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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-05-11 06:02 1 NASA says 1,284 new planets found by Kepler telescope MIAMI, United States — NASA announced Tuesday the discovery of 1,284 new planets outside our solar system, more than doubling the number of exoplanets found with the (1.02/2) Kepler space 2016-05-11 06:01 4KB technology.inquirer.net 2 US keen to work with new Philippines leader WASHINGTON, United States — The United States said Tuesday it was keen to work with whoever wins the presidential election in the Philippines, after foul-mouthed populist
(1.02/2) Rodrigo Duterte claimed 2016-05-11 06:01 2KB globalnation.inquirer.net
3 Duterte grounds jet ski vs China DAVAO CITY—Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he would settle the rows in the South China Sea with multilateral talks that would include allies United (1.02/2) States, Japan and 2016-05-11 02:34 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 4 US Election 2016: Sanders aims for win in West Virginia Democrat Bernie Sanders hopes for a presidential primary win in West Virginia, where (1.02/2) Donald Trump is set to win the Republican contest. 2016-05-10 17:39 2KB www.bbc.co.uk
5 If Rousseff goes will 47 million Brazilians lose their benefits? (1.00/2) With the expected impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff this week, what is the future for its famed Bolsa Familia poverty reduction programme? 2016-05-11 03:43 6KB www.bbc.co.uk
(1.00/2) 6 PP-GOP-Delg-All,100 0 of 1,853 precincts - 0 percent 0 of 36 Delegates allocated Donald Trump 0 - 0 percent Ben Carson 0 - 0 percent Ted Cruz 0 - 0 percent John Kasich 0 - 0 per... 2016-05-11 00:57 1022Bytes www.dailymail.co.uk 7 Paul Ryan: conservative Contact WND Order Branco’s first book of politically incorrect — and hilarious — cartoons 2016-05-11 02:03 1KB www.wnd.com (0.04/2)
8 Amazon.com pressured to dump Trump Contact WND Amazon.com, the popular online retailer, is reportedly under pressure from shareholders to stop selling products associated with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican
(0.03/2) nominee for president. According to the New York Post, a group claiming to represent 1,500 Amazon shareholders has asked CEO Jeff... 2016-05-10 21:23 3KB www.wnd.com 9 Foreign-owned Budweiser renames itself 'America' Contact WND
(0.02/2) (MIAMI HERALD) — Most people have heard the “USA, USA, USA!” chant at some point in their lives, typically by college frat bros who may have had a little too much to drink. Well now, those frat bros — and you — can literally get drunk on America. In an either completely bizarre or potentially […]... 2016-05-11 02:03 982Bytes www.wnd.com 10 You think military is sexist? Check this out Contact WND A not so secret “secret” weapon Putin is at it again. That sexist! That 19th century (0.02/2) unprofessional! The UK Mirror reports, “Vladimir Putin’s all-female ‘miniskirt army’ display their strength in a sexist military parade.” “The event in Moscow’s Red Square this morning showcased Russia’s... 2016-05-11 01:59 6KB www.wnd.com
(0.02/2) 11 Kerry's utopian 'borderless world' Contact WND If I said the dream of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party and the establishment Republicans was a “borderless world,” a great big global village under the rule of the elite, many would discount it as hyperbole. “There goes Farah, again,” some would say... 2016-05-11 01:01 3KB www.wnd.com 12 Harvard prof: Treat evangelical Christians like Nazis Contact WND (0.01/2) (BREITBART) — A Harvard Law professor is telling his fellow liberals that the culture wars are over and the victorious Left should treat conservative Christians the way the allies treated Germany and Japan after World War II, offering no quarter or clemency. In an online post, the 70-year-old professor Mark Tushnet (pictured), a surviving member […]... 2016-05-10 21:24 1KB www.wnd.com 13 Private security team arranged for Duterte DAVAO CITY—Who will secure the country’s next President? Although Rodrigo Duterte’s future as the next President has already been conceded by his rivals, he still cannot avail of the 2016-05-11 02:51 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 14 Sentinel's first map of sea-surface 'hills and valleys' The EU's Sentinel-3a satellite offers a peek at what will be one of its most fundamental products - a map of sea surface height anomalies. 2016-05-10 21:10 5KB www.bbc.co.uk
15 Amazon Video Direct poses challenge to YouTube Online retail giant Amazon launches a new online video service to rival Alphabet's YouTube. 2016-05-10 21:10 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 16 Pacquiao punches way to Senate; next stop, Malacañang? BOXING hero Manny Pacquiao is virtually assured of a Senate seat based on the election results on Tuesday which take him a step closer to his dream of the presidency. Pacquiao, 37, whose 2016-05-11 02:48 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 17 In pictures: The last nomadic people of Nepal Photographer Andrew Newey meets the Raute in the forests of Nepal. 2016-05-10 22:12 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 18 How a 15-year-old discovered an ancient city The 'exceptional' Canadian teenager who found a lost Mayan city - from his bedroom. 2016-05-10 22:12 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 19 Sir Cliff Richard file sent to Crown Prosecution Service Prosecutors receive a full file of evidence regarding singer Sir Cliff Richard and allegations of historical sexual assault. 2016-05-10 22:12 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 20 Sats test paper 'leaked by rogue marker' A "rogue marker" attempted to leak a test the day before it was taken by children aged 10 and 11 in England, the Department for Education says. 2016-05-10 22:12 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 21 Being overweight 'may be less unhealthy' Being overweight may not be as unhealthy as it was 40 years ago, Danish research suggests. 2016-05-10 22:12 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 22 Brighton 'Babes in the Wood' murders: Man arrested A man is arrested in connection with 1986 "Babes in the Wood" murders of two schoolgirls in Brighton. 2016-05-10 22:12 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 23 PNP trusts Duterte has anti-crime plan other than just killing criminals AS A new administration readies to govern the country’s affairs, the Philippine National Police trusts that the incoming President has a peace and order plan other than just simply killing 2016-05-11 02:46 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net
24 Drilon knocks Villanueva out of top position REELECTIONIST Senate President Franklin Drilon is now leading the partial, unofficial count for the senatorial race, dislodