's kidnapping, in which the children were taken after an attack on their Lebanese grandmother as she took them to school near their home in Beirut, was part of a family dispute. Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil was quoted by local media as saying that the children and their mother are currently at the Australian embassy in Beirut. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, did not give the names of the Australians and the Briton. Australian media though said that the Australian detainees include journalists working for Channel Nine's 60 Minutes, who were filming an episode on the issue in Lebanon. The Australian media said the detainees include TV presenter Tara Brown. Channel Nine issued a statement saying that: "We can confirm a crew from 60 Minutes has been detained in Beirut. We won't be giving out any more details, other than to say we are working with authorities to get them released and back home ASAP. " A Channel Nine employee told The Associated Press in Australia that the 60 Minutes crew was not physically present when the children's kidnapping took place. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her ministry has been in contact with Channel Nine regarding the reports. She added in a statement that, "We are urgently seeking to confirm the crew's whereabouts and welfare, and have offered all appropriate consular assistance. " ___ Associated Press writer Kristen Gelineau in Sydney contributed to this report.

2016-04-07 08:11 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

34 Yahoo - Yahoo Statement Regarding Starboard Announcement --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- today noted Starboard Value LP's announcement of its intention to nominate nine director candidates for election to Yahoo's Board of Directors at the company's 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Board's will review Starboard's proposed director nominees and respond in due course. Additional Information and Where to Find It (the "Company"), its directors and certain executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the Company's 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting"). The Company plans to file a proxy statement (the "2016 Proxy Statement") with the (the "SEC") in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting. , , , , , , , Jr., , Ph. D. and , Jr., all of whom are members of the Company's Board of Directors, and , Chief Financial Officer, are participants in the Company's solicitation. Other than , none of such participants owns in excess of 1% of the Company's common stock. may be deemed to own approximately 7.5% of the Company's common stock. Additional information regarding such participants, including their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be included in the 2016 Proxy Statement and other relevant documents to be filed with the in connection with the Annual Meeting. Information relating to the foregoing can also be found in the Company's definitive proxy statement for its 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "2015 Proxy Statement"), which was filed with the on. To the extent that holdings of the Company's securities have changed since the amounts printed in the 2015 Proxy Statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the. Promptly after filing its definitive 2016 Proxy Statement with the , the Company will mail the definitive 2016 Proxy Statement and a WHITE proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE 2016 PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT THE COMPANY WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain, free of charge, the Company's preliminary proxy statement, any amendments or supplements thereto and any other relevant documents filed by the Company with the in connection with the Annual Meeting at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the Company's definitive proxy statement, any amendments or supplements thereto and any other relevant documents filed by the Company with the in connection with the Annual Meeting will also be available, free of charge, at the Company's website (http://info.yahoo.com) or by writing to Investor Relations, , , 94089. In addition, copies of these materials may be requested, free of charge, from the Company's proxy solicitor, , , 20th Floor, 10022 or (212) 750-5833. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

2016-04-07 08:01 investor.yahoo.net

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

2016-04-07 07:53 www.charlotteobserver.com

36 Malaysia's 1MDB board offers resignations after parliament report KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Reuters) - Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) said on Thursday its board of directors have collectively offered their resignations to the finance ministry following a parliamentary inquiry into the fund. The bipartisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which tabled the report in parliament on Thursday morning, said it found the financing and performance of 1MDB "unsatisfactory" and called for a probe into the fund's former chief executive. "This has been a difficult decision to take but we believe it is the right thing to do, given the circumstances, in order to facilitate any follow-up investigations as recommended by the PAC," 1MDB said in a media statement. "The Board has successfully steered 1MDB through a uniquely challenging period and trusts that, with the release of the PAC Report, a line has been drawn. " 1MDB added that its funds have been fully accounted for and it did not transfer 2.6 billion ringgit into the personal accounts of Prime Minister Najib Razak. (Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

2016-04-07 08:04 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

37 What's the world's loneliest city? “N ew York has a trip-hammer vitality which drives you insane with restlessness, if you have no inner stabiliser,” wrote Henry Miller after moving back to the city following almost a decade in Paris. It could be expected that the Brooklyn-born novelist would have been happy to return, yet something didn’t sit right: “In New York I have always felt lonely, the loneliness of the caged animal, which brings on crime, sex, alcohol and other madnesses.” Miller didn’t hurt for friends or charm – he was married five times – but he saw himself as an outsider, “forever and ever the ridiculous man, the lonely soul”, and it was his hometown that brought on this fever of loneliness. Could Miller’s words be evidence that New York – where countless people have gone to find fame, work, love and even themselves – is the loneliest city in the world? Or is it possible that the person, not the place, was the source of Miller’s discontent? And if so, what is the loneliest city? Urban life is more stressful than rural life , but whether it’s lonelier is a point of debate among social scientists. A 2016 report by Age UK noted there are higher incidences of loneliness in cities, but precisely what brings it on is surprising. The same report found that gender and education are largely irrelevant – except for those with the highest level of education, who are often lonelier – and that household income and caring for a pet also have little effect. So what impacts loneliness, and how does that play out in cities? The size of a household inversely affects how you feel: the smaller the household, the more lonely it tends to be. And people who rent or own a home are lonelier than those with a mortgage, perhaps because cities with lots of renters – such as London, which is expected to have 60% of residents renting by 2025 – have greater transience, and potentially lower community engagement. New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have rental figures hovering in the mid-50s. Renters dominate in German cities, too – a long-term trend attributed to low rents and housing policies , but one that may end up influencing neighbourhood engagement. One thing is certain: the percentage of those who live alone has increased dramatically. In the US, 27% of people live alone, up from 5% in 1920, and in New York City it’s roughly one third. The same trend is evident in Canada, and even more pronounced in Europe – 58% of people in Stockholm live alone, a figure that is considered the highest in Europe. In many cities, the trend is here to stay. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that there will be 1.3m more single- occupancy households by 2025, a jump of roughly 60% , and one that could crowd major cities and affect access to affordable housing. Obscured by those figures, however, is the assumption that living alone leads to loneliness – two things the sociologist Eric Klinenberg, author of Going Solo, says are often conflated. “In fact, there’s little evidence that the rise of living alone is responsible for making us lonely,” he wrote in 2012 . “Research shows that it’s the quality, not the quantity of social interactions that best predicts loneliness. What matters is not whether we live alone, but whether we feel alone.” The demographic that most reports feeling lonely are older people, and they do often live alone. In Stockholm, 35% of people over the age of 75 experienced loneliness, while in Bristol 10-15% reported the same. (Hence the slogan “ Bristol: a brilliant place to grow old .”) Older people are likely to be more lonely in cities, especially if they are poorer, have physical or mental health issues or live in underprivileged areas. Campaign to End Loneliness suggested that 7% of older people in the UK are lonely, while age researcher Thomas Scarf found that 16% of older people in deprived neighbourhoods in English cities were “severely lonely”. Liverpool and London fared worse than Manchester, which may explain why the latter is treating loneliness as an urban health issue: it created the Valuing Older People programme in 2009 to address loneliness and isolation. Similar projects have sprung up in other cities which recognise that loneliness runs tandem to issues such as segregation , housing, healthcare, and isolation among seniors and others vulnerable citizens. But it’s not only older people who suffer from isolation. In Australia, city dwellers have fewer friends than they did two decades ago. In the US, a troubling one in five people said they had only one close friend. Or consider idyllic-looking Vancouver, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, which struggles not only with affordability (it was recently crowned the most expensive city in North America ), but also with friendliness. The Vancouver Foundation thinktank asked community leaders and charities to identify the biggest issues facing Vancouverites and were told it wasn’t homelessness or poverty; it was isolation. Of 4,000 people from 80-odd ethnic groups who were polled, one third of respondents found it hard to make friends – something I discovered firsthand when I spent a rainy, grey winter working in Vancouver, wandering Stanley Park alone with my dog at weekends and sitting in crowded cafes by myself. In this young, diverse city, the newly arrived struggle most: among people who had been in Canada for five years or less, almost half (42%) had just two close friends. A dearth of friendship doesn’t afflict only recent immigrants. Many Tokyoites long for friends so dearly that they’re willing to hire them. American writer Chris Colin, intrigued by Japanese “affection for hire” industries such as cuddle cafes and cat rentals , spent time with a service that provides temporary friends. The clientele was varied, he wrote: widowers, shy single types, “that one dude who just wanted a friend who’d do him the solid of waiting seven hours outside Nike to snag these fresh sneakers for him when they went on sale”. The largest of the rent-a-friend agencies, Client Partners, has eight branches in Tokyo alone. Across the Sea of Japan, there’s a different problem: large-scale migration. As rural Chinese move to big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, they encounter isolation on an epic level. As of 2012, a staggering 230 million people had migrated from the countryside to cities. (More than half the country’s population now live in cities, up from one third in 1990.) Known as the “floating population”, they can find themselves in low-quality, high-density housing, subject to discrimination and at risk of low social participation, especially if they move frequently. Researchers surveyed Chinese reports on community social networks, neighbourhood attachments and marginality and determined that migrants were more neighbourly – which may help them counteract isolation – but faced discrimination and, in some cases, grim living conditions: one corporation in the factory city Shenzhen houses more than 200,000 employees in dormitories, which there’s been an epidemic of suicides. The report noted: “The ‘neighbourhood’ for them is likely to be the factory.” Yet in Beijing migrants had greater “neighbouring intensity” – in other words, they’re better at connecting with their community – suggesting that migrants may bring much-needed village values to the lonely urban jungle. If life in China’s megacities illustrate anything, it might be that loneliness is often due to circumstance. This wouldn’t surprise Olivia Laing whose new book, The Lonely City, chronicles a post-breakup stint in New York. “The thing with cities is we are absolutely surrounded by people,” Laing recently told the Globe and Mail . “We can see other people living richer, more populated lives than our own. At the same time, we can feel very exposed … there are lots of eyes on everyone. That is why the loneliness of the city has a particularly distinct tang to it.” Loneliness, however, is often like bad weather, “it passes through our lives”. So are people in Shanghai or Berlin more solitary than those in Stockholm or Vancouver? I put the question to one of the field’s leading researchers, the University of Chicago’s John Cacioppo, who wrote the book, Loneliness. His research disputes the idea that urban life is inherently lonelier than rural life, and he declined to play favourites and pick just one city. “You raise an interesting question,” he says. “Unfortunately, we have no data with which to address it.” Maybe Laing is right that urban loneliness is ephemeral. Or perhaps we can learn from Henry Miller’s struggle with New York; in 1944, he packed his bags and moved to sunny Big Sur, California. Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook and join the discussion

2016-04-07 08:00 Craille Maguire www.theguardian.com

38 European diplomats criticise UN plan to curb airline emissions A draft UN plan to offset the air industry’s surging growth in emissions contains too many exemptions to be credible and too little detail to be trustworthy, European diplomats say. Aviation is one of only two sectors not covered by the Paris climate agreement and many diplomats are optimistic that the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) blueprint can be whittled into shape before a Montreal conference this September. But several loopholes in the text present serious obstacles to a signing ceremony, with China and other countries still dragging their heels over core concepts such as “carbon neutral growth” in the industry after 2020. If an adequate deal is not done, the EU will be obliged to restart its “stopped clock” on bringing international airlines into its more punitive Emissions Trading System (ETS). Without a pact, this will happen automatically at the end of the year. One European diplomat involved in the negotiations likened the chances of the European commission and parliament agreeing to keep the clock on ice to a “one billion dollar question”. He told the Guardian: “It depends on three big elements: carbon neutral growth after 2020, a review clause to increase ambition over time, and robust accounting that is consistent with UNFCCC [the UN body that oversees the climate talks] reporting guidelines. Those three big things are still missing from the text.” Under the plan, developed countries would start offsetting their emissions growth from aviation with carbon cuts elsewhere in the world in 2021. They would be joined five years later by “ upper medium income states ” such as Brazil, Mexico and China. More than 100 poor countries and small island states would be excluded from the system altogether. Unless rich world airlines compensate for their carbon output, curbs are unlikely to slow aviation emissions which have been predicted to grow up to 700% above 2005 levels by mid-century. Measuring these curbs though would be complicated by the lack of a “negative list” of non- eligible projects in the draft, for which offsets could be claimed. Without this, even nuclear power projects might be considered for offset credits as a low carbon energy source, some officials privately say. “For now we can’t be sure which credits will be used so we can’t have a 100% guarantee of the environmental integrity of the scheme, which is is absolutely necessary if you want to achieve carbon neutral growth,” a diplomat said. Eighty campaign groups have taken a stand against ICAO’s plan , arguing it would allow the double counting of existing climate programmes, while aforestation projects could force indigenous peoples from their land or create other land use problems. Hannah Mowat, a campaigner for the conservation group Fern, said: “ICAO’s own standards rule forests and land offsets out from the start, because they need to be permanent emissions reductions, which is impossible to prove for forests because the removals are reversible.” Some European negotiators believe that these concerns will be satisfied in an eventual resolution, the first draft of which is expected later this month. But the current proposal to end the ICAO scheme after 15 years will need amending, if it is to square with the Paris agreement’s mechanism of reviewing and ratcheting up carbon targets every five years. These are meant to increase carbon cuts until a world warmed by 2C or less is in sight. “The [planned] global market-based mechanism foresees a termination of the system in 2035, which is completely contradictory with the need to increase the ambition of greenhouse gas reductions over time,” a diplomat said. An ICAO consultation in Utrecht on Tuesday was said to have made progress in shining a light on contentious issues. An updated text is expected later this month, ahead of a high level meeting on 11 May to prepare for the September Icao council meeting.

2016-04-07 08:00 Arthur Neslen www.theguardian.com

39 Tribune turns up heat in stormwater investigation Seeks detailed explanation of budget language By Roger McCredie- The Tribune has issued a third request for documents to the City of Asheville in its ongoing investigation into the finances of the Stormwater Services Department. The latest request, submitted under provisions of the North Carolina Open Records Act, seeks further explanations and additional details for a total of nine different categories listed in general ledger sheets the city sent the Tribune in response to a similar request originally made on February 12 and repeated on March 3. “In terms of tracking the Stormwater Department’s income and outlay, the sheets the city sent us raise many more questions than they answer,” said Tribune publisher David Morgan. “Right now we – and anybody else who looks at this – see through a glass darkly. We need clarification if we’re going to be able to show people accurately what their stormwater taxes pay for.” In a letter dated April 4 and directed to City Records Facilitator Sarah Terwilliger, the Tribune seeks the following details: • Itemized purchase orders or invoices for all items listed under “Professional Services” totaling $1,098,416.72, paid to McGill and Associates of Asheville and Brown & Caldwell, both engineering firms. • Purchase orders and invoices for professional services, totaling $215,852.47, rendered by CDM Smith Engineers of Knoxville in connection with the development of RADTIP (the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Program.) • Details of expenditure for $42,031.38 worth of postage, including $8,000 marked “Postage Escrow.” • Details for 12 items, totaling $45,011.62, marked “Tipping Fees” relating to landfill use. • Details of 12 transactions, totaling $138,686.75, described as “Street Cut Utility Charges.” • Purchase orders and/or invoices for transactions listed under “Machinery and Equipment.” • Identifying documents for a series of transactions listed as “Principal Payment” and others listed as “Interest Expense,” including payee, collateral, purpose and payoff dates. (Who do they owe money to, and for what?” Morgan asked.) • Individual purchase orders and individual invoices, by job, for items totaling $5,244.31, listed as “Materials” and headed “Blanket PO for Stormwater” • Descriptions for each of numerous purchases made by various Stormwater Department employees and captioned “Procurement Card.” • An item-by-item explanation for each of several entries labeled “asset acquisition,” “Asset Maintenance” and “Transfer of Asset.” The Tribune’s February 12 request was addressed to Benjamin Farmer, an assistant in the city’s Legal Department, rather than to Dawa Hitch, the city’s Director of Communication and Public Engagement, whose department has previously handled such document requests. (According to City Clerk Maggie Burleson, all such document requests are now forwarded to the Legal Department for processing.) But Farmer did not reply, so on February 29 the Tribune telephoned him to inquire as to the status of its request. An aide said Farmer was available, but the call went to his voice mail. So the Tribune left a message asking him to return the call. He did not. Instead, the next day, March 1, the Tribune received a message from Terwilliger, who was later identified by Burleson as Farmer’s superior. Terwilliger said “Staff is working on your February 12th request,” and attached a link to the city’s annual financial report. The Tribune replied that it already had a copy of the financial report, which is available on the city’s public website, and explained again that it was seeking the most recent available versions of material it had eventually obtained in 2014 (see below). “As a documents facilitator you [should] be familiar with this report,” the Tribune said. That was when Terwilliger forwarded the materials that appeared to supply, but only in general terms, the requested information. The Tribune published a series of articles on the financing of the city’s stormwater operations in 2013-14. In 2014 an analysis of the information that was eventually supplied by the city – after several weeks’ worth of requests and delays – showed that salaries made up approximately 38% of the stormwater department’s budget. The category titled “Other Direct Expenses” which stormwater department head McCray Coates said “is for things like materials, contracted services, professional services, fleet maintenance, fuel, street cut charges, tipping fees, etc.,” also came to about 38% of the total budget. When construction costs were broken out separately, they averaged about 3%. And the remainder, which historically has ranged between 19 and 21 per cent, was shown as going into a reserve fund, at an average of $660,000 per year. The 2014 study further revealed that when the itemized expenditure figures, which totaled $13,896,552, were subtracted from $17,622,027 in gross revenue, a balance of $3,725,505, or 21%, was left unaccounted for. In addition to probing the expenditures listed above, The Tribune is also asking why, according to its latest LGC 203 report, which all North Carolina municipalities file annually with the State, the city currently maintains an investment portfolio amounting to almost $127 million. Of that amount, $19.4 million consists of “commercial paper, including an investment of nearly $5 million in Coca-Cola stock. A former Asheville city government employee, who requested anonymity, told the Tribune, “I believe the law precludes the city’s holding common stock as an asset.” “The income from a portfolio that size comes to several million dollars a year. Where’s it going?” Morgan asked. Why isn’t it going to offset some of these infrastructure expenses the taxpayers are having to pay for with a stormwater tax?” The city refers to its stormwater assessment, which is included in each customer’s bimonthly bill, as a fee, and not a tax.

2016-04-07 09:25 By Roger www.thetribunepapers.com

40 editorial: It's cool to be responsible After journeying for hours from Chennai, the city’s first air-conditioned train arrived here in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning. For Mumbaikars, it holds the promise of making hot, sweaty commutes a thing of the past, although this won’t happen in the immediate future, as extensive tests are expected for several months. But citizens can take cheer from the fact that once the trials are successful, nine more AC rakes will be manufactured for the city. Yet, what is disheartening is that the train arrived in a damaged condition. On its way here, a miscreant flung a stone at it and damaged a double-sealed windowpane worth about Rs 10,000. This will need to be replaced, of course, but the incident sheds light on how callously we treat public infrastructure. Trains are regularly defaced with graffiti. Seats are torn and broken by commuters. This gross disrespect is, in fact, not restricted to the railways. It spans across all public facilities and ranges from spitting and littering, to defacing in different ways. Public transport, already stretched thin in the city, bears the brunt of indiscipline, carelessness and reckless use. The city and, in fact, everybody needs to develop a sense of ownership when it comes to public utilities. Besides maintaining respect for other users, people need to develop a sense of pride in the infrastructure of the city and feel that they have a stake in it. After all, it has been made with the taxpayers’ money, so it does belong to them in a way. Delhi-ites actually take pictures and record miscreants who try to damage and deface the Metro. This is followed by strict punitive action. Huge fines also can act as deterrents for misuse. All the upgradation in facilities and hi-tech offerings are useless if we are unable to treat what we have with care and respect. Why should we use only the fear of punishment to stop one from gross misuse and mishandling? Respect, dignity and care should be part of our system itself. Handle with care is not just a motto for airplane luggage but for all public property too.

2016-04-07 07:56 By MiD www.mid-day.com

41 Rory McIlroy flying under the radar in quest to break Masters duck Rory McIlroy summed it up perfectly when he said he felt less "exposed" at this year's Masters than he did in 2015, when his quest for the career grand slam and the return of Tiger Woods dominated the build-up. Twelve months on, McIlroy is making his second attempt to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods in winning all four major titles, while Woods remains sidelined following three back operations in the space of 19 months. But while the 14-time major winner was far from ignored during the pre-tournament press conferences - "I don't think he's done," Nicklaus continued to insist - there were plenty of other storylines to distract attention from McIlroy. Defending champion Jordan Spieth is looking to become only the fourth player after Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods to successfully defend the green jacket following his record-breaking performance last year. And new world number one Jason Day can make it three tournament wins - and two majors - in succession after his triumph in the US PGA Championship last season and victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC-Dell Match Play last month. Former Masters champions Adam Scott, Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel have all won on the PGA Tour in 2016, while Rickie Fowler's victory in Abu Dhabi in January means McIlroy is the only member of the world's top five without a win this year. "My game feels good," insisted McIlroy, who took three days off last week following his semi- final defeat in defence of his Match Play title before getting down to work with coach Michael Bannon at home in Florida. "It's all about going out there over the next four days and executing the shots the way I need to and being mentally strong. But I feel good. I probably feel a little bit more subdued going in this time because I haven't had the win this year, but I feel like my game is right there. " McIlroy may be the last man out in the opening round on Thursday, but has stressed the need to make a fast start, with opening rounds of 71 last year leaving him an incredible 12 shots behind Spieth. The 26-year-old moved through the field with scores of 68 and 66 to finish fourth and secure his highest Masters finish, the previous best of eighth in 2014 coming after the embarrassment of being outscored by his marker, Augusta member Jeff Knox, in the third round. McIlroy believes he will "definitely" win the Masters at one stage in his career, but concedes there is no time like the present given the increasing competition and has adopted a new approach which includes laying up on the par-five second. Louis Oosthuizen famously made an albatross there in the final round in 2012, but McIlroy said: " Over the years I've tried to hit that second green in two my success rate isn't very high. So if the pin is on the left I'll miss the green right and try to get up and down for birdie, and if the pin is on the left I'll do the opposite. "Apart from that, I feel like I've got a good game plan for this golf course. The par fives are very, very important. If you can play those well and play the other holes conservatively and smartly and take your pars and a birdie or two comes up from them, that's great. " Whether McIlroy wins or not, statistics suggest the cream will again rise to the top on Sunday evening. Since Darren Clarke and Keegan Bradley won the last two majors of 2011 when 111th and 108th in the world respectively, the lowest ranked winner of a major has been Ernie Els, who was 40th when he won the 2012 Open at Lytham. The statistics do not favour a European winner however, with Jose Maria Olazabal the last to don the famous green jacket in 1999 after a period of dominance which saw eight wins between 1988 and 1999 and seven out of nine from Sandy Lyle's triumph in 1988 to Nick Faldo's third title in 1996. "It's not as if we haven't had our share of world-class golfers," Ryder Cup captain Clarke said. " Why they haven't succeeded here, I have no idea. "Rory should feature every year. His game is made for this course. And look at Justin Rose. His Masters record is sensational. But, on the other hand, this is the place where Sergio [Garcia] thinks he can never win. " Former champion Tom Watson, who is making his final Masters appearance this week, believes McIlroy certainly can win, especially if confronted by a sterner test than 12 months ago. " He's my pick this week," Watson said. " Rory can emasculate a golf course. He hits the ball high and so far. And I can tell you the golf course is different this year than it was last year. The greens are faster... on T uesday they had a real sheen to them. "

2016-04-07 07:50 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

42 Abbas to meet Hollande to discuss French plan for Israeli- Palestinian peace Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris later this month to discuss France’s recent push to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Abbas will have an “important meeting” with Hollande to talk about “convening an international peace conference in accordance with the French initiative,” Palestinian Authority presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Abu Rudeineh told the French news agency AFP on Wednesday. Abbas is due to travel to Paris on April 15, followed by a meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Moscow to discuss the “evolution of the political situation in Palestine and the region,” Abu Rudeineh said. Abbas will then meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in Berlin before heading to New York to attend United Nations meetings. In January , outgoing French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius originally presented the French initiative, threatening that Paris would formally recognize a Palestinian state should its efforts to renew the peace process fail. “France will engage in the coming weeks in the preparation of an international conference bringing together the parties and their main partners to preserve and achieve the two-state solution,” Fabius told a conference of French diplomats in Paris. While Abbas welcomed the French initiative, Israeli officials blasted the initiative as "an erroneous approach" that gives Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas an excuse not to negotiate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli officials said Netanyahu would decide whether or not to participate in the conference only after receiving an invitation.

2016-04-07 07:37 Jta Jpost www.jpost.com

43 Recto: Trail in cyber heist suggests hackers were Chinese MANILA - A Philippine senator said on Wednesday that Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off one of the world's biggest cyber heists at the Bangladesh central bank, citing the network of Chinese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila. Unidentified hackers infiltrated the computers at Bangladesh Bank in early February and tried to transfer a total of $951 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. All but one of the 35 attempted transfers were to the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC), confirming the Philippines' centrality to the heist. Most transfers were blocked, but a total of $81 million went to four accounts at a single RCBC branch in Manila. The stolen money was swiftly transferred to a foreign exchange broker and distributed to casinos and gambling agents in Manila. "The hacking was done, chances are, by Chinese hackers," Senator Ralph Recto told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Then they saw that, in the Philippines, RCBC particularly was vulnerable and sent the money over here. " Beijing was quick to denounce the comments by Recto, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and a former head of the Philippines' economic planning agency. The suggestion that Chinese hackers were possibly involved was "complete nonsense" and "really irresponsible," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters. Recto said he couldn't prove the hackers were Chinese, but was merely "connecting the dots" after a series of Senate hearings into the scandal. At one hearing, a Chinese casino boss and junket operator called Kim Wong named two high- rolling gamblers from Beijing and Macau who he said had brought the stolen money into the Philippines. He displayed purported copies of their passports, showing they were mainland Chinese and Macau administrative region nationals respectively. "BEST LEAD" Wong, a native of Hong Kong who holds a Chinese passport, received almost $35 million of the stolen funds through his company and a foreign exchange broker. The two Chinese named by Wong "are the best lead to determine who are the hackers," said Recto. "Chances are... they must be Chinese. " The whereabouts of the two high-rollers were unknown, Recto added, saying the Senate inquiry "may" seek help from the Chinese government to find them. Recto also questioned the role of casino junket operators in the Philippines, saying many of them have links in Macau, the southern Chinese territory that is the world's biggest casino hub. "There are junket operators who are from Macau, so it (the money) may find its way back to Macau," he said. A senior executive at a top junket operator in Macau told Reuters there was "no reason" to bring funds from the Philippines to Macau. "This seems more like a political story in the Philippines," he said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The U. S. State Department said in a report last month that the gaming industry was "a weak link" in the Philippines' anti-money laundering regime. Philrem, the foreign exchange agent, said it distributed the stolen $81 million to Bloomberry Resorts Corp, which owns and operates the upmarket Solaire casino in Manila; to Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company, which is owned by Wong; and to an ethnic Chinese man believed to be a junket operator in Manila. Wong has returned $5.5 million to the Philippines' anti-money laundering agency and has promised to hand over another $9.7 million. A portion of the money he received, he said, has already been spent on gambling chips for clients. Solaire has told the Senate hearing that the $29 million that ended up with them was credited to an account of the Macau-based high-roller but it has managed to seize and confiscate $2.33 million in chips and cash.

2016-04-07 06:27 Karen Lema news.abs-cbn.com

44 JV Ejercito posts bail, says Zamoras behind case MANILA – Senator Joseph Victor ''JV'' Ejercito on Thursday posted P30,000 bail for his graft case involving the use of P2.1 million from the city's calamity funds to purchase high-powered firearms. The Sandiganbayan's Fifth Division earlier ordered the arrest of Ejercito and five others for their graft cases. Speaking to reporters at the Sandiganbayan, Ejercito said he would not put his name at stake for a relatively small amount. He also accused the Zamora family, the Ejercitos' rival in San Juan City, of being behind the case. "I would not destroy my name for a P2-million transaction. I acted on the call for it, the situation, as mayor at that time. The peace and order was really bad, yun lang. Kung gusto nilang makulong dahil prinoteksyunan ko ang aking constituents, then so be it. [I would not destroy my name for a P2-million transaction. I acted on the call for it, the situation, as mayor at that time. The peace and order was really bad, yun lang. If they want to put me in jail because I protected my constituents, then so be it]," Ejercito said. Sen. JV Ejercito arrives at Sandiganbayan to post bail in his case over alleged unlawful diversion of calamity funds pic.twitter.com/1fs2igl9Uq — Carolyn Bonquin (@carolyn_bonquin) April 7, 2016 The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division's resolution states it found sufficient grounds to issue a warrant of arrest after "carefully assessing" the resolution filed by the Office of the Ombudsman. The anti-graft court also clarified that the arrest warrant was issued prior to the senator's motion asking for determination of probable cause. The arrest warrant was penned on April 4, and was set to be served on April 5, the same day that Ejercito's motion was filed. Ejercito is set to be arraigned for his graft charge on April 18. The case stems from the purchase of 20 high-powered firearms from HK Technical Defense System Inc. using San Juan City's calamity funds when Ejercito was mayor in 2008. The purchase included three units of Daewoo K2 caliber 5.56mm sub-machine guns and 17 units of Daewoo model K1 cal. 5.56mm sub-machines guns. READ: Ombudsman files graft raps vs JV Ejercito over firearms purchase Aside from Ejercito, the former members of the Bids and Awards Committee who entered into the contract are also facing graft charges. They are city administrator Ranulfo Dacalos, treasurer Rosalinda Marasigan, city legal officer Romualdo Delos Santos, budget officer Lorenza Ching, and city engineer Danilo Mercado. Ejercito was also charged with illegal use of public funds, along with 14 other individuals, in the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division over the same case. The senator did not post bail on his illegal use of public funds case, pending resolution of his motion to determine if there are sufficient grounds for probable cause. The respondents in both cases have also been barred from traveling abroad. Ejercito accused the Zamora clan of manipulating the councilors to press the charges against him. This is despite the fact that Vice Mayor Francis Zamora is also a defendant on the case before the Sixth Division. The Zamora family, the Ejercitos' erstwhile political ally, is now a rival in the May elections. Mayor Guia Gomez is running against Vice Mayor Francis Zamora for mayor. "In 2013, nung magkakampi pa kami dito, ipinatawag ng mag-ama ang mga konsehal na involved dito. Madali lang naman yan eh, ituro niyo si JV na ipasa ang ordinansa. [When we were still allies in 2013, Ronnie and Francis Zamora told the councilors involved in this case to say that I forced them to sign the ordinance.]," Ejercito said. Ejercito insisted that he only acted on what he thought was needed by the city.

2016-04-07 06:27 Carolyn Bonquin news.abs-cbn.com

45 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. Local panel provides tips on carving out a successful career Police say Joshua Palmer has been found. He was reported missing Thursday. Westland’s Wild chosen for fellowing to train at Harvard Business School From organization to advocacy, here’s how to be successful Documentary film aims to understand the pain of social rejection The Yankee Air Museum will offer air tour rides on a Waco biplane April 9. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Canton cops in a murder-suicide case Family-business still has several hurdles to clear before property is sold to developer Shocking headlines dominate the news as a murder trial unfolds. Dark secrets are revealed. Pain turns to sorrow. Questions linger. What went wrong that day? What if? Reporters Aileen Wingblad and David Veselenak search for answers in interviews with convicted murderers Nancy Seaman and Lakeshia Valdez. This is the third and final month of the summer with a Supermoon. It's when a full or new moon coincides with the moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit. Basically, the moon appears bigger and brighter than usual in the night sky. Angels Above has made more than 10,000 care packages. Two projects will add residential and retail components to the city South Lyon group happy with progress in its first three years Garden City mayor term could expand to four years with voter OK Sample fare from area restaurants, network with people from local business, on Monday. The Plymouth Elks continues its Blues and Jazz music series. Four family members are the core for S&S Tax Service in Livonia.

2016-04-07 02:40 rssfeeds.hometownlife.com

46 TINGNAN: Mga anak ng mga kandidato sa pagka-Pangulo Hindi lang mga presidential bets ang abala sa kampanya ngayon kundi pati na rin ang kanilang mga anak. Nag-iikot din sila sa iba-ibang bahagi ng bansa para manligaw ng boto para sa kanilang mga magulang. Nagpa-Patrol, Jeff Canoy. TV Patrol, Miyerkules, Abril 6, 2016 Watch the latest episode of TV Patrol also in iWant TV or TFC

2016-04-07 06:29 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

47 Schreuder offers 'something different' Cape Town - For much of last year's Super Rugby season Stormers scrumhalf Louis Schreuder found himself playing behind Nic Groom. Then, in the Currie Cup under John Dobson, Schreuder moved even further down the pecking order as Jano Vermaak joined the ranks and Dobson was vocal on his willingness to give Godlen Masimla some exposure at senior level. Now with Vermaak (neck) and Groom (knee) both out injured, Schreuder has an opportunity to impress after he was named in the starting line-up for Friday's clash against the Sunwolves at Newlands. With Groom expected to be available again for next weekend's trip to Johannesburg to face the Lions, Schreuder will be looking to make the most of his chance. Masimla, meanwhile, will play off the bench. "He’s (Schreuder) been playing exceptionally well every time he’s come off the bench," Fleck said of his new No 9. "He’s playing with a lot of freedom this year. I think he’s just realised that there are a lot of scrumhalves in the system and he’s had to fight hard. "His attitude is that he is going to be fearless in his approach and I’m really happy with the way he has been playing. He’s got a solid kicking game and a good pass and he’s definitely speeding our attack up. " Fleck praised the work done by Groom so far this season, particularly on defence, but he was excited by what Schreuder would bring to the table on attack and in his new partnership with rookie flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis. "Louis brings something different on attack … a good rugby brain," Fleck said. "And from what I’ve seen in training both Louis and Jean-Luc have a good partnership and a god understanding. "They’re good mates off the field and they’ve been pretty good in training together. There’s something about this team that I’m pretty excited about. " Kick-off on Friday night is at 19:00. Teams: Stormers

2016-04-07 07:31 www.sport24.co.za

48 Two Australian students shot after trying to buy drugs in New Orleans – video Two university students from Western Australia have been shot in New Orleans after reportedly venturing into the West Bank area to buy drugs. The men had competed in the 38th Intercollegiate Mining Games in Montana as part of the Wombats team representing Curtin University’s WA School of Mines and had travelled to New Orleans for a private holiday. They are in a stable condition

2016-04-07 07:22 Source: AP www.theguardian.com

49 Marks & Spencer faces more pressure after 'flat market' hits clothing sales Retail giant Marks & Spencer is facing further pressure to shore up its clothing business after a "flat market" hit quarterly sales. The high street bellwether said clothing and home like-for-like sales tumbled 2.7% in the 13 weeks to March 26, as price deflation created a "challenging backdrop" for trade. But the sales came in ahead of city expectations of a 3.4% fall and improved on its performance in the third quarter. Its comes days after new chief executive Steve Rowe said he would remain in charge of the clothing and home division because he was "personally committed" to getting it right. The retailer said food business continued to outperform a highly competitive market as like-for-like sales remained flat over the period. Mr Rowe said : "We had a mixed performance in the final quarter of the year. Our food business once again outperformed the market by 3.5%. Although the sales decline in clothing and home was lower than last quarter, our performance remains unsatisfactory and there is still more we need to do. "Turning around our clothing and home business by improving our customer offer is our number one priority. I will update you on my thoughts on the business in May. " The retailer said it had bolstered the number of products in its spring and summer clothing range compared with last year, with sales in its Autograph range climbing 10%. It also reduced the amount of clothes on promotional discount, a move it would continue to follow throughout the year. But while it invested in lowering prices, M&S said it was still faced with the same challenge as the third quarter when it had to move more stock into sale. The retailer said it also benefited from an earlier Easter, handing a 0.4% boost to clothing and home sales and a 1% rise in food. M&S's latest move to revive women's clothing sales came in February when it sealed a tie-up with TV presenter Alexa Chung to launch a fashion collection inspired by the company's extensive range. The retailer said its food business benefited from moves to bolster its footprint across the UK, as it opened 80 new stores and grew market share by 4.3%. It also benefited from customers splashing the cash on the special occasions, as it enjoyed its "biggest ever" Mothers' Day. Meanwhile, the company said its online business had delivered a "good performance", with sales rising 8.2% after it ran fewer online-only promotions. Its trading update comes after Next chief executive Lord Wolfson warned last month that retailers face a bumpy road ahead. He said 2016 would be the toughest year the sector has faced since 2008, as it braces itself for a slowdown in consumer spending. Mr Rowe, who took over from under-pressure chief executive Marc Bolland on Saturday, said on Monday that M&S had a habit of over-complicating things and he would endeavour to keep it simple in his efforts to improve the business. He is expected to shed light on his turnaround plan when the company announces its full-year results in May. Despite improving its clothing and home sales, the company has still not seen one quarter of like-for-like sales growth in the past 21 quarters. However, group sales over the fourth quarter grew by 1.9%. The company said: "Despite improved sales in both our franchise and owned businesses in International, the previously guided currency pressure and challenging trading conditions are still expected to heavily impact the full year profitability. " Shore Capital analyst Clive Black said Mr Rowe would be a "force of good in the business, one that can build upon a lot of heavy lifting undertaken by predecessor Marc Bolland".

2016-04-07 07:19 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

50 Superfan begs Gary Barlow to sing at 30th birthday with amazing video How far would you go to meet your idol? A music teacher is so keen to see Gary Barlow in the flesh that she has created a video urging him to join her in Dundee for her 30th birthday party. Barlow superfan Jill Campbell rewrote the Take That classic Back for Good and played and sang in the clip, which has had over 120,000 views. Jill's slick video features a Barlow cardboard cutout and masks, alluring shots of the City of Discovery and plenty of pop star-style posturing. The 29- year-old from Broughty Ferry can be seen playing a pink children's piano while she belts out the altered lyrics in a homage to her hometown. The fanatic is also shown throughout staring adoringly at head shots of Barlow while lying on her bed clutching framed photographs. She even captured footage of herself singing around the city while family members pranced around her in Gary Barlow masks. Jill is now hoping her online campaign will convince the former X Factor judge to attend her milestone birthday next month. She sings: 'I guess now it's time for you to come up, I feel its time. 'Got a picture of you in my bedroom, got your souvenirs from every show you've done, oh yeah. 'Went to London two or three times, to Dubai and Aberdeen. Now I think you should come and see me in Dundee. 'Whatever you do, I wanna see you, I really mean it, I just need you here in May.' She adds: 'Whenever I'm 30, come to the city of discovery you can sail the silvery Tay.' In the past, Barlow has surprised couples at wedding by serenading them with Take That classics. Since then, the 45-year-old musician has tweeted fans offering to sing at milestone birthday parties. Mother of two, Jill, had already planned to have a Take That themed party for her 30th but knew that getting Barlow himself would be the ultimate birthday gift. She said: 'We decided we needed to think a little outside the box for the Gary Barlow campaign, so I thought music would be the best way to do it. 'I'm a piano player and singer, so I sat down at the piano and started playing 'Back For Good'. 'We got the iPhone and iMac and managed to put together a video promoting our city of Dundee to show Gary that it's a lovely place to be, and obviously asking him to come to my party. 'I've been a Take That Fan from day one, attending my first concert when I was eight in Aberdeen with my mum, sister and cousins. From then, my sister and I have been Take That addicts. 'I love him so much because he is the main pianist and vocalist in the band. He's the main songwriter and I admire his talent. 'Every time I see him I love him more.'

2016-04-07 07:18 Harriet Mallinson www.dailymail.co.uk

51 'Terrified' college students mistake priest for KKK member Contact WND Students at Indiana University Bloomington melted down after a priest carrying a rosary was misidentified as a whip-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan. An alert by one of the university’s residential hall advisors quickly spread across campus and social media on Monday. Students were urged to stay indoors and “be careful” over nothing more than a monk of the Dominican order in white robes. Snap! Find out how and why the Obama Left is driving millions of Americans over the cliff into depression, family breakdown, violence, mental illness and addiction – and how to stop it! – in David Kupelian’s blockbuster “The Snapping of the American Mind.” “There has been a person reported walking around campus in a KKK outfit holding a whip. Because the person is protected under first amendment rights, [Indiana University Police Department] cannot remove this person from campus unless an act of violence is committed. Please PLEASE PLEASE be careful out there tonight, always be with someone and if you have no dire reason to be out of the building, I would recommend staying indoors if you’re alone,” RA Ethan Gill said to students via email, the Tab reported Tuesday. It wasn’t long before Gill scolded students on Facebook for creating false hysteria. “This is what happens when there is miscommunication,” Gill wrote. “A person saw white robes and what looked to them like a weapon, got scared (rightfully so), warned people, warned staff, which in turn caused me to warn my residents because I need to look out for my residents, which in turn made it spread. Then my residents, terrified, come running to me, saying yeah the report must be true, they saw him and couldn’t believe there was a klansmember [sic] with a whip. And I see this picture. It’s a priest. With a rosary.” Sign up for free news alerts from WND.com, America’s independent news network. Student’s using the anonymous cellphone app Yik Yak skewered political correctness after the correction. “Fear-culture fail,” wrote one user, the Tab reported. “Just imagine if this had happened at Yale. There [would] be a squadron of police cars and a campus-wide safe space,” another user added. The joke was in reference to college professors who faced fierce backlash last October when they told students Halloween was not an occasion to obsess over cultural appropriation. Another student said the priest was from a nearby church named St. Paul’s. The man regularly prays for students. “No hate from him. Just love,” the student wrote. This is the second time in less than six months that American university students panicked over erroneous KKK reports. Race activists at the University of Missouri spread fear across campus and ignited the Twitter hashtag #PrayForMizzzou in November before KKK rumors were quashed. “I’m sorry about the misinformation that I have shared through social media. In a state of alarm, I was concerned for all students of the University of Missouri and wanted to ensure that everyone was safe. I received and shared information from multiple incorrect sources, which I deeply regret,” Student Body President Payton Head wrote Nov. 10, WND reported . “Seriously the #SJW #PrayForMizzou people are reporting gunshots, crime and a giant KKK meeting on campus. But zero pics or vids [sic],” conservative commentator Stephen Crowder tweeted as the fiasco unfolded. The university’s president at the time, Timothy Wolfe, resigned Nov. 9 over students’ allegations that he did not adequately address their racial concerns. RELATED: Cops cite preacher for ‘offending’ student Poetry prof vows 9-1-1 calls during all ROTC drills Inflatable sumo suits ‘traumatize’ college kids Mizzou fraud fest: KKK alerts, poo-swastika tales implode

2016-04-07 07:16 Douglas Ernst www.wnd.com

52 'Houston 5' to N. C.: 'Corporate terror' will never prevail Contact WND The media are filled with the news that North Carolina is “losing” 400 potential PayPal jobs because of its new religious freedom law, which protects women and girls from seeing men in their restrooms and locker facilities. A CNN headline said the state’s “bathroom bill” “just cost the state 400 future jobs.” Reuters reported the Internet payment processing company that openly advocates for the LGBT agenda canceled plans to “invest $3.6 million in the area” after Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill that But the reports pointedly didn’t mention what it would cost the company to change course, how much it already had invested in planning and preparation and whether its investors would tolerate the additional expense. That indicates, according to a coalition of Houston pastors who defeated a similar ordinance in their city, most of the corporate “boycott” threats against such religious freedom laws are no more than that â​ threats. Rev. Dave Welch, executive director of the Houston Area Pastors Council, thanked North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for signing the bill into law, March 23, which requires people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their “anatomy,” not their “perceived gender.” The law was a response to a Charlotte ordinance cast as a transgender anti-discrimination measure. “On behalf of the ‘Houston Five’ pastors who were subpoenaed for seventeen categories of information including sermon materials by our former mayor for opposing her ‘Bathroom Ordinance,’ as well as hundreds of pastors throughout Texas of every racial and denominational background,” Welch wrote, “I want to thank you for your courageous, principled leadership as well as to encourage you to stay the course.” “Outlasting the Gay Revolution” spells out eight principles to help Americans with conservative moral values counter attacks on our freedoms of religion, speech and conscience by homosexual activists Welch said the “threats via what we call ‘corporate terrorism’ by these amoral business interests like PayPal to inflict economic harm against those of us defending our basic freedom, public safety and our religious liberty fell short in Houston and will do likewise in North Carolina.” The fight in Houston raged for two years before voters, on the instructions of the state Supreme Court and against the wishes of lesbian Mayor Annise Parker, voted on her soundly rejected her “open bathrooms” plan. See the complete catalogue of “same-sex marriage” violations of faith, compiled by WND. The Houston pastors’ coalition later volunteered to help in a similar battle in Dallas. Parker’s plan Equal Rights Ordinance would have allowed men who perceive themselves to be women to use women’s restrooms, locker rooms and other gender-specific facilities in the city. Anyone opposing or obstructing them could have been fined $5,000. Welch at the time condemned the Dallas ordinance as an attack on society’s foundation. “There are many issues that our city governments should be focused on to improve the city, and this ordinance patently rejects cornerstones of our civilization that family is built upon the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, that our sex is embedded in our chromosomes, and this beautiful created order is a gift from God.” Welch added, “A bad tree cannot produce good fruit and a law based on elevating gender confusion to being a protected class equal with race can only produce harm, not good.” The Dallas plan protecting “gender identity and expression” said the places of public accommodation that must grant a man who defines his gender as female full access to women’s facilities are any inn, hotel, temporary lodging, restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, soda facility, motion picture house, theater, concert hall, and retail or wholesale establishment selling goods or services. The measure, Welch said, is a “bottomless Pandora’s Box.” “Outlasting the Gay Revolution” spells out eight principles to help Americans with conservative moral values counter attacks on our freedoms of religion, speech and conscience by homosexual activists In his letter to McCrory on corporate blackmail, Welch continued: “As you know, the Final Four of the NCAA was just held in Houston and although the final result was a heartbreaker for your great state, the radical LGBT movement’s threat to get this event, the Super Bowl, conferences and corporate bases out of Houston was shown to be a paper tiger and the raw use of intimidation. The churches and concerned citizens by the thousands refused to bow to the god of political correctness, the terrible ordinance was defeated overwhelmingly by the people and Houston continues to grow. “First and foremost, the economic blessings we enjoy and work toward are only possible in a society that honors God, basic moral virtues which produce strong families raising children who thrive in a safe home, safe community and public facilities free from predators. Your and the North Carolina legislature’s actions will preserve and protect the innocent rather than catering to a tiny segment of the population who need healing from their confusion. Thank you!” The issue is freedom itself, he said. “These greedy, self-serving corporations and professional sports organizations who threaten you do not have the right to dictate the values of the citizens in the communities or states in which they do business. As they continue to attempt to bully ‘We the People,’ it is more important than ever that we have leaders like you who will do what is right versus what is expedient. May the Lord bless and honor you along with all who stand with you!” The threats from the LGBT-advocating corporations have become routine. When Georgia lawmakers adopted a plan similar to North Carolina’s, which later was vetoed by the Gov. Nathan Deal, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau said it was told a convention, which it would not identify, would be moved out of the city if the plan became law. One report said another 15 corporations, also unidentified, were saying they “may move” their convention business out of Atlanta. In 2015, when Indiana moved to protect women and girls, NASCAR pitchman Nick Offerman canceled a scheduled appearance there in protest of the law. Also, the rock band Wilco failed to appear at one of its scheduled events in Indiana. One of the maneuvers used repeatedly by LGBT-agenda supporters is to ban state- or city- funded travel to areas that adopt such protections for women and children. WND reported California’s attempt to “bully” other states into joining the LGBT campaign after a California state legislator introduced a bill that would ban travel by state employees to any state that has a religious-liberty law viewed as “discriminatory.” See the complete catalogue of “same-sex marriage” violations of faith, compiled by WND. Assembly Bill 1887 was introduced Feb. 11 by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley. Low said he introduced a “package” of bills meant to stop state funds from flowing to any person or entity that uses the First Amendment’s religious-liberty clause to “discriminate” against the LGBT community. Another bill in his arsenal is AB 1888, which would cut off student financial aid for private colleges and universities, particularly religious ones, that are not perceived to be LGBT friendly. But WND reported Low apparently did not think through his legislation before placing it in the hopper. WND contacted his staff and was told that the bill is in the process of being rewritten to accommodate some powerful state officials who have complained that it would prevent them from traveling out of state to conduct necessary business. And the athletic teams in the University of California system, for instance, including powerhouse football teams at UCLA and USC that rake in millions in profits for the university system, would not be allowed to travel to Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas, Virginia and the other 21 states that have religious liberty laws. Would they have to forfeit those games to their opponents? “We’re addressing this issue right now, because we’re getting calls right now from different entities that travel outside the state,” said Melissa Apuya, a legislative aide for Low. “The intent of the bill was to ban employee travel but (as written) it could affect even those at the constitutional level that travel. The insurance commissioner, for example, who travels to different states to attend conferences. So we’re talking now to our staff and our legal counsel to figure out what changes may be needed.” Critics of the revenge boycott practices say the moves reveal a complete lack of tolerance toward people of faith and religious institutions. Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute , said his group opposes AB 1887 and AB 1888 because the state would be in the position of favoring the rights of one group over another â in this case the perceived right of LGBTs to buy wedding flowers or photography services from Christian businesses over the right of Christians to freely exercise their religious faith as enshrined in the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. “AB 1887 is hypocritical, elitist and out of step with our First Freedom, religious liberty,” Dacus said in a statement . “While we all would like to see less wasteful travel at taxpayer expenseâ​particularly by members of the Legislatureâ​this is not the way to do it.” It’s another example of the radical âgay agendaâ re-packaged as an issue of “fairness,” said Carl Gallups, a Christian author, radio host and Baptist minister based in Florida. “While touting equality for the LGBT community, apparently they are more than willing to trample upon and completely redefine the First Amendment liberties of other groups.” Breitbart reported the group Texas Values has identified Disney, Apple, Intel and the NCAA as among the “corporate bullies” who want to dictate to states their “open bathroom” laws. The group’s president, Jonathan Saenz, said: “It’s clear that corporate giants like Apple, Disney, NCAA, Intel have finally come out of the closet and declared public war on the religious freedom of clergy and religious schools, as was the protection in Georgia’s very modest HB 757 that they worked to bring down. It’s sad that Apple, Disney, the NCAA and others won’t even allow pastors to have religious freedom protections on marriage in Georgia.” When North Carolina’s law was adopted, composer Stephen Schwartz said he would ban theaters in the state from performing his works. Fox News’ commentator Todd Starnes wrote that Schwartz “seems to believe that any state that refuses to let a man use the bathroom with a little girl should be punished.” When Mississippi adopted the standards, to which LGBT-promoting companies such as Toyota, Nissan, AT&T, IBM and Levi Strauss expressed opposition, the homosexual advocacy organization went public with the claim that now women could be fired for “wearing pants.” But Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said it’s just discrimination. “Big business and Hollywood have engaged in economic blackmail in Mississippi just like they have in Indiana, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas to try to force government discrimination of those who support natural marriage.”

2016-04-07 07:16 Bob Unruh www.wnd.com

53 'Greatest show on earth' wasn't a circus Contact WND “The Greatest Show on Earth” was owned by P. T. Barnum, who died April 7, 1891. Selling millions of tickets, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus had big draws including General Tom Thumb, a man only 25 inches tall, and elephant “Jumbo,” whose name entered the dictionary. Barnum, who was received by President Lincoln and gave a command performance for Queen Victoria, stated: “Most persons, on the whole, are humbugged by believing too little, than by believing too much.” Barnum said: As the circus was not open on Sundays, Barnum let his New York Great Roman Hippodrome be used by Dwight Lyman Moody for evangelistic campaigns. When Barnum’s show began traveling, D. L. Moody, with help from J. P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt, transformed the Hippodrome into a revival tabernacle. Services began Feb. 7, 1876, with 7,000 people in the main hall, 4,000 in overflow, thousands outside, 500 ushers and 1,200 singers directed by Ira Sankey. Sunday attendance hit 25,000. It was perhaps Moody’s most important campaign, for impacting New York impacted the nation. D. L. Moody began his ministry in 1858 as a traveling shoe salesman who started a Sunday School mission for underprivileged children in Chicago. Classes were taught in an abandoned saloon. D. L. Moody stated: “It is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion. Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His words?” Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore! By 1860, the class had grown to over 1,000 attendees, with even President-elect Abraham Lincoln visiting Nov. 25, 1860, on his way to Washington, D. C. During the Civil War, D. L. Moody ministered to soldiers on the battle-lines, and served as president of the Y. M. C. A. (Young Men’s Christian Association) from 1865-1870. D. L. Moody built the Illinois Street Church in Chicago, but it was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. D. L. Moody said: “We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.” He rebuilt the church and renamed it the Chicago Avenue Church. It grew to an attendance of over 10,000, with 6,000 waiting outside. D. L. Moody stated: “Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody; 40 years learning he was nobody; and 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.” D. L. Moody preached to tens of thousands in England, meeting preacher Charles Spurgeon and Hudson Taylor, missionary to China. D. L. Moody supported the Israeli settlement of their homeland. He preached to hundreds of thousands across America, holding evangelistic meetings from Boston to New York, to San Francisco and Vancouver. Even President U. S. Grant and his cabinet attended one of his meetings on Jan. 19, 1876. D. L. Moody commented: D. L. Moody started the Chicago Bible Institute, renamed the Moody Bible Institute after his death, with R. A. Torrey succeeding him as president. Dwight L. Moody remarked: The Chicago Avenue Church was renamed The Moody Church in 1906 and continues to make an international impact with Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer as its pastor. Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com . Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore!

2016-04-07 07:15 Bill Federer www.wnd.com

54 Lena Dunham says Kardashians are great role models She is billed as one of the foremost feminist intellectuals of the millennial generation. So some may be rather surprised to learn that Lena Dunham has heaped praised on the Kardashian sisters for being 'awesome entrepreneurs' while billing them as fantastic role models. The Girls favourite explained to Seth Meyers on Late Night how she is a massive fan of the reality television personalities, though she has a special affection for youngest sister Khloe. The 29-year-old said: 'Sometimes we’ll Instagram about Khloe like once or twice a day, and people will be like, "Those Kardashians – that’s not what you represent. " 'And we’re like, “Well, they’re like awesome entrepreneurs who are all about sisterhood and connection and so, yeah it is. "' She also said that the family is a 'role model' for the relationship she has with creative partner Jennifer Konner, who she appeared on the show with to celebrate the news they will be launching the publishing imprint Lenny together in 2017. It is a spin-off from their weekly feminist Lenny Letter, which is funded by the media conglomerate the Hearst Corporation, which also promotes the product across websites of its magazines, such as Cosmopolitan. Lena was particularly pleased when Khloe tweeted to promote their product. She said: 'We received the only praise from the only source. It meant so much because we both love her app.' Such a heady commendation was enough to see her sidekick Jennifer exclaim that she is ‘the best Kardashian.’ Self-styled comic Lena added: 'That’s not throwing Kardashian shade, for us she’s just the peak.' Lena also explained how she has to draw sketches for the actors on her show Girls to explain what they will be doing in sex scenes. She said: 'I think it started out because we wrote them into our script and our actors would be like we don’t know what it is. And when Seth I also have to say that before we put Jenni in the position she said “Is this going to hurt?” Meanwhile Lena has also hit out at Glamour magazine for including her friend Amy Schumer in a 'plus-size' stars, insisting that such labels should not even exist. She told People : 'I think fashion should be for women and it should be for all women. 'We did an interview recently on Lenny with Beth Ditto who just launched a line that is technically plus-sized but what she really cares about is just putting women in clothes they can feel good about because so often we've assumed women who aren't size zeros just want to put themselves in a tent.' But she does not think that her famously friend will be fazed by her very public humiliation. She said: 'I think Amy's entire thing is trying to sort of like break down barriers and be bold about her own opinions and what I think she was trying to do was stand up for women and say we're not supposed be categorized in this role, we're supposed to just be allowed to exist.'

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

55 Prince William pushes for FA reform to stay relevant April 7 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William has urged the Football Association to reform its governance structure to avoid falling short of modern standards. The Duke of Cambridge, who is the governing body's president, was speaking at a lunch at Wembley Stadium to mark his 10-year anniversary in the role. "Our governance structure is in danger of falling short of modern standards of best practice," he said. "As the country's national sport, we ought to be leading the way. There is a wind of change blowing through global sporting governance and we need to ensure we do not get left behind. " William, who has backed outgoing FA Chairman Greg Dyke's efforts to reform the FA Council, urged the assembled guests, many of whom are board members, to play a more proactive role in ushering in changes at the governing body. "I know the organisation is currently reviewing this issue and there is an opportunity to seize the initiative by the way in which we reform ourselves," he said. "This is an emotive issue, and it is one that you all have a stake in deciding. " William, whose favourite Premier League club Aston Villa appear destined for relegation this season, is hoping that leaders Leicester City find a happy ending to their fairytale season by winning the title. "I'm dying for Leicester to win (the league). It will be good for the game," he said. Leicester currently lead the division by seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and will lift the title if they win four of their remaining six games. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)

2016-04-07 07:06 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

56 An Australian girl, eight, is stranded in Bali without a passport An eight-year-old girl has been stranded in Indonesia with an expired Australian passport for more than three years because her mother refuses to sign immigration paperwork unless she is paid $500,000 by the girl's father. Ebony Silva has been stuck in Bali with her Australian father, Peter Silva, 47, since her Indonesian mother left the family and moved to Norway with a new partner in 2012, Ebony's grandmother Jan Silva told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Silva has persistently tried to bring his daughter, who is a dual citizen, back to Australia with him but needs to renew her passport – which is not possible without the signatures of both parents, according to Australian law. 'She's quite distressed,' Jan said of her granddaughter. 'Ebony will tell you she's an Australian citizen, she doesn't claim to be Indonesian, even though she has joint citizenship.' Ebony, who was born in Indonesia, moved with her family to Altona, a suburb west of Melbourne, once she was old enough to go to school. She began attending Altona Kindergarten when her mother began to have difficulty obtaining a spouse visa in Australia and the family had to return to Indonesia, Jan said. The marriage began to break down when they moved back to Indonesia in 2012 and the mother soon took Ebony – and her passport – and moved in with her parents, Jan said. After living with her maternal grandparents for several months while her father remained in Bali, Ebony's mother moved to Norway with a new partner and Mr Silva quickly moved his daughter back into his home and prepared to go back to Australia. By this time Ebony's passport had expired and needed to be renewed – an application process that requires the approval of both parents. '[Her mother] has since said she would sign it if she is paid 500,000, which of course [Peter] cannot and will not do,' Jan said. Mr Silva has now applied for his third renewal application and has been granted a review, which is expected to begin after all evidence is submitted by April 12, Jan said. 'The Australian government are not providing a duty of care to my son as an Australian citizen and my granddaughter as an Australian citizen,' Jan said. Frustrated by the constant rejections of their appeals, Jan and her son contacted social worker Les Twentyman, who worked to bring home 11-year-old Kate Vo last year after she was stranded in Vietnam in a similar situation. Late last year Foreign Minister Julie Bishop wrote to the Silva family stating that she would work to bring Ebony home to her family by Christmas, Mr Twentyman said. 'And she bloody well didn't,' Mr Twentyman said. 'We want the minister to say why six months later she is still stuck there.' Ms Bishop has been contacted for comment.

2016-04-07 07:04 Brianne Tolj www.dailymail.co.uk

57 57 Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O come under fire for 'Wong number' segment Australian breakfast radio duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have landed themselves in hot water after a recent phone prank segment called 'Wong Number' involving two Chinese restaurants. A petition has been launched by co-founder for the Asian Australian Alliance Erin Chew, after the KIIS 106.5 FM radio hosts rang the two restaurants, placing fake orders and then leaving the restaurant owners to speak to one another on the line, which unsurprisingly led to much confusion. The Change. Org petition has so far attracted 750 signatures following the radio segment which aired on Tuesday. Scroll down for video On the petition page, Erin, who describes herself as an entrepreneur and social activist, has condemned the radio prank, saying: 'The purpose was pretty much about confusing Chinese takeaway stores when ordering on the phone. 'Their main motivation was to humiliate hard working mum and dad businesses for the sake of improving their ratings at the expense of a few cheap laughs and jokes about being Chinese.' She then goes on to explain the purpose of the petition, penning: 'As a mark of normal human decency, we are seeking a formal apology to be made on the air and to the Chinese takeaway stores by both Kyle and Jackie O. 'Secondly to ensure the Wong Number segment is canned for good. I think for these hosts to lose face will hopefully teach them a lesson that racially motivated jokes such as these are not acceptable.' A spokesperson for ARN (Australian Radio Network) told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday afternoon: 'The Kyle & Jackie O Show have responded to Erin Chew and explained that the "Wrong Number" segment has been recorded with many takeaway and service providers. 'These have been recorded with pizza, chicken and Chinese takeaways, as well as hairdresser salons. Listeners also call the Kyle & Jackie O Show and make suggestions on what they'd like to hear, so we have other trades and services that we're also in the process of recording. 'Further to this, all our calls are recorded and permission granted by the takeaway or service providers who are happy to have the calls aired. 'We also offer the shops payment for the order that we've given.' Meanwhile Erin has also taken to her Facebook account to express her disappointment with the segment, and has even shared some screenshots of her text message exchange with the radio station. 'As you can see, this isn't a racially motivated segment,' the radio station told Erin. Theatrical performance artist Teik-Kim Pok told Daily Mail Australia he was 'alerted to the segment by Erin Chew' and deeply disappointed by it. 'When I finally heard it, I guess I was kind of shocked this stuff was still going on,' he said. 'Firstly I was offended by the fact that it was not funny at all and secondly, I could tell the subtext was incredibly racist.' 'Asian Australians are also part of the audience,' he added. On Tuesday morning KIIS 106.5 FM presenters Kyle and Jackie O explained the 'Wong Number' segment to the listeners ahead of the prank call. 'What you do is you call one Chinese restaurant and you place an order and go "hold on a second". Quickly call a second Chinese restaurant, get ready to place your order, put them on hold. Go back to your first Chinese restaurant...' Jackie explained, before Kyle chimed in, 'relax and listen to the fun frivolity'. Jackie then continued: 'You ask them to repeat the order and then quickly add them on with the second one and that is when everything gets very confusing around who's placing an order and who's taking it.

2016-04-07 07:03 Alicia Vrajlal www.dailymail.co.uk

58 Broken-hearted: Russian man dies after 2-month search for 4-legged friend Vladimir Davydov, 77, was taken to hospital in late March and died of a heart attack on April 1. The search for his pet, 11-year-old German Shepherd Yan, allegedly stolen by dog thieves, was all in vain – despite significant help from the local community. Davydov would stand all day long, leaning on his crutch, braving the cold and wind to hold a banner that read “Help me find my friend.” His story made the rounds on the internet and touched the hearts of hundreds of people. A social network group that initially sprang up to encourage people to look for Yan is now raising money for a funeral for Davydov, who lost his wife and job some time ago and apparently had no savings. His only relative, a sister, lives in Ukraine and finding her will be a lengthy process, the group’s leader suggests. The group is asking people to donate at least 50 rubles (currently less than a dollar) to help with the funeral arrangements. “Let’s help his sister have a normal funeral and bury him decently. We all know how expensive it is now,” the post says, before giving bank account details where all those who are moved by Davydov’s story can transfer money. Volunteers are planning to resume the search to establish what actually happened to the dog, as well as to erect a small monument to the old man and his pet in honor of true friendship and loyalty. The dog, described by Davydov as his “only partner in life” kept him company for almost a decade, and was a favourite with local children. The elderly man, who had worked at a construction site and often took Yan with him, said he frequently received offers from strangers to buy the German Shepherd for good money, but always turned them down.

2016-04-07 06:59 www.rt.com

59 Is this Gap advert racist? What do you see in this picture? Four young friends posing playfully for the camera? Another forgettable marketing campaign? Or a glaring example of a type of passive racism that persists across corporate America? That's the debate that's been playing out online in response to an advert for a new clothing line - a collaboration between Gap and Ellen DeGeneres. The advert has provoked such stinging criticism that the company has now apologised and said it will pull the image from its campaign. It's the tall white girl resting her arm on the head of the shorter black girl that has triggered the controversy. For some it's insulting and, if not intentionally racist, at least reflective of a lack of thought on Gap's part (hence the term "passive" racism). For others, the image is harmless, and the backlash against it ridiculous. The initial anger appeared on Twitter. The counter argument was just as vociferous. The argument soon spilled over into opinion pieces, too. Writing in The Root , a black culture magazine, Kirsten West Savali argues that the advert compounds "the feeling that our black bodies are undervalued and positioned to serve as props upon which white bodies can be better appreciated and admired. " For her the critical reaction on social media was most definitely "valid". A black film director added a new twist to the story. Matthew A. Cherry tweeted a picture from an old Gap ad campaign that showed a tall black girl resting her arm on the head of a shorter white girl, side by side with the new image. "Does the pic on the left make the pic on the right OK? " he asked. But the emergence of the older photo didn't stem the tide of anger. For a number of users it was the expression of the black girl in the new photo that made the difference. "No... that lil white girl [in the old photo] looks fierce. The beautiful black girl [in the new photo] looks pissed," wrote one. Join the conversation on this and other stories here . Zeba Blay, writing in the Huffington Post , argued that the issue was complicated, and warranted further consideration. "My initial reaction was not 'this is racist!' " she wrote, but added that it was unfair to say those who took issue were overreacting. "It's not the pose itself that is the problem, but the context in which it is delivered. " The intense reaction the advert provoked in so many people was a result of a media landscape where there are "so few powerful representations of black women and especially black girls," and so in that context it's no wonder that so many people found it offensive, Blay wrote. As a result of the negative publicity Gap has acted. In a statement issued on Monday the company said: "As a brand with a proud 46-year history of championing diversity and inclusivity, we appreciate the conversation that has taken place and are sorry to anyone we've offended. This GapKids campaign highlights true stories of talented girls who are celebrating creative self- expression and sharing their messages of empowerment. We are replacing the image with a different shot from the campaign, which encourages girls (and boys) everywhere to be themselves and feel pride in what makes them unique. " Even that move couldn't help offending others: However, as this article was being published the image was still on the Gap Kids Twitter feed. Next Story: Yoga guru outrages India with beheading remark Celebrity yoga teacher says only respect for the law is stopping him from murdering those who refuse to say a controversial nationalist slogan. READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending , and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending .

2016-04-07 05:46 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

60 School bus explodes moments after kids evacuated Contact WND A Florida school bus exploded into flames on Tuesday just moments after its driver removed all the children inside. Like the reporting you see here? Sign up for free news alerts from WND.com, America’s independent news network. Witnesses in Apopka told WKMG-6 that students from Piedmont Lakes Middle School had just been evacuated off their regular school bus when it burst into a raging inferno. The driver had reported mechanical issues and pulled over at the first opportunity. “All of a sudden, kaboom! There was one explosion, and then a few minutes later another explosion,” witness Doug Alexander said. “I asked the bus driver, ‘Did everybody get out OK?’ and he said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Do you know what happened?’ and he said, ‘It started smoking. We smelled smoke.’ I said, ‘Do you know where it came from?’ He said, ‘The air conditioner.'” Sean Rogers told the station that he was grateful to the driver for quickly getting his 14-year-old daughter off the vehicle. “I would tell him thank you very much for saving all those children’s lives,” Rogers said. “The kids that were on the bus with her, they got transferred to the other bus before it caught on fire, so she was one of the only few that actually got to see it go up in flames and catch some of the explosions.” “The Liberty Amendments” is the blueprint on how to fix our broken government by Mark Levin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “Liberty and Tyranny” and “Ameritopia.” Order it today at WND’s Superstore. Detectives told the CBS affiliate it was still undetermined what caused the explosion.

2016-04-07 05:45 Douglas Ernst www.wnd.com

61 Thomas Tuchel not expecting Jurgen Klopp to go easy on Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund have been warned that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will show no mercy to his former club on his return to the Westfalenstadion. Klopp takes his Liverpool side back to the place where he made his name as a coach for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday. The German won two Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal and reached the Champions League final during a seven-year spell in charge of Dortmund and his successor Thomas Tuchel said he was guaranteed a warm welcome on his return. "Anything else but a warm welcome for Jurgen Klopp will be a surprise," Tuchel said at a press conference on Wednesday. But he added: "From the moment the whistle goes Jurgen Klopp will want nothing else than to win. And we too. " For Tuchel, though, facing Klopp at one of the latter's former sides is a far from unusual experience, having spent five years in charge of Mainz, the club where the Liverpool boss started his managerial career. "It's not the first time I've welcomed Klopp back to an ex-club," he said. "This is the sixth time for me. It's a routine. " Tuchel has enjoyed an impressive first season at Dortmund, leading a side which finished seventh under Klopp last term to second in the table, just points behind Bayern Munich, and to the last eight in Europe, including a thumping 5-1 aggregate win over title-chasing Tottenham in the last round. The 42- year-old is aware, though, that he is building on foundations laid by his predecessor. "No-one has forgotten when he achieved here," Tuchel said. "We are now where we are, because of our history with Jurgen. " Liverpool go into the match in ninth place in the Premier League and without a win since their 2-0 home success over Manchester United in the first leg of their last-16 tie four matches ago. However, Tuchel believes their form is improving. "Liverpool have continued to improve in the past weeks," he said. "They have outstanding individual quality in their squad and are extremely difficult to play against. We have to be ready for an absolutely top performance. " Gonzalo Castro, though, a summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, believes Dortmund have more than enough to match their opponents. "If we perform, it will be tough for Liverpool," he said. His fellow midfielder, Germany international Ilkay Gundogan, could yet be fit for the match, having looked set to miss out with a foot injury. Tuchel said: " Ilkay trained with more intensity today. It's touch-and-go, but it looks better than it did on Saturday. "

2016-04-06 22:57 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

62 Extradition hearing for UK man wanted for child sex crimes continues Cape Town - A man who had been on the run for more than 15 years from child sex charges in the United Kingdom is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday. Last month, Avon and Somerset police spokesperson Wayne Baker, in England, confirmed to News24 that 52-year-old Lee Nigel Tucker had been arrested in Cape Town on their behalf. Baker said Tucker was wanted in connection with sex offences committed in the South Wales which allegedly occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They had been working closely with the National Crime Agency, Interpol, the Crown Prosecution Service and the SA Police Service. Tucker was convicted in Swindon Crown Court and fled while out on bail after apparently lodging an appeal. He made a living in South Africa as a helicopter pilot and instructor. According to his lawyer, he had been in the country on and off since 2000.

2016-04-07 06:39 www.news24.com

63 Judgment expected in Winnie's Qunu case Mthatha - The Mthatha High Court is expected to hand down judgment on Thursday in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's challenge to her ex-husband, former president Nelson Mandela's, estate. Madikizela-Mandela is seeking the rights to Mandela's home in Qunu, Eastern Cape. Her lawyer, Mvuzo Notyesi, reportedly wrote to Moseneke two years ago. In the letter, Notyesi argued that AbaThembu custom dictated that the rights to the property should go to Madikizela-Mandela and her descendants. This was applicable irrespective of whether the wife was divorced or not, Notyesi wrote in the letter. "It is only in this home that the children and grandchildren of Mrs Madikizela-Mandela can conduct their own customs and tradition. " Some AbaThembu leaders had argued that Madikizela-Mandela should have first approached the clan's elders before laying claim to the estate.

2016-04-07 06:37 www.news24.com

64 Brussels bomber had job at European Parliament Brussels - One of two Islamic State jihadists who blew themselves up at Brussels airport on March 22, briefly worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament several years ago, the EU body said on Wednesday. "He held a summer holiday job cleaning at the Parliament for one month in 2009 and one month in 2010. Those were the only instances he worked at the Parliament," it said in a statement. It did not name the individual, but a source close to the inquiry told AFP it was Najim Laachraoui. Laachraoui and fellow suicide bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui blew themselves up at Brussels airport in co-ordinated attacks two weeks ago that also struck a Brussels metro station and killed a total of 32 people. Laachraoui is also suspected of being the bomb-maker for the Paris terror assaults last November after his DNA was found on some the explosives used in the attacks, which killed 130. The European Parliament said the suspect did not have a criminal record when he worked for the cleaning firm it had contracted at the time. "As required by the contract, the cleaning firm submitted proof of the absence of a criminal record to the European Parliament," the statement said.

2016-04-07 06:35 www.news24.com

65 ICC: 'Relentless intimidation' sank Kenya case The Hague - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor on Wednesday blamed a "relentless" campaign of witness intimidation as the reason behind a decision to drop the case against Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto. War crimes judges at the Hague-based ICC on Tuesday ordered that all the crimes against humanity charges be "vacated" against Ruto and his co-accused, radio journalist Joshua Sang. This means no-one has been successfully prosecuted by the court for the bloodshed which claimed hundreds of lives after disputed 2007 Kenyan elections. "There was a relentless campaign to identify individuals who could serve as prosecution witnesses in this case and ensure they would not testify," Bensouda said in her first full statement on the issue. "As a result, potential witnesses told us they were too afraid to commit testifying against the accused. " "Others, who initially gave us accounts of what they saw during the post-election period, subsequently recanted their evidence and declined to cop-operate with the court," Bensouda said. Ruto, 49, and Sang, 40, had both denied three counts of crimes against humanity - namely murder, forcible deportation and persecution committed during the violence in 2007 and early 2008, in which prosecutors say about 1 300 people were killed. The bloodshed in the east African nation was the worst since independence from Britain in 1963 and shook its image as a regional beacon of stability. Even before the ICC authorised a probe in 2010 to investigate the violence there was a concerted campaign to intimidate witnesses which "intensified in the weeks leading up to the trial and continued throughout the life of the case", Bensouda said. She also accused Nairobi of not fully co-operating with the investigation, a charge which Kenya denies. "Despite repeated assurances of co-operation with the court the government of Kenya provided only selective assistance to the prosecution," Bensouda said. She again called on Nairobi to hand over three suspects accused of seeking to bribe witnesses in the case. Ultimately, it was the victims of the violence that would suffer the most, she said. "The hurdles we encountered in our efforts to investigate and prosecute have frustrated the course of justice for the victims in this case and this must be a matter of profound regret," Bensouda said.

2016-04-07 06:34 www.news24.com

66 Sony hack suit: Court approves multimillion dollar class action settlement US District Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled in favor of the agreement that obliges Sony to provide some 437,000 victims of the leak with protection against identity theft and a free credit monitoring service for the period from 2014 to 2017. READ MORE: FBI formally accuses North Korea in Sony hack Since the launch of the service, 18,000 people were reported to have signed up to it. So far, the exact amount of money Sony will have to pay out to comply with the judge’s orders cannot be given as the deadline for employees qualified for reimbursement or the free credit protection service has not yet expired. Sony has already spent about $7 million on notifying the victims of the identity theft and establishing a fund that would cover losses inflicted as a result of the theft. This sum doesn’t include plaintiffs’ legal counsel fees, which are yet to be determined by the judge, as well as charges Sony has to pay for the free credit monitoring service. The company has also committed to set up a fund to indemnify any extra losses. The hack on Sony Pictures’ database in 2014, ahead of the planned release of controversial satirical movie ‘The Interview’, which depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an unfavorable light and includes a scene of his assassination, was blamed on Pyongyang. “Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korea actors previously developed,” the FBI said in a statement at the time. Although North Korea vehemently denied any connection to the attack and even offered to conduct a joint investigation into the hack, the White House suggested Pyongyang must admit culpability and pay for the damages. US President Barack Obama also backed Sony while criticizing its decision to cancel the release of the movie, and called on lawmakers to step up cybersecurity legislation. READ MORE: Obama chides Sony’s decision to nix film, says US must retaliate and pass cyber act

2016-04-07 06:13 www.rt.com

67 Israeli businesses, government brace for annual Anonymous cyber-attacks Israel’s government and businesses are prepared for the annual onslaught of cyber attacks by online hacktivist group Anonymous, which has been targeting the Jewish state since 2011. But while the group has succeeded in defacing some high-profile websites in the past, experts say there is little reason to think the attacks will be successful in more meaningful ways. “The most important thing is that we don’t have to panic. It’s mainly trying to inflict psychological damage,” said Rami Efrati, founder and president of Firmitas, and former head of civilian sector division of the National Cyber Bureaus in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Israel is attacked every day. It’s one of the most attacked countries in the world,” he continued, before adding, “But we take every attack seriously.” Nir Gilad, CTO and co-founder CyberX, a company that specializes in securing industrial networks and critical infrastructure, sounded a similar note. “As security experts, we think you should never take any threats to attack companies, let alone critical infrastructure, lightly,” he said, while noting in the same breath that “Israel as a country has a very high awareness for cyber security, and Israel is definitely one of the leading countries in this domain.” On Thursday, both will be participating in Cyber (K)night, a Jerusalem hackathon addressing cyber defense of critical infrastructure. Anonymous has typically opted for “defacement” attacks, in which it hacks into a website and replaces it with an image or message of its own, or Denial of Service attacks, which overwhelm a website to make it inaccessible. While it is always possible that members of the group have something more severe up their sleeves, experts seem to view the group’s aims more as propaganda to generate attention than anything else. “You should be prepared for any scenario, not only when the attackers are declaring that they’re about to try and declare mayhem,” Gilad said. Anonymous is not a single entity, and as such has some strange contradictions. For example, one Anonymous video that surfaced after the Paris shootings in November decried ISIS, the group responsible for the attack, as “scum” and “vermin.” Another group claiming to be part of Anonymous, AnonGhost, has openly supported ISIS. It is among those that is expected to participate in attacks against Israeli sites on Thursday. Last years, the hackers claimed that they managed to temporarily shut down the official Knesset website as well as the sites for the Israeli court system, yet the pages for these institutions continued to function normally. Past attempts have also targeted the sites of Yad Vashem, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Israel Defense Forces website, with limited success. To avoid risks of being hacked, INSS researcher Gabi Siboni recommend that people ensure their software is up to date on all their devices, regularly change passwords and ensure they involve both capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and be wary of suspicious emails. If someone’s business or webpage is attacked, they should call Israel’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) at (03) 745-0801 or email team@ cert.gov.il. Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

2016-04-07 06:03 NIV ELIS www.jpost.com

68 Clinton hits Sanders on gun control, sharpens attacks PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Armed with a blistering tabloid cover, Hillary Clinton is pitting Bernie Sanders against the parents of children murdered in Sandy Hook, part of an effort to punch her way into the critical New York primary. The inflammatory rhetoric underscores the importance of the April 19 New York contest to her campaign and the mounting frustration of Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, with the lingering primary battle. That irritation spilled out into the public arena Wednesday, when Clinton released a flurry of attacks on Sanders, questioning his truthfulness, preparedness for the presidency and loyalty to Democratic party principles. Sanders responded at a rally in Philadelphia. "She has been saying lately that she thinks that I am quote unquote not qualified to be president," he said. "I don't believe that she is qualified if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special-interest funds. " He also said Clinton is not qualified because of her vote on the war in Iraq and her support for trade agreements that he says are harmful to American workers. Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon responded quickly, writing on Twitter: "Hillary Clinton did not say Bernie Sanders was 'not qualified.' But he has now — absurdly — said it about her. This is a new low. " In a fund-raising appeal by email early Thursday, Christina Reynolds, deputy communications director of the Clinton campaign's Hillary for America organization, said of Sanders: "This is a ridiculous and irresponsible attack for someone to make — not just against the person who is almost certainly going to be the nominee of their party this November, but against someone who is one of the most qualified people to run for the presidency in the history of the United States. " During an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning, Clinton pointed to a New York Daily News cover criticizing Sanders for saying he did not think victims of a gun crime should be able to sue the manufacturer. His comments came when the newspaper's editorial board asked him about a wrongful death lawsuit against a rifle maker over the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. "That he would place gun manufacturers' rights and immunity from liability against the parents of the children killed at Sandy Hook is just unimaginable to me," said Clinton, who has long sought to highlight the candidates' differences on guns. In the interview with the Daily News editorial board, Sanders said he did not think gun crime victims should be able to sue gun manufacturers. But he did say people should be able to sue dealers and manufacturers who sell when they know "guns are going to the hands of wrong people. " He also said he supported a ban on assault weapons. Clinton's campaign — which seized on a number of statements in the interview — organized a phone call for reporters with elected officials and gun control advocates, including Jillian Soto, whose sister was a teacher killed at Sandy Hook, called Sanders' comments "offensive. " "He doesn't know the pain my family has been going through since December 14, 2012," she said. Sanders responded Wednesday by criticizing Clinton's 2002 Senate vote in favor of the Iraq war. "Maybe Secretary Clinton might want to apologize to the families who lost their loved ones in Iraq," he told CBS News. Clinton also jumped on the limited details Sanders offered in the editorial board meeting about how he would break up the country's big financial institutions, saying he "hadn't done his homework. " And in a separate interview with Politico published Wednesday, Clinton said she tries to explain things in a more "open and truthful way than my opponent. " Later, at a Philadelphia job training center, Clinton said people should know what she would do if she's elected president, "not just lots of arm-waving and hot rhetoric. " Despite a sizable delegate lead, the stakes are high for Clinton in New York, the state she represented for eight years in the Senate. A loss there would be a major political blow that would highlight her weaknesses within her own party, particularly with younger voters who have powered Sanders' primary bid and will be a crucial part of any Democratic candidate's general election campaign. Clinton aides say there's little they can do to directly push Sanders out of the race. They fear any such effort could compromise her ability to win over the support she'll need in the general election. Instead, her campaign is escalating its attacks in hopes of a decisive win in New York and assembling an "all but insurmountable" delegate lead by the end of the month. Sanders notched his sixth win out of seven primaries in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, a streak his campaign is casting as a sign of fresh momentum. If Sanders can win a big share of delegates in New York and the five northeastern contests that follow, his aides believe they can make even larger gains in May and June contests in Oregon and California. "She's getting a little nervous," Sanders told supporters at a rally in Wyoming on Tuesday night. "I believe we have an excellent chance to win New York. " Still, Sanders' path to the nomination remains narrow. His big victory netted him 10 delegates — but Clinton still holds a big lead in all-important delegate math. Sanders must win 68 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates if he hopes to clinch the Democratic nomination. That would require blowout victories by Sanders in upcoming states big and small. But members of Sanders' team says they see an upside to Clinton's tougher tone: When Clinton attacks Sanders, they say, it pulls down her favorability ratings and makes it harder for her to argue to voters that she's honest and trustworthy. "We've held rallies now in every part of the state where tens of thousands have come out with 24- or 48- hour notice," said Bill Lipton, New York state director of the liberal Working Families Party, which is backing Sanders. "There's been incredible energy. " __ Corrects 6th paragraph description of Hillary for America organization as campaign unit, not Super PAC. ___ Associated Press writer Hope Yen contributed to this report.

2016-04-07 06:03 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

69 Catch Jack Parow on the road as he films his new TV show Cape Town – When Jack Parow returns from his European tour on 12 April, he is going to hit the ground running to shoot the second leg of his Dis Hoe Ons Rol TV show from 14 April. This nine episode TV show follows Jack Parow and his buddy, Hardus Van Deventer, as they travel across South Africa’s breathtaking nine provinces on their Harley Davidson bikes. Part of the challenge is that Parow must play shows in all nine provinces during the 30 day expedition. The first leg was completed successfully with shows played and new friends made from Cape Town to Durban. Soon Parow and Hardus will be ready hit the road for their next adventure. Join Jack Parow at his Dis Hoe Ons Rol Shows in April: Date: 16 April 2016 Venue: Jock Pub & Grill Address: 23 Ferreira Street, Nelspruit Contact: Bronwyn / Susie-7554969 Doors open: 18h00 Performance time: 21h00 Ticket price: R50 p.p. Purchasing tickets: ADMIN@JOCKPUBANDGRILL. CO. ZA / 013-7554969 Date: 21 April 2016 – NO COVER CHARGE Venue: Brew Monkey Address: Sun City Resort, Sun City, Rustenburg Contact: +27 14 557 1681 Performance time: 20h00 Date: 22 April 2016 Venue: Trademarx Address: 467 Kirkness St, Pretoria Contact: 012 344 5000 Performance time: 21h30 Tickets: R120 p.p @ the door Date: 23 April 2016 – NO COVER CHARGE Venue: Chaf Pozi Address: Orlando Towers, Chris Hani Road & Nicholas Street, Soweto Contact: 011 463 8895 Performance time: 21h00 Date: 26 April 2016 Venue: Mystic Boer Bloemfontein Address: 84 Kellner Street, Bloemfontein Contact: Etienne 0844449028 Performance time: 22h00 Tickets: Pre-sold R50 / At the door R70. Dis Hoe Ons Rol is produced for kykNET (DSTV channel 114) and will premiere later this year. The exact broadcast date will be announced at a later stage. Keep an eye on Jack Parow’s Facebook , Instagram and Twitter pages for more behind-the- scenes photos.

2016-04-07 06:00 www.channel24.co.za

70 EU referendum: Owen says Leave vote will help reverse NHS competition Former Labour Foreign Secretary Lord Owen says leaving the EU is necessary to protect the NHS from interference and stop the spread of market forces. The peer, who backed Britain's membership in the 1975 referendum, said he had been wrong to think the "common market" would "leave the NHS alone". He warned a planned trade deal between the EU and US would harm the NHS. But Labour's Rachel Reeves said EU membership had helped the NHS fund research and recruit skilled workers. And she suggested the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) he is concerned about was being "manipulated" by Leave backers, many of whom did not support the NHS. The NHS has become the latest battleground for arguments over whether the UK is better off inside or outside the EU ahead of the referendum on 23 June. Earlier this week, four former Labour health secretaries said a vote to leave the EU would seriously undermine the NHS and its founding principle of care free at the point of use. The Leave campaign retaliated with claims about the cost to the taxpayer of treating EU nationals using the NHS. Now Lord Owen - a former GP who has campaigned against government health reforms in recent years - has said the NHS needs to be "protected" from EU interference, which he believes its threatening its heritage and independence. In a speech in London in support of the Vote Leave campaign group, Lord Owen - who served as Labour foreign secretary in the late 1970s before defecting to the SDP and is now a crossbench peer - said the dream of European co-operation once supported by many on the centre-left of politics had turned sour. In the past 20 years, he said the EU had "crept into every nook and cranny" of British life, including the NHS, and had to stop. The European Commission, he said, had become "obsessed with proposing market solutions to social policy" and, in respect of health legislation emanating from Brussels, patients were being treated as consumers. "In truth, since 2002 the Labour government, the coalition government and now the Conservative government have accepted an EU market in health," he said. He said the application of EU competition law to the NHS would be exacerbated by the passing of TTIP, a set of free trade and regulatory agreements which he said had "no regard for the social purpose of healthcare" and would erode member states control over healthcare policy and spending. Leaving the EU would prevent any future UK government from ratifying TTIP, he said. "We all need to respect and value, whatever political parties we support, those elements which bind the citizens of the UK together and the NHS is one of those. "Now is the time to take back control from the EU and protect our NHS for future generations. " Several trade unions, while backing EU membership, are opposed to TTIP, saying it would allow private firms running NHS services to sue the government if it chose to return the services to the public sector - a claim rejected by the government. Unison, the main union for NHS workers, say it is a threat to public services and should be rejected unless changes are made. Ms Reeves, who backs continued EU membership, said she understood concerns on the left that TTIP would be a "Trojan Horse for further privatisation of the health service" but believed they were unfounded. In an article for Labour List, the former Labour frontbencher said the issue was being exploited by those backing EU exit "many of them right-wingers with no love for the NHS". "Let me be clear. I would not support TTIP if I believed in any way that it would allow American health providers to sue our government into breaking open the NHS, as some claim it would. "Thankfully, anyone who studies both the detail and the political intention of this deal can see that it poses no threat at all to our health service. "What it will do is open up the American market to British companies, creating opportunities for business that will boost jobs and growth here at home. " At a time of acute challenge for the NHS, she said the "last thing" it needed was the "shock" of EU exit. "The EU has made the NHS stronger, providing it with research funding, skilled workers and the economic stability needed to plan future spending. Exit would put all this in peril. "

2016-04-06 20:58 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

71 Hail slams into metro Atlanta amid severe storms, power outages Originally, Bartow, Floyd, Haralson, Paulding and Polk counties were all named in the warning until 10 p.m. But those storm warnings quickly spread and extended throughout the evening as the storm made its way through the metro area. Along the way the storm has brought hail ranging in size from pea to golf ball around the area and reported damage. As of about 1:10 a.m. there were several outages impacting more than 24,000 customers throughout extended metro Atlanta. (© 2016 WXIA) WXIA Sunshine returns, cooler weekend

2016-04-07 05:51 Christopher Buchanan rssfeeds.11alive.com

72 Health Ministry okays physicians’ assistants track at Safed college After years of rejecting the idea of physicians’ assistants arguing it would “lower the level of medical care,” the Health Ministry has approved a bachelor’s degree program in emergency medicine at the Safed Academic College to train paramedics as PAs. In advanced countries abroad, PAs earn a master’s degree covering a wide variety of medical subjects. Health Minister MK Ya’acov Litzman wrote to the college this week that the training of PAs will help cope with the shortage of doctors and pressures on hospital doctors. “The integration of PAs in the health system is good news that will give us professional tools to cope with the burden on emergency rooms and wards,” he said. The PA, which is a prestigious profession in the US and other countries, takes medical histories, performs examinations and procedures, orders treatments, diagnoses diseases, prescribes medication, orders and interprets diagnostic tests, refers patients to specialists as required and assists in surgery. They do work that used to be done only by MDs, who have to study for more years to get a medical license and are paid more. PAs in the US typically have master’s degrees and work in doctor’s offices, hospitals and other healthcare settings. Demand for PAs in the US is expected to grow by an impressive 30 percent in the next decade. Their median annual salary in the US is $95,00, significantly more than the average Israeli doctor’s pay. Here, the minimum requirement will be a bachelor’s degree in emergency medicine and passing a special licensing exam for PAs. Although there are numerous highly trained Jewish PAs abroad, the ministry has not planned for encouraging them to settle in Israel and receive an Israel PA license, but just to upgrade paramedics working for Magen David Adom and other rescue organizations. Litzman sent his message for the opening of the third conference on health professions held at the college, which he praised as being “an outstanding academic institution serving the Galilee that will make it possible for graduates to “advance” to PAs. Safed Academic College director- general Shmuel Har-Noy said that “this year, we are seeing a revolution in bolstering professional manpower in the hospitals. It will begin already at the end of this year with the first graduating class of PAs for hospitals around the country.” He added that the program will help fill some of the 5,000 medical profession job slots that are waiting to be occupied. Because of this demand, the college will increase its student body by 70% in the coming years, he said. Prof. Haim Breitbart, president of the college, said that new medical technologies demand well- trained professionals, which are what the college is training – not only PAs but also nursing, physiotherapy, laboratory studies and emergency medicine. 2016-04-07 05:47 JUDY SIEGEL www.jpost.com

73 Security alert ahead of William and Kate's trip to India The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will travel to India at the weekend as security is tightened following a police warning of a possible terror threat. Punjab police are reported to have issued an alert regarding terrorists who may have crossed into the country. People have been warned to be vigilant, especially in crowded places, and there are concerns two of the three places the royal couple are set to visit could be the target of a number of Pakistani terrorists. Mumbai and Delhi, both of which William and Kate will visit during their tour, could be targets as well as Goa, police said, according to media in India. The couple, who will travel to India and Bhutan, held a reception at Kensington Palace on Wednesday for young people from the two Asian countries living, working or studying in the UK. Among the guests the royal couple welcomed to their home was British Asian model Neelam Gill who has worked for Burberry and appeared in Vogue magazine. The model said about Kate: "She told me she loves Indian food and I said she would be fine, and William said he struggles with the spices. " The Duchess paid tribute to India by wearing a dark blue outfit by London-based Indian designer Saloni, while the Duke looked smart in a suit and tie. William and Kate chatted to their guests about their forthcoming six-day trip, which will be their first to the two countries. They spoke to India's High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Sarna, other figures representing British and Indian business, the charity sector, key figures within the community, academia, and representatives from the British Asian Trust. The couple also met Bhutanese and Indian students enrolled on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Chevening Scholarship Programme, the UK's international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders. The Duke told one group that the weather in Mumbai, where they will start their visit next week, will be very hot. He said: "Mumbai is about 35 degrees - it will be a belter. I've had enough of winter time, I want to get away. " The conversation turned to the recent Twenty20 World Cup cricket tournament hosted by India, which the West Indies won in dramatic style, beating England in the final at the weekend. The Duke said: "I wish I was there for the last week, for the final - amazing game. " He added: "As much as England lost, the West Indies winning is not bad, they're so passionate. "

2016-04-07 05:03 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

74 Senior judge criticises 'insensitive' handling of IVF case A senior judge has strongly criticised an IVF clinic in London over errors with paperwork for a lesbian couple. One of the women gave birth to twins after the treatment. But her partner, who was the biological mother, had to go to court to be declared a legal parent - because the wrong forms were filled in at the clinic. The case is among 15 similar ones brought to the High Court. The president of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, said the clinic's lawyers had been "grossly insensitive" in their handling of the case. He granted the woman - identified only as X - a declaration that she was a legal parent of the twins in February. Giving his reasons for Wednesday's judgement, he said the women had been left "shocked and angry" when the clinic's error came to light. Sir James said the women had paid more than £15,000 for their treatment with IVF Hammersmith Limited. He described how the clinic's solicitors sent a "crass and insensitive" letter to the women, offering them £1,000 in compensation. Sir James said in his ruling: "The offer of money, whatever the amount, was merely adding insult to injury. "If an offer of financial compensation was appropriate at all, the idea that £1,000 began to approach a realistic figure was so wide of the mark as to be not merely insulting but almost offensively so. "If ever there was a situation calling for empathy, understanding, humanity, compassion and, dare one say it, common decency, never mind sincere and unqualified apology, it is surely this. " The clinic's director had expressed regret in a witness statement and said there were now procedures to try and avoid any repeat of the situation. Sir James described this as a "mealy-mouthed observation". This case is among eight, involving a number of clinics, which have been resolved at the High Court, after the UK's fertility regulator identified the form-filling errors. A further seven cases are still awaiting a final court hearing. It is thought as many as 85 couples could be affected in total. A spokeswoman for IVF Hammersmith said: "We understand the stress the process and hearing has caused and we are sorry for this. "We would like to reiterate that we have learned from this case. "To safeguard all other patients receiving donor sperm, since 2013 we have introduced witnessing to the process, run dedicated staff training and operated continuous audits. "

2016-04-06 20:58 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

75 Herzog’s show of contempt for UN’s ‘Zionist is Racism’ resolution is remembered PARIS – French and Israeli dignitaries gathered at the National Assembly’s Victor Hugo Amphitheater on Wednesday, to commemorate 40 years since then-Israeli envoy to the UN Chaim Herzog delivered a historic speech to the General Assembly, condemning the UN’s resolution that said Zionism is racism. In this speech in November 1975, Herzog symbolically tore up a copy of General Assembly Resolution 3379, pushed through by the Soviet and Arab blocs. “For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood and arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value. For us, the Jewish people, this is no more than a piece of paper and we shall treat it as such,” he said. The Chaim Herzog Public Memorial Council and the European Leadership Network (ELNET) joined forces with National Assembly deputy Meyer Habib, to organize the evening. Habib, a French-Israeli dual citizen, represents the Eighth Constituency for French residents overseas, which covers Cyprus, Greece, the Vatican, Israel, Italy, Malta, San Marino and Turkey. The commemoration on Wednesday followed similar events at UN headquarters in New York (with Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry speaking), at President Reuven Rivlin’s residence in Jerusalem, and at the Knesset, hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Paris, from the Israeli side, the late Chaim Herzog’s son Brig.-Gen. (res.) Mike Herzog, a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, was present, alongside his brother businessman Joel Herzog, hi-tech entrepreneurs Yossi Vardi and Ambassador to France Aliza Bin-Noun. A surprise guest, Jean Friedman, who witnessed Chaim Herzog’s speech at UN headquarters 40 years ago, accompanied Mike Herzog to the gathering in Paris. Friedman fought in the French resistance, and became friends with Chaim Herzog at the end of World War II. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, Chaim Herzog’s son, was scheduled to take part at the event. He had to cancel his visit at the last minute, sending a video message which was aired at the National Assembly. The French representation was also impressive: Jean-Marie Le Guen, the minister in charge of the relations with the parliament, members of parliament, senior officials from the Socialist Party, representatives of civil society, religious leaders and of course leaders of the Jewish community arrived at the National Assembly hall on Rue de l’Université. Mike Herzog told The Jerusalem Post that holding such an event in Paris had special meaning, both personally and nationally. “From the national perspective – it is the fourth commemoration of my father’s historic speech, and the first we are holding in Europe. It was important for us to hold these gatherings in places which would not necessarily be the obvious or the first choice that comes to mind. We held an event at the UN – a sort of ‘back to the crime’ scene, and now we are having one in Paris, at the National Assembly, the very heart of the French nation and governing institutions, as a seal of approval,” he said. On the personal side, he noted that his father had a special connection with France and the French people, having fought here as a soldier in the British Army during WWII. “The message that my father related back then at the UN is still relevant today, perhaps more than ever before,’’ Mike Herzog said. “My father viewed the attempt to affiliate Zionism with racism as a form of anti-Semitism and also as a form of attack on liberal values. This is the message that I am bringing with me today to the people of Europe and to the international community,” Mike Herzog said. Bin-Noun, speaking to the Post, affirmed the importance of the event in combating those who liken Zionism to racism. “These voices are all around us. The BDS movement uses these arguments constantly,” the ambassador said. “And so, we must continue the battle of explaining what Zionism really is, and denouncing this miserable UN 1975 decision, canceled in 1991, against Zionism, against us.” The commemoration opened with the screening of extracts from Herzog’s speech, followed by recorded greets from Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog. Le Guen said in his speech, “This definition of Zionism at the UN resolution is false and also unbearable... Chaim Herzog in his words reflected the spirit of Theodor Herzl... Israel is a democracy, and we must object to any attempts to criticize the values which the Jewish people have upheld for centuries.” 2016-04-07 05:34 Rina Bassist www.jpost.com

76 Putin intelligent strategist, Russia played constructive role in Syria, Iran – Kerry on Charlie Rose Russia’s commitment to the Syrian ceasefire was initially called into question by the US and its coalition partners, which condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, while accusing Moscow of bombing US-backed rebel groups. “Everybody doubted whether Russia would play any constructive role whatsoever with respect to the cessation of hostilities […] and we got the cessation of hostilities because they played a positive role,” Kerry told PBS’s Charlie Rose in an interview aired on April 5. In a rare acknowledgment of Russia’s input in solving world crises, Kerry admitted that Moscow’s role was actually crucial in saving Syria from complete chaos. “If they hadn’t played a constructive role, we would not have gotten the chemical weapons out of Syria and they would be in the hands of ISIL [Islamic State / IS], and if they hadn’t played a constructive role, we would not have gotten the cessation of hostilities or everybody at the table in Geneva,” Kerry added. The Secretary also praised Russia’s crucial contributions to reaching an agreement with Iran that had been stalled for over a year. “If they hadn’t played a constructive role, we would not have had an agreement with Iran,” he said. March saw a significant development in Russia-US relations, when Secretary Kerry came to Moscow to discuss Syria with the Russian leadership, and had tête-à-têtes with both President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. When asked by Rose about his sit downs with Putin, Kerry said that they had met for “at least three meetings,” each of which were “fairly lengthy.” “I think he is intelligent, strategic and tactical, sometimes more tactical than strategic, but there is certainly a strategic vision,” Kerry responded when asked about Putin’s personality. “I think he wants his point of view acknowledged, and to a certain degree his interests reciprocated, met.” However, despite such civility, there are “limits,” Kerry stressed, citing the situation in Ukraine, where the eastern part of the country is embroiled in a civil conflict and Crimea left to be reunited with Russia, as one of the exceptions. “Crimea, we are not moving. I mean this is just not in the cards,” he said, adding that the US is not “changing” it position. Crimea and Sevastopol, the historic naval port that enjoys special status on the peninsula, voted for independence from Ukraine in a referendum on March 16, 2014 and has subsequently rejoined Russia. The US and its allies refused to recognize the referendum, however, and slapped Moscow with sanctions due to the move, which are still in force. Ahead of a new round of negotiations in Geneva and Syrian Parliamentary elections on April 13, the Secretary still insisted that President Assad’s resignation was key to putting an end to the war that has allowed jihadists to gain a foothold in Syria. “If you going to end the war, you can’t do it with Assad there,” Kerry said. “The war would not come to a complete closure, if Assad against the wish of the opposition… unless there is an agreement that I am not aware of gets reached with the opposition, somewhere in time, you can’t end the war, because the opposition will not end fighting because of what he is deemed to have done to their people, to the people of his country.” He then argued that “if Russia wants to end the war,” it needs to accept the fact that President Assad cannot keep his position. Since the Syrian conflict unfolded five years ago, the fate of Assad has been one of the major stumbling blocks between Russia and the US-led coalition when it comes to finding common ground in fighting radical Islamists in Syria. While Washington has been insisting that Assad has to step down as a part of a peaceful resolution to the civil war, Moscow has been stressing that it is crucial for the Syrian people to decide their own fate and choose their own government. Moreover, Russian officials have stressed that they have grounds to believe that ousting Assad would create a power vacuum leading to another failed state in the Middle East, often citing Libya as an example. While Moscow distrusts the majority of so-called Syrian opposition fighters outright, even Washington has had a tough time distinguishing Islamist militants from those it considers “moderates,” with a program to train and arm the latter ending in utter failure. READ MORE: Kerry in Moscow: Penny has dropped; isolating Russia was never going to work Secretary Kerry visibly softened his position towards Russia during testimonies before the US congress in February, while trying to sell legislators on a $50 billion budget for his department. His tone and words at the hearings stood in marked contrast to the Obama administration’s frequent anti-Russian rhetoric, which often casts Moscow as one of the top threats to US national security. Just this past Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter put Russia at the top of a list of “strategic threats,” which, according to him, also include “China, North Korea, Iran and terrorism.” However, last week even the Pentagon conceded that Russia was playing a constructive role in Syria, saying it was “clear” that Russia “focused more of their military attention on ISIL.” READ MORE: US scares Europe with ‘mythical’ Russian threat to justify military costs – Russian envoy to NATO

2016-04-07 05:33 www.rt.com

77 Bernie Sanders: 'We have a path toward the White House' Bernie Sanders has scored a strong victory over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin Democratic primary. Speaking at a rally in Wyoming ahead of caucuses on Saturday, Mr Sanders said that his campaign had "a path toward victory and the White House".

2016-04-07 05:21 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

78 Asia Times News & Features – Asia Times A global rise in the number of executions recorded last year saw more people put to death than at any point in the last quarter-century, according to Amnesty International. A banner used by demonstrators in Vienna, Austria, against Iranian President Hassan Rohani over Iran’s use of death penalty The human rights organisation said at least 1,634 people were executed in 2015, a rise of more than 50% on the previous year, and the highest number recorded since 1989. The figures only account for recorded executions, however, and exclude executions carried out in China where death penalty data is treated as a state secret. “China remained the world’s top executioner, and Amnesty International believes that thousands of people were put to death and thousands of death sentences were imposed in 2015. “There are signs that the number of executions in China has decreased in recent years, but the secrecy around the death penalty makes this impossible to confirm,” it said. The recorded surge in executions was fuelled by three countries — Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Together they were responsible for 89% of the 1,634 recorded executions in 2015. Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said: “The rise in executions last year is profoundly disturbing. Not for the last 25 years have so many people been put to death by states around the world. Read More

2016-04-07 01:30 atimes.com

79 Tokyo's hedgehog cafe encourages you to embrace prickly pets – video Animal lovers have been lining up at a Tokyo cafe to spend time with 20 to 30 different breeds of hedgehogs. ‘We wanted to show people the charm of hedgehogs, which have the impression of being hard to handle. We wanted to get rid of that image by letting people touch them,’ said staff member Mizuki Murata. The Japanese capital also boasts cat, rabbit, owl, hawk and even snake cafes

2016-04-07 04:58 Source: Reuters www.theguardian.com

80 ‘There’s no such thing as bad dialogue,’ says ‘Forbes’ editor in Jerusalem Despite closing down Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda shuk in a pub crawl the night before, Forbes editor Randall Lane was on hand early Wednesday morning at the Israel Museum, preparing for the third full day of events of the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit. Entrepreneurs reclined on bean bags near the “Ahava” sculpture in the museum’s courtyard as speakers took to the stage discussing culture and technology, all with the underlying theme of coexistence and innovation. “There’s no such thing as bad dialogue. There’s no such thing as a bad collaboration,” says Lane in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. The summit is the first Forbes has held outside the US, and, taking place in Israel, it lent itself to discussing the importance of global dialogue. “This is not an Israeli- Palestinian conference, it’s a conference with people from 40 countries... but obviously this is front and center.” That’s the motivation behind a joint Israeli- Palestinian hackathon to take place on Thursday, where – together with Jerusalem Venture Partners – 150 people will create and develop innovative projects that center on dialogue and coexistence. Lane says that individuals, and particularly entrepreneurs have power beyond that of governments. “The world is global. Anyone who doesn’t see that and anyone who tries to pretend that that is not the answer and that that’s not the future is deluding themselves,” he says. The summit, which has 600 participants from North America, Europe and the Middle East, has attracted some high-level speakers – including former president Shimon Peres – and entrepreneurs like WAZE co-founder Uri Levine. But two names stand out more for their failures and controversy than their success: failed Better Place founder Shai Agassi and Monica Lewinsky, the Clinton administration intern who almost brought down the presidency with a sex scandal. Agassi, who was well received earlier in the week in Tel Aviv, says that entrepreneurs could learn more from their failures than they do from their successes. “Very few of the great entrepreneurs nailed it the first time,” Lane says. “Shai is somebody incredibly impressive, who had a big idea – and he’s going to have other big ideas.” Lewinsky, who moderated a panel about overcoming challenges on Middle East dialogue, has started to rehabilitate her image through public speaking. She spoke for the first time publicly in 2014 at the first Forbes 30 Under 30 summit in Philadelphia. “Here is somebody who was the first person to ever have their reputation shredded by the Internet,” Lane says. “This is something that this generation understands.... Here’s somebody who’s become a true leader in the area of cyber-bullying and the need to have a civil dialogue.” Outside of the panels and the pub crawls, the summit also seeks to give back to the community. “The challenge is... we try to leave every place better than we found it,” Lane says. The final day of the conference is dedicated as a “service day,” which includes participants speaking to students in both east and west Jerusalem, a mentorship program for Palestinian entrepreneurs, and a joint Israeli-Palestinian cultural immersion program. “We’re going to inspire kids who are only five or 10 years younger than these speakers,” Lane says. “Look at what these guys have accomplished; [the kids] can accomplish it, too.” While this is not his first time in the country – Lane backpacked in Israel when he was in his 20s – he says the conference has given everyone a chance to experience the real Israel. “To be in the shuk [in Jerusalem] last night, to be on the beach in Tel Aviv, the food festival, having a concert in the Tower of David – these are memories that will last a lifetime.” For Lane personally, interviewing Peres was “an honor and a thrill,” and he adds that, based on the reception from the audience, it was clear “the coolest guy at a conference for people in there 20s is a guy who is 92.” 2016-04-07 04:56 LAURA KELLY www.jpost.com

81 Ombudsman: Napenas, Purisima liable for the 62 killed in Mamasapano Retired Police Director Getulio Napeñas, one of Vice President Jejomar Binay's senatorial candidates, is in hot water after the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to hold him accountable for the 62 lives lost during the Mamasapano clash. - The World Tonight, ANC, April 6, 2016

2016-04-06 21:58 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

82 Candidates' kids seek youth vote Four weeks before the elections, the children of presidential bets are doing their share for their parents' campaigns. This report shows us how these political offspring are grabbing attention during sorties. - The World Tonight, ANC, April 6, 2016

2016-04-06 21:58 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

83 Gwinnett Boy Scout troop devastated by theft BUFORD, GA (WXIA) -- They’re out 10-grand in equipment and learning a hard lesson. A Gwinnett County Boy Scout troop was devastated when a trailer holding all of their equipment was stolen, leaving them with nothing. What’s tough about this, is that it’s a new troop, and they don’t have a permanent home yet – so everything they use for Scouting was inside. Now, it’s just gone! Boy Scout Caiden Spreatz couldn’t believe it. “Surprise, then devastated,” he said. The scouts in Troop 1109 were all frustrated someone stole all of their equipment. “I’m very disappointed in the person who stole it,” said scout Aiden Weng. “It’s just very frustrating that we lost everything,” said scout Cameron Gillion. “We had food in there from other trips we could use again,” said scout Carson Edwards. “We had cooking materials.” The camping, cooking and hiking gear was in the back of a trailer in a storage unit in Buford. When they went to pick it up for their next adventure, it was gone. “A number of them were shocked, surprised,” said scout leader Tom Gillion. “Who would steal from the Boy Scouts?” Gillion said the boys bought all of the equipment themselves. “The boys have worked really hard to do fund raisers,” he said. “They’ve done car washes, sold popcorn.” Even though losing their stuff is a big blow, Gillion thinks the theft can serve a purpose. “They’re going to learn in a really hard way to overcome this,” he said. But the scouts think the thieves could learn a lesson of their own. “Why would you sink that low?” asked Caiden. “It’s just so sad, because we really need that equipment to go on out campouts,” said scout Liam Weng. Matt Lindsay co-owns the trailer that was stolen with his brother, and says the police have already called him once about a possible sighting. “The police have contacted us. They’re working really hard on it, and we appreciate their diligence,” he said. (© 2016 WXIA)

2016-04-07 04:31 Kaitlyn Ross rssfeeds.11alive.com

84 Nearly 14% of veterans engage in suicidal thinking – study The first wave of the study was conducted in 2011, with a second following in 2013. The research was led by Dr. Robert Pietrzak of the Clinical Neuroscience Division of the VA’s National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Veterans were contacted twice and asked if they had “experienced suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks,” among other questions. About 86 percent denied having such thoughts both times they were asked, according to the study. About five percent had “chronic” suicidal thoughts, reporting that they had had them within two weeks of the time they were surveyed both times, which took place two years apart. The report also found that nearly four percent of veterans had “remitted” suicidal thinking, reporting suicidal thoughts in the first wave, but not in the second. Another five percent only reported having suicidal thoughts in the second survey. When the two waves are combined, 280 veterans, or 13.7 percent of the total sample, reported having suicidal thoughts either one or both times. “Our results … highlight the dynamic nature of [suicidal ideation],” wrote the researchers, “as evidenced by the meaningful proportion of US veterans reporting changes in suicidal ideation over time.” The study also found that those who reported suicidal thinking for the first time in the second wave, 2.65 percent, had never received any mental health treatment. Researchers said the findings highlight the importance of addressing mental and physical health problems, and encourage social support to help remedy the situation. The research also pointed out the survey’s limits. A third of those who responded to the first survey did not complete the second. In addition, the study only covered a two-year period, limiting any conclusions concerning the longer-term consequences of suicidal thinking. Furthermore, the veterans were not asked whether their suicidal thoughts were caused by financial or family stress. Lastly, there were no details about whether the study’s participants were recent veterans or those from another generation. The Department of Veterans Affairs said a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in 2011 had found that 3.7 percent of US adults reported having suicidal thoughts within the past year, “which makes the rates in the new study high.” The study, entitled “Nature and determination of suicidal ideation among US veterans: Results from national health and resilience in veterans study,” is slated for publication in the June 2016 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

2016-04-07 04:30 www.rt.com

85 Disease quadruples in 3 decades Contact WND (CNN)It’s a potentially fatal disease whose risks can in many cases be prevented through lifestyle measures. So why has diabetes seen a massive increase in sufferers? The number of people living with the potentially fatal disease has quadrupled since 1980, to more than 400 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Worldwide, diabetes killed 1.5 million in 2012 alone, with high blood-glucose causing another 2.2 million deaths, the organization says.

2016-04-07 03:13 www.wnd.com

86 Yen surge squeezes Nikkei, oil up as dollar slips By Wayne Cole SYDNEY, April 7 (Reuters) - The yen powered to 17-month peaks on Thursday, trampling Japanese exporter stocks in the process, while a broadly soft dollar gave extra legs to a rally in oil prices. The profit-eroding rise in the yen kept the Nikkei near flat for the day. The index has shed more than 7 percent in the past two weeks and weighed on sentiment across Asia. Markets in China, Taiwan and South Korea were all lower, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up a whisker. The yen's lunge higher led a senior Japanese finance ministry official to warn the move had been one-sided and that the ministry would take steps in the market as needed. Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda also repeated that the central bank would ease policy further if needed, but the market seems to doubt he can do much more. That is one reason the dollar crumbled to 109.13 yen, its lowest since late October 2014. The yen's gains were broad based with heavy buying seen against the euro, Swiss franc and Australian dollar. Traders said being short of yen had been a very heavily favoured trade early in the year and the currency's surge was squeezing many investors out of those positions. The dollar was also soft on its own account as minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting showed many participants wanted to move cautiously on rate hikes. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was pinned at 94.411 and near its lowest since October. The euro held at $1.1400 and not far from the recent 5-1/2-month peak of $1.1437. The dollar was likewise near a 5-1/2-month low against the Swiss franc at 0.9555 franc. The drop in the dollar added to gains in oil which jumped 5 percent overnight as U. S. inventories unexpectedly fell and investors gauged the possibility of an output freeze. Brent crude futures were up 27 cents at $40.11 on Thursday, a marked turnaround from a one-month low of $37.27 hit on Tuesday. U. S. crude rose 36 cents to $38.11. The gains for oil boosted energy stocks and gave Wall Street a lift. The Dow had ended Wednesday 0.64 percent higher, while the S&P 500 gained 1.05 percent and the Nasdaq 1.59 percent. Aiding risk sentiment were the Fed minutes which showed many members reluctant to hike further in the face of global uncertainty, a point underlined by Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan in a speech late on Wednesday. Elliot Clarke, an economist at Westpac, said "the take home from the March meeting is that, while the Fed remains happy with ongoing progress being made domestically, they are far less certain about the state of the world and its potential impact on the U. S. and the dollar/. " "Until such time as confidence in global prospects increases, they are comfortable to hold fire. " Markets have long been wagering the pause will be an extended one with Fed fund futures pricing in a one-in-five chance of a hike in June and just one move by Christmas. (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Richard Borsuk)

2016-04-07 04:23 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

87 Melissa George cradles her five-month-old son Solal Blanc in Sydney She was forced to postpone the filming of her latest series Heartbeat due to falling pregnant with her son Solal Blanc. Now five months old, the little tot has been lucky enough to travel with his mother Melissa George as she returned to Australia to promote the release of the recently- launched medical drama. The 39-year-old actress cradled her bright-eyed baby tightly as they emerged from Sydney's Bills Darlinghurst restaurant on Wednesday. Scroll down for video Wearing a plunging black halterneck jumpsuit, the mother-of-two clutched her infant tightly while wrapping him in a crochet blanket. She accessorised with large golden hoop earrings and a mustard-coloured crocodile bag for the outing, the same ensemble she'd worn while appearing on The Morning Show earlier that day. While on the popular breakfast program, the former Home and Away actress reflected on the late Heath Ledger who would have celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday. The acting duo became close after starring in the 1997 film Roar and spent a lot of time together having moved to Los Angeles at around the same time to pursue their craft. 'He was such a wonderful human being,' she said solemnly. 'He was super natural, not overly rehearsed, he just went with instinct, he had such a zest for life.' Melissa is back in her native Australia to promote her latest medical drama Heartbeat in which she plays the lead role Dr. Alexandra Panttiere. She welcomed her son Solal in November last year with her French entrepreneur partner Jean-David Blanc, with whom she has another son Raphael, who is two. She announced the happy news on Twitter, saying: 'Our beautiful boy has been born,' Melissa wrote, noting that the baby was delivered at the American hospital of Paris.

2016-04-07 04:22 Sophie Goulopoulos www.dailymail.co.uk

88 Google expanding self-driving vehicle testing to Phoenix, Arizona | NewsDaily Test drivers use a Lexus SUV, built as a self- driving car, to map the area before a journey without a driver in control, in Phoenix, Arizona April 5, 2016 in a photo provided by Google. REUTERS/Google/Handout via Reuters Test drivers use a Lexus SUV, built as a self- driving car, to map the area prior to a journey without a driver in control, in Phoenix, Arizona April 5, 2016 in a photo provided by Google. REUTERS/Google/Handout via Reuters Test drivers use a Lexus SUV, built as a self-driving car, to map the area before a journey without a driver in control, in Phoenix, Arizona April 5, 2016 in a photo provided by Google. REUTERS/Google/Handout via Reuters Test drivers use a Lexus SUV, built as a self-driving car, to map the area prior to a journey without a driver in control, in Phoenix, Arizona April 5, 2016 in a photo provided by Google. REUTERS/Google/Handout via Reuters A Google self-driving car is seen inside a lobby at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Stephen Lam By David Shepardson (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc is expanding its testing of self-driving cars to the Phoenix, Arizona metro area, the company said on Thursday, making it the fourth U. S. city to serve as a proving ground for the autonomous vehicles. The company’s Google unit has conducted driverless vehicle testing for six years in Mountain View, California, where it is based, and expanded testing to Austin, Texas last summer. In February, Kirkland, Washington, which is home to significant wet weather, was added as a testing site. Major automakers, and technology companies led by Google, are racing to develop and sell vehicles that can drive themselves, but they have complained that safety rules are impeding testing and ultimate deployment of such vehicles. Most of Google’s 1.5 million miles of autonomous vehicle testing has taken place in California. But it has publicly sparred with the state since December when California proposed rules requiring a steering wheel, brake pedals and a licensed driver in all robot test vehicles on the road. “Arizona is known as a place where research and development is welcome, innovation can thrive, and companies can set up roots,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for the Google Self-Driving Car project. “The Phoenix area has distinct desert conditions, which will help us better understand how our sensors and cars handle extreme temperatures and dust in the air.” Google said its test drivers recently began driving four Lexus RX450h SUVs around the Phoenix area to create a detailed map of streets, lane markers, traffic signals and curb heights. A Google self-driving car struck a municipal bus in Mountain View in a minor crash on Feb. 14. Google has said it bears “some responsibility” for the incident, the first crash that appears to be fault of the self-driving vehicle. The company said it made changes to its software after the crash to avoid future incidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in January it is working on new guidance on self-driving vehicles to states and automakers that they hope to release by July. NHTSA will hold the first of two public hearings on the planned self-driving guidance on Friday in Washington. In February, NHTSA said the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law, a major step toward winning approval for autonomous vehicles on the roads. (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Click For Restrictions

2016-04-07 03:06 David Shepardson newsdaily.com

89 Remembering the Kurdish uprising of 1991 After more than a month of intensive air attacks and a short land offensive by the US-led coalition against Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the Gulf War of 1991 drew to a close. The goal to liberate Kuwait following Iraq's invasion in August the previous year had been met, yet Saddam remained in power and turned his wrath on the Kurd and Shia communities. Photographer Richard Wayman had worked with many of the Kurdish groups active in Iraq and Turkey during the 1980s and decided he needed to be there. Here, he recounts his time covering the uprising of 1991. Two days after the liberation of Kuwait, the then US President, George Bush made a statement to the Iraqi population , "In my own view… the Iraqi people should put Saddam aside, and that would facilitate the resolution of all these problems that exist and certainly would facilitate the acceptance of Iraq back into the family of peace-loving nations. " Thus emboldened, in early March, the Shia in southern Iraq, and the Kurds in the north, made almost simultaneous uprisings against the regime. I was a freelance photojournalist and from my London base I tried to piece together the logistics of getting out to Iraqi Kurdistan as soon as possible. In the days before internet communications and mobile phones, getting usable or correct information was time-consuming. Often what was "correct" one day was "wrong" several days later. It took a few days for information to filter through. The best way, I felt, was just to get a flight out to eastern Turkey and see how the land lay, which is what I did and so managed to reach the border with Iraq. The Turkish army had closed the border and journalists waited in the border town of Cizre for a way across. After several frustrating days trying to get across the border legally, I teamed up with a couple from German ZDF TV and we made for Silopi - even closer to the border. After befriending some Turkish border guards at a farmhouse on the border itself we negotiated "safe passage" to cross the River Khabur which marked the border at this point. Late one night we pushed our raft, made of truck tyre inner tubes, into the fast flowing and cold waters of the river. On the far bank, an Iraqi border fort stood on a ridge invitingly. In the dawn light the following morning, a group of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga walked us through a mined area to the safety of their fort. The Kurds were on a high - having recently taken the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from Saddam's forces. But things began to change very rapidly for them as, within days, regime loyalists regrouped and went on an offensive to reclaim the cities. They were helped by the fact that about half of tanks of the elite and politically reliable Republican Guard managed to escape from the Saddam-proclaimed "mother of all battles" in Kuwait. In addition, the Gulf War ceasefire agreement prohibited the Iraqi military's use of fixed-wing aircraft over the country, but allowed them to fly helicopters because most bridges had been destroyed. The allied forces of the coalition had accepted the request of an Iraqi general to fly helicopters, including armed gunships, to transport government officials because of the destroyed transport infrastructure. Almost immediately, the Iraqis began using the helicopters to put down the uprisings. The outgunned rebels had few heavy weapons and few surface-to-air missiles, which made them almost defenceless against the gunships and artillery barrages. Kurdish forces attempted to delay the advance of the Republican Guard to allow the evacuation of civilians from Iraqi Kurdistan to the safety of Turkey and Iranian frontiers but were inevitably crushed by superior fire-power of regime forces. I fled with the refugees, walking to the border with Turkey on a two-day trek. The Kurds were terrified that Saddam's men would use chemical weapons against them - as they had done in 1988. Another Kurdish dream of freedom was thwarted. More than one million Kurdish refugees swamped the borders with Turkey and Iran. Many were to die in the mountains before the setting-up of safe havens by coalition forces on the Iraqi side of the border brought some respite for their plight. All photographs by Richard Wayman.

2016-04-07 04:11 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

90 Terror suspects face stricter pre-charge bail measures Terror suspects who attempt to leave the UK or fail to surrender their passports after being freed on bail by police could be jailed in future. An amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill will make it an offence for someone to breach bail conditions imposed to prevent them from fleeing. Suspects can currently be arrested but do not face any further sanctions. It follows incidents where people have joined the so-called Islamic State group in Syria after being arrested. They include Siddhartha Dhar , also known as Abu Rumaysah, from east London, who fronted an IS propaganda video in January. He disappeared in September 2014, shortly after being released on bail while under investigation for allegedly encouraging terrorism. In January, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, described the existing arrangements as "weak". The new measure would apply to suspects arrested for an offence listed in section 41 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 including membership of a proscribed organisation, fundraising or encouraging terrorism. A person would commit an offence if they breached a bail requirement not to leave the UK, surrender travel documents, or not be in possession of any travel documents, even those belonging to someone else. A conviction will carry a maximum penalty of 12 months imprisonment and/or a fine. It will apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland where pre-charge bail follows a different form. Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We are determined to give the police the tools they need to fight terrorism and keep people safe. "This tough new criminal offence will help stop suspected terrorists from fleeing the UK. " Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said Labour had put pressure on the government to bring in changes. "We will need to see whether Theresa May's proposals go far enough," he added. "It is essential that the police are able to request surrender of passports and travel documents as a condition of release from custody. " National Police Chiefs' Council chair Sara Thornton said the amendment should not only apply to terror suspects. "There are real dangers of offenders breaching pre-charge bail conditions in other complex cases such as child abuse or domestic abuse," she said.

2016-04-07 04:11 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

91 Newspaper headlines: Focus on government's EU brochures "Taxpayers to pay £9.3m for pro-EU propaganda," is how the Daily Express describes the government's move to spend millions on a booklet setting out arguments against leaving the EU, along with a website and related advertising, in advance of June's referendum. The Express's headline is similar to those of several other papers; the i says Out campaigners have described the plan as "disgraceful" and think it puts them at an unfair disadvantage. The i also quotes Tory MP Peter Bone as saying it is "an outrageous way to spend taxpayers' money". The Daily Mail is among papers quoting Environment Secretary Liz Truss defending the booklet, saying it is "crucial that the public have clear and accessible information" - it also says No 10 "flatly denied it was an attempt to distract from the row over tax". The Guardian reports criticism of the government's booklet and Ms Truss's defence of it. It also says it has received a number of emails complaining about a leaflet issued by the Vote Leave group which "seems designed to look official" and reveals its origin in small letters on the back page. "Will any celeb WITHOUT an offshore account please step forward? " asks the Daily Mirror as the papers churn out lists of British and foreign celebrities apparently named in the Panama Papers and dissect the financial holdings of David Cameron and his family. The Guardian devotes its first seven pages to the affair, with the Prime Minister's family tree, suggesting that most of his family members are rich but not, apparently, alleging any criminality. The Financial Times is among papers reporting that Mr Cameron told EU officials in 2013 that trusts such as those used for inheritance purposes should not be subject to the same transparency legislation as companies. Telegraph columnist Juliet Samuel, however, points out that "doing your business offshore is not a crime," and urges: "Fix the laws and punish those who break them. Don't go after people whose only crime is to be wealthy. " The Daily Mail insists "It is not David Cameron's fault that his father took elaborate steps to avoid tax, using every legal means. " But it goes on "Now that we know his privileges sprang from this father's tax avoidance, his call for sacrifices from families who have have paid every penny asked of them becomes, to put it mildly, difficult to swallow. " The Mail gives most prominence , however, to the "draconian privacy injunction" barring British media from publishing details of the private lives of a celebrity couple which have been published in America and "on social networking sites everywhere". According to the Daily Mirror the case is an example of how "Britain lets the rich pay to stop you reading the truth about them. " Another controversy which commands the attention of New Day concerns the claim by former UK Afghanistan commander Col Richard Kemp that placing female soldiers on the front line is a dangerous experiment which will be "paid for in blood". Among pictures of women soldiers undergoing arduous training, it quotes one of them as saying his comments were "insulting, sexist and factually inaccurate. " Indignation is also directed at a couple who, the Sun says, went on a "24-hour Christmas booze binge" in 2014, and forgot where they had left their month-old son. The baby died, but a coroner ruled it was impossible to say what the cause of death was, and prosecutors have now dropped neglect and manslaughter charges against the parents, neither of whom could remember what had happened. The couple's local MP has said all agencies involved must "think hard and urgently" about the implications of the case, the Telegraph reports. The setback for Donald Trump in Wisconsin attracts interest from papers, some of whom believe his triumphant march toward she US Republican nomination will soon be halted. The Wisconsin result, according to the Times, threatens to "plunge the Republican party into a summer of chaos. " And in the Telegraph, former foreign secretary William Hague warns that Mr Trump's main rival Ted Cruz "might be little better" than he is. He calls Mr Cruz an "ultra-conservative, evangelical Tea Party candidate" whose foreign policy is as dangerous as Mr Trump's.

2016-04-07 03:00 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

92 Margate carer filmed dancing naked around disabled man A carer has been filmed dancing naked around a severely disabled young man at a residential care home in Margate. The video was filmed during an alcohol-fuelled party at Thanet Lodge boarding house, part of the trust that included the now closed Royal School for Deaf Children . The mother of the blind and deaf man said she "couldn't believe" people she trusted could behave that way. Kent Police found no crime had taken place. The female carer was sacked. A total of four people lost their jobs in September 2014 when a whistleblower handed in the video. They included team leader Yvette Surrage and support workers Jane Smith and David Gardiner who were all seen in the footage. Senior support worker Ben Healy, who filmed the incident and was heard encouraging his colleagues, was also dismissed. Ms Surrage was seen dancing semi-clothed and Ms Smith was seen dancing naked around the young man. It is not clear whether Mr Gardiner was in the room when Ms Smith did this. The mobile-phone footage, given exclusively to BBC South East, shows carers also used sexually-explicit language. The young man has serious learning difficulties, which meant he needed 24-hour care. His mother, whose identity has not been revealed, said he probably left his bedroom to look for help and wandered into the common room where loud music would have drowned out any attempts to get assistance. "He did used to do a lot of self-harming where he could bash the side of his face, bite his hands, thump the floor - we never knew why. "The fact that his behaviour has changed so drastically for the better since he's moved, leads me to believe that this went on and maybe worse, who knows, for a long time, " she said. The mother believes more should have been done to protect her son and legal action taken against those caring for him. Kent Police saw the video but decided there was not enough evidence to investigate further. In a statement, the force said: "Whilst the acts seen in the video are wholly inappropriate and irresponsible, they do not fit the criteria for a specific criminal offence. " Dr Noelle Blackman, chief executive of the charity Respond, described the footage as "humiliating" and "absolutely horrible". She said: "Their [the carers] duty is to be there to provide support to this man - this is not providing support this is having their own debauched party - that's neglect if nothing else. "And to me it's abusive. I think they're humiliating him. " When BBC South East contacted the carers, Ms Surrage said there was no abuse and no poor practice. She said no conviction or prosecution took place because there were no young adults involved. David Gardiner said he felt the incident brought no harm to the students but admitted he should not have allowed it to go on. He said he cared for the young adults to the best of his ability. Jane Smith said she was at a difficult point in her life and deeply regretted what happened. Ben Healy said there was no footage that displayed him acting inappropriately. The Royal School for Deaf Children and its post-16 department Westgate College closed in December after the John Townsend Trust went into administration. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) revealed on Tuesday there had been "institutionalised failings and abuse" at the residential accommodation attached to Westgate College, which it ordered the trust to close down last November.

2016-04-07 01:54 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

93 Ashley Greene looks incredible in a low-cut crimson hued dress in NYC Ashley Greene wowed in a fire engine red dress on Wednesday in New York City. The 29-year- old showed of her cleavage in the bold low-cut frock while on the red carpet for The Hollywood Reporter's 5th Annual 35 Most Powerful People event. The actress paired the daring number with red lipstick and and cascading curls, finishing it off with a structured clutch and black heels. The brunette beauty shared a photo to her Instagram before she filmed her segment, dressed in a grey T-shirt with the late show's name emblazoned on the front. The starlet, who also drank her green beverage in a matching cup, captioned it: 'I stole @latenightseth mug... And shirt... I'm obviously a big fan. Make sure to watch me on the show tonight! #lnsm #sethmeyers #RogueTV.' Later in the day, Ashley swapped the revealing dress for a more demure look - a short-sleeved sweater paired with leather leggings. She wore the navy blue knit - featuring three white x's below the neckline - with her skintight bottoms while on the red carpet for the Tory Sport store opening in New York City. Earlier in the day, the LOL actress posted a selfie for her 584,000 followers, captioning it: 'They even made me @roguetv pillowcases!? It's the little things #RogueTV #miarochlan #pillowtalk.'

2016-04-07 04:08 Sarah Sotoodeh www.dailymail.co.uk

94 The best and worst performances from 15 seasons of ‘American Idol’ For the past 15 years, American pop culture has been intertwined with the TV show, "American Idol. " Chances are you gathered with family and friends to cheer for your favorite up-and-coming star, or you at least rolled your eyes at the sight and sound of would-be singers who stumbled through auditions. From Fantasia's brilliant take on Gershwin's "Summertime", to William Hung's hip-shaking rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs", the videos above feature a handful of the highs and lows you might remember. Be sure to catch the conclusion of American Idol's season finale Thursday starting at 7 p.m. on FOX 13, with News at Nine following immediately after.

2016-04-07 04:01 Todd Tanner fox13now.com

95 Maine high court to hear Merrill Kimball’s appeal in bee farm killing The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments Thursday in the appeal of 73-year- old Merrill Kimball, who was convicted last year of murder in the 2013 shooting of Leon Kelley at a bee farm in North Yarmouth. Kimball’s attorneys contend that the trial judge, Justice Roland Cole, made several mistakes during Kimball’s trial in the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland last April. The shooting victim: Leon Kelley, Stan Brown’s son-in-law, was killed by Merrill Kimball during a confrontation at Brown’s farm. Merrill “Mike” Kimball, married to Karen Thurlow-Kimball, was convicted of murdering Leon Kelley. Stan Brown, a 94-year-old beekeeper, changed his will to give ownership of his bee business and four acres to Karen Thurlow-Kimball. Stan Brown’s family said bee farm manager Karen Thurlow- Kimball was taking advantage of the 94-year-old farm owner. Kimball, a Yarmouth lobsterman, had been so confident in his claim of self-defense that he had rejected a plea offer to a lesser charge of manslaughter. Cole acknowledged on June 5, when he sentenced Kimball to 25 years in prison , that “my hands are tied” when he imposed the mandatory minimum sentence for the crime of murder. Kimball’s attorneys, Daniel Lilley and Cheryl Richardson, contend in written filings for the appeal that the trial judge failed to adequately instruct the jury. They also say the judge erred in allowing testimony that Kimball had been drinking alcohol on the day of the shooting because no one said he seemed impaired. The attorneys further contend that the judge improperly ruled to exclude evidence that Kelley’s wife, Kathleen Kelley, had been upset with Kimball’s wife, Karen Thurlow-Kimball, over inheritance of the bee farm business. Since the shooting on Oct. 6, 2013, Kimball has maintained that he acted in self-defense when he shot the 63-year-old Kelley three times at Brown’s Bee Farm after Kelley assaulted him and kept coming at him. A jury rejected Kimball’s self-defense argument and convicted Kimball of murder rather than the lesser charge of manslaughter. The shooting followed a confrontation between the family of Kelley, whose father-in-law, Stan Brown, owned the farm; and the family of Kimball, whose wife, Karen Thurlow-Kimball, managed the bee farming business for Brown. The animosity between the families started after Brown, who was 95 when he died last year, had Thurlow-Kimball run the bee operation and made her a beneficiary to inherit the business and some of his land. The fate of Brown’s estate is now pending in Cumberland County Probate Court, where Kathleen Kelley filed a petition to become representative for the estate last Nov. 18. “Mr. Brown did not have a will that any of his daughters could find,” said attorney Charles Hedrick, who represents Kathleen Kelley in the probate case. Hedrick said that Kathleen Kelley has been appointed special administrator to the estate and that he expects the case to be resolved after several more filings. The probate case was somewhat complicated because Brown had three daughters, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren of his deceased children, who are also heirs, he said. Kimball’s attorneys argue Cole made a mistake by not instructing the jury that it could find that Kimball had been adequately provoked by Kelley, who was 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, after being repeatedly struck as he retreated away from Kelley. “The evidence shows that Leon Kelley started the confrontation: he ‘got into Kimball’s face,’ he first assaulted Kimball by physically pushing him hard four or five times,” Lilley and Richardson wrote. “It would be reasonable for a jury in this case to find that a sudden and violent attack on Kimball and his family members was sufficient to cause Kimball to react with extreme anger or extreme fear which influenced his actions.” Lilley and Richardson wrote that the judge should have given the alternate instruction to the jury because a prosecutor said in closing arguments that Kimball acted out of extreme anger. Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber countered that the Maine Supreme Judicial Court should reject that argument because Kimball’s attorneys had already asked that the jury be instructed on Kimball’s self-defense claim and had already been deliberating the case when Lilley asked the judge for a different jury instruction. “Under these circumstances, the trial court correctly refused Kimball’s belated request for an adequate provocation manslaughter instruction because the evidence did not generate one and because it would have been confusing to the jury in light of the self-defense instruction that was given on the previous day,” Macomber said in his written brief for the appeal. Kimball is seeking to have his convicted vacated or to be granted a new trial. Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form Send questions/comments to the editors.

2016-04-07 04:00 www.pressherald.com

96 Mainers relish ‘amazing’ gig as volunteers at the Masters The aura surrounding Augusta National Golf Club, long revered as one of the finest golf courses in the world and the site of the Masters, is palpable. Tim Bowen, a 53-year-old Farmington resident, can feel it every time he returns there. Bowen is one of three Mainers who are at the course this week as volunteers for the Masters, joined by Boothbay’s Tom Blake and Ron Moody, a Wells native now living in Georgia. “It never gets old,” said Bowen, who is volunteering for the 10th year. “And my favorite part is when we get there on Monday morning (for the volunteers’ meeting where they get their assignments). It’s early, no one’s been on the course, birds are chirping, azaleas are blooming, no one has touched the sand. … I get a cup of coffee and just look out and appreciate the history.” The Masters is the first of professional golf’s four major annual tournaments. Unlike the others, it is always held at the same course, and it is steeped in tradition and lore that rivals any of the sporting world’s biggest events. Since 1934, golf’s transcendent stars – from Ben Hogan and Sam Snead to Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – have woven their names into the nation’s cultural consciousness by seizing victories against the backdrop of Augusta National’s verdant greens. Bowen, Blake and Moody are among the 350-or-so gallery guards who are part of the show for the Masters at Augusta National. You can see them in their yellow baseball caps and khakis, standing close to the ropes that keep the fans back. Their job is to control the crowds, direct fans along the walking paths and answer any questions that might arise. Moody is stationed on the first hole, Bowen on the second and Blake on the 11th, which is the start of Amen Corner, the most challenging part of the course. The volunteers are shuffled between assignments at the tee area, the fairway and the green on their respective holes. “It’s busy,” said Moody, a former Maine state trooper and Carrabassett Valley police chief in his 17th year as a gallery guard. “But you meet a lot of nice people from all over. I see people kneel and kiss the ground, they’re so happy to be there.” The hours are long – usually from 6 a.m. until the sun goes down – and they don’t get paid. The practice rounds are the most difficult because the gallery guards have to be on the course until the last golfer leaves. Once the Masters starts Thursday, the days are still long, but they have a set schedule. Being a volunteer comes with a couple of big perks: They’re among the few people allowed to walk on the course during the Masters, and they get to play the course for one day before Augusta National closes for the summer in late May. “It really is an amazing experience to be there,” Moody said. It’s not an easy gig to get. Usually you have to know someone who is already volunteering. You can apply to be a volunteer, but it often takes years to get a slot – once accepted, volunteers are allowed to return every year as long as they are healthy. Moody, who moved to Lake Oconee, Georgia, eight years ago and now lives in Eatonton, recalled how fortunate he was to get his assignment. He had been traveling to Augusta, Georgia, for a couple of years to attend the practice rounds with a couple of friends, Brunswick’s Danny Snow and the late Clayton “Tiger” Bragdon of Portland and Carrabasset Valley. They were both volunteers on the practice range. After another volunteer fell and broke her wrist, “Someone from the club went up to Danny and Tiger and asked them if they knew of anyone who could step in. They said they had a friend here,” Moody said. “So there I was, sitting on the sixth hole, drinking beer and watching golf, and they came up to me and asked me if I wanted to volunteer. That year I was stationed at the practice range. The next year I got my assignment to 1.” Blake, a 67-year-old semi-retired craftsman, also has been going to Augusta National for 17 years and got his position the same way – through friends. “I had some friends who were there,” he said. “I started going down and next thing you knew, I was a volunteer.” Bowen, 53 and self-employed, said he wrote letters for six years before his application was accepted. The three share a rented house in Augusta during Masters week. “We look forward to this,” Blake said. “We call each other once a week during the winter. We can’t wait to get here.” Blake remembers the first time he stepped inside the ropes separating the fans from the course. “It was so plush,” he said of the course. “It’s quite the experience. It still is today.” Moody said the course is as close to perfection as you can find. “You walk on it and it’s hard to believe it’s real,” he said. “There’s no a flaw in the fairway, or the rough, for that matter.” For the most part, they find the fans highly respectful of the golfers and the game. They have had very few instances in which they’ve had to tell a fan to be quiet or, worse, leave. “There’s an old-fashioned respect for the game,” Moody said. They each have had special experiences on the course. For Bowen, it came in his first year, when he was assigned to Augusta National’s nine-hole par- 3 course. He was working the ninth hole and had a rather famous threesome come through: Palmer, Nicklaus and Gary Player. “I loaded all their bags onto their cart and then they drove off,” he said. Did they talk to him? “They thanked me, that was it,” he said. “I didn’t have to be talked to. That’s a lot of history there.” Blake had a close encounter with Woods a couple of years ago, captured on television. “One of Tiger’s shots went into the woods,” he said. “After he hit it, I had to lead him back to the fairway, through the fans who wanted to talk to him. And we were on TV.” Moody remembers the respect that Palmer commands, and spending a rain delay “shooting the breeze” with John Daly. “There are many amazing experiences,” he said. “I feel fortunate.” They also know how lucky they are to play at Augusta National, where you have to be invited to join and there are only about 350 members. The volunteers get to walk in the footsteps of the game’s great players when they are allowed to play a round, and are treated to a nice banquet just before the club closes for the summer. “They’re pretty good to us, treat us like members,” Moody said. “There aren’t many people who can say they’ve played this course.” As immaculate as the course is, it’s also very difficult to play. Moody has never missed a chance to take on the challenge and said, “I’ve shot under 100 only once. These are the fastest greens I’ve ever seen in my life.” Bowen, who has a 16-handicap, said his best score has been a 98. But more important is the way the club treats the volunteers. “They treat us very nice that day,” he said. “It’s good to get things right with the people who work the course.” Blake has played the course only four times, and said his best score is a 79. Other times he’s been in the high 80s. But whether they play Augusta National or not, they will keep returning for the Masters as long as they can. “It’s his dream, it’s his passion,” said Jill Bowen, Tim’s wife and the CEO at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, Vermont. “It’s the time of his life.” It’s also a chance to be part of one of the great competitions in sports. As Tim Bowen said, “It’s my Super Bowl.” Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form Send questions/comments to the editors.

2016-04-07 04:00 www.pressherald.com

97 Merle Haggard, country music legend, dies (CNN) Merle Haggard, the grizzled country music legend whose songs such as "Okie from Muskogee" and "Fightin' Side of Me" made him a voice for the workingman and the outsider, has died. He was 79. Country music has suffered one of the greatest losses it will ever experience Rest in peace Merle Haggard Love and prayers for the Haggard family. Merle was a pioneer...a true entertainer...a legend. There will never be another like him. There are no words to describe the loss & sorrow felt within all of music with the passing of Merle Haggard. Thank God for his life & songs. literally just fell to the floor. can't believe we lost the hag. rip merle haggard https://t.co/U5K6E3CpSe pic.twitter.com/wcvEZbCBFP CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this story. 2016-04-07 03:59 Brandon Griggs rss.cnn.com

98 On from Wisconsin, Republican convention fight more likely than not WASHINGTON – The outcome of Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary in Wisconsin has increased the likelihood that no candidate will secure the enough delegates to clinch his party’s nomination at its convention in July. Republican Party rules require a candidate win a majority of pledged delegates – 1,237 – to automatically secure the nomination. But repeated victories by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as well as clever maneuvering by his team to pick up unassigned delegates have complicated the path of front-runner Donald J. Trump, real estate tycoon and media personality, who still maintains a substantial delegate lead. Cruz won Wisconsin on Tuesday convincingly, with a spread of 12 percentage points, critical in a state that allocates its delegates proportionally. Trump is favored to win several of the remaining delegate- rich states to come, many of which operate on a winner-take-all basis – chief among them, New York, his home state, on April 19. But victories in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania will not be enough for Trump to clinch the nomination. He will have to also win convincingly in states such as Indiana and California, considered more competitive, as well as Western states considered favorable terrain for Cruz. In a blistering statement after his Wisconsin loss, Trump said Cruz has become the vehicle by which Republican establishment figures hope to stop his candidacy. “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet – he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump,” his campaign said. And those party bosses, including Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, are now openly discussing the prospects of an open convention – the first of its kind in decades for the Grand Old Party. In such a scenario, the first ballot at the convention would reflect the delegate map secured through the voting process. But on consecutive ballots, individual states would begin releasing delegates from their pledges. Several states, however, choose delegates to the convention whose personal convictions reflect their pledged voting requirements. So many delegates, once released from that pledge, are still expected to vote for Trump. The campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is hoping for a similar scenario on the Democratic side, his campaign manager said on Tuesday, after their victory in Wisconsin against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. But Sanders must overcome extraordinary hurdles to stop Clinton, much less to outpace her in the delegate count. If he were to win every state going forward by a 10-point margin – including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California, where she is favored – he still would not clinch the nomination. But he would prevent her from clinching it herself ahead of the Democratic convention in July. Sanders’s pitch to New York was complicated this week by an interview he granted to the New York Daily News , in which he offered few details on plans to break up America’s biggest banks – a cornerstone of his campaign. He also said that improved relations with Israel under a Sanders administration will be based on Israel’s policy choices toward the Palestinians. “I lived in Israel. I have family in Israel. I believe 100 percent not only in Israel’s right to exist, a right to exist in peace and security without having to face terrorist attacks,” Sanders said. “But from the United States’ point of view, I think, long-term, we cannot ignore the reality that you have large numbers of Palestinians who are suffering now, poverty rate off the charts, unemployment off the charts, Gaza remaining a destroyed area. “I think it is fair to say that the level of [Israeli] attacks against civilian areas,” Sanders continued, on his perspective on the Gaza war of 2014 (Operation Cast Lead), “and I do know that the Palestinians, some of them, were using civilian areas to launch missiles. Makes it very difficult. But I think most international observers would say that the attacks against Gaza were indiscriminate and that a lot of innocent people were killed who should not have been killed.”

2016-04-07 03:58 MICHAEL WILNER www.jpost.com

99 Jesse Eisenberg loves his “mercurial” roles: “It’s wonderful to perform in a way that the authenticity of the character is of paramount concern” Topics: Jesse Eisenberg , Movies , Film , louder than bombs , Editor's Picks , Entertainment News It is easy to pigeonhole Jesse Eisenberg as a smug know-it-all, not unlike many of the characters he plays: Mark Zuckerberg, in “The Social Network,” David Lipsky in “The End of the Tour,” even Lex Luthor in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” But that would be wrong. The hyperverbal Eisenberg is far more respectful and considerate of others in real life. He is down- to-earth, apologetic, and humble. Eisenberg does exhibit some coyness, but it’s not calculated; more self-censoring. In the new film, “Louder Than Bombs,” Eisenberg plays Jonah, who has just become a father as the film opens. However, he almost immediately abandons his wife and newborn to be a dutiful son and return to his parent’s home to sort through the photos of his late mother, Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert) a war photographer. In his father’s house, Jonah slowly re-connects with his sullen, teenage brother, Conrad (David Druid) and has some touchy discussions with his dad (Gabriel Byrne). While Jonah frequently behaves callously in the film, there is, it appears, a lack of control regarding his character’s emotions. Eisenberg’s subtle performance conveys Jonah’s insecurity adroitly. An early scene has Jonah tentatively smiling in an elevator while running out to get food for his wife, who just gave birth. Is he smiling because he is a proud father, or pleased to get away from his tired, hungry wife? Viewers will likely recalibrate their perception of Jonah by the film’s end. Eisenberg reveals a character far more troubled as he comes to know more about his family members. It is an affecting performance in a film that sneaks up on viewers by frequently shifting perspectives and narrative direction. The actor chatted with Salon about family, choices, and perceptions. Jonah is the first time you have played a parent on screen. What are your thoughts on parenthood and family, both in “Bombs” and in real life? I have siblings, so I know the complicated views of family members and what it means to be saddled for life with them. The movie presents a view of how we see our family members in intimate, inaccurate, and forgiving terms. “Bombs” is set after a tragedy, so it’s not depicting the histrionic reaction by the family, or the dissolution of what you imagine it to be, rather, it is about the hope to find some kind of comparative harmony. The film is conceived in scenes that take place in first and third person narratives, so you view these characters in private moments, but also when they are being spied on by their own family members. “Bombs” is about this manipulation of perspective in order to show the audience different sides of the family. Speaking of shifting perceptions. You tend to be typecast in hyperverbal, know-it-all roles. How do you want people to perceive you? I have no personal feelings on how I’d like to be perceived, or any clearly articulated thoughts about that. I feel embarrassed when someone other than myself summarizes my personality. It’s always an inaccurate rather than objective look of who I am. You also have a big budget blockbuster like “Batman vs. Superman” out one week, and an indie film like “Bombs” made by a foreign director out two weeks later. Do you feel you have to make deliberate career choices? My job doesn’t change based on the nature of the budget. It’s a thrill to play a lead character on the scale of “Batman.” I like a line one of the characters in “Louder Than Bombs” has about choice, in that you can make a choice, but you can’t plan what happens after you choose. Do you feel that Jonah makes bad choices? Do you think he has regrets?

2016-04-07 02:43 Gary M salon.com.feedsportal.com

100 How “American Idol” destroyed itself: The reality game show changed the rules for music — and made itself obsolete Topics: American Idol , Music , TV , Editor's Picks , Entertainment News In the summer of 2002, I was in a weird netherworld between college and real life, residing at home with my parents in Ohio while saving money and waiting for a Boston lease to start in September. Restless and out of sorts, I found stability and comfort from religiously watching the first season of “American Idol.” The format of the show was addictive: Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson played off one another and analyzed vocal performances—acting as the id, ego and superego, respectively—while each week, viewer votes and preferences would whittle down the talent field, one by one. By the time early September rolled around, I had moved east—and I recall anxiously making sure I had a functional TV so I could tune into the finalé, which Kelly Clarkson famously won over Justin Guarini. Nearly fourteen years later, I’m in a much different place in life, and so is “American Idol,” which is winding down after fifteen seasons. In fact, the final episode airs on April 7, and it will crown one last winner—chosen from finalists Trent Harmon, La’Porsha Renae and Dalton Rapattoni— and feature appearances from past winners Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Those two women represent arguably the show’s biggest success stories, with the latter a huge country star and the former a beloved, multiplatinum pop favorite. However, the show has also spawned plenty of singers who’ve carved out decent musical careers, across all genres: hard rock (Chris Daughtry), folk-pop (Phillip Phillips, Kris Allen), country (Bo Bice, Scotty McCreery), blues-rock (Crystal Bowersox), R&B (Jordin Sparks, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard) and soul (Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks). And then there are multi-hyphenates such as Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert and Katharine McPhee, who have found success in music and acting, or Kellie Pickler, who won a season of “Dancing With The Stars.” That “American Idol” actually accomplished one of the things it set out to do—find and celebrate new talent—remains an integral part of its legacy. The track record of other U. S. singing competition shows is hit-or-miss: “The Voice” hasn’t been as strong, despite drawing from a deep talent pool, although current pop darlings Fifth Harmony are alums of “The X Factor.” (Internationally, things are much different, as both One Direction and Little Mix are reality music show alums.) Pre-fab pop music, whether formed by a TV show or a label, has always been stigmatized as being somehow less authentic or even fake. Although “American Idol” didn’t completely erase this perception, it did wonders to underscore that it doesn’t matter how or where a musician was discovered, as long as the talent is there. As a Stereogum post on the show points out , “American Idol” also revolutionized TV, in that it “hybridized two primetime mainstays, the game show and the reality show, creating a genre that has flourished to the point that we now accept it as one of the foundational pillars of primetime programming.” Early in its tenure, this combination also produced big ratings for Fox, a sign that the show’s underlying, addictive conceit—watching regular people possibly be plucked from obscurity and elevated to stardom—had vast mass appeal. It’s easy to see why: “American Idol” first and foremost appealed to the collective, enduring affection people have for fairy tales. The show craftily let viewers learn about the personal lives of the contestants (albeit in a shiny, packaged way), which made for good TV and made them relatable. As a result, people were invested enough to pick up a phone (and, later, text) in support of a favorite singer. No wonder so many contestants developed loyal fanbases who, even to this day, follow and support their own idols. Although that same Stereogum article criticizes the show because it didn’t change music, “American Idol” reflected tastes more than it refracted them. That often led to unpopular winners and early exits for favorites, of course, as well as accusations of voter racism and criticism when the show was suspected of trying to steer the results by employing ringers. But the ideals held up by “American Idol,” that people have the ability to choose and support favorites, are influential. Sure, things could get dicey in terms of post-show success, but because the initial boost comes from popular support, not beancounters or Svengalis, there’s at least the illusion of power in play. This idea would soon saturate the way we consume media, and it explains why the show became an online phenomenon, with writers and fans dissecting the show’s every move on message boards and blogs. Indeed, it’s important to remember the time period in which “American Idol” started was very different: Napster was kaput, Friendster was the charming online network of choice and MySpace was still several years away from widespread popularity. In other words, the show was pre-everything social and viral—e.g., Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine. 2016-04-07 02:47 Annie Zaleski salon.com.feedsportal.com

Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-04-07 12:01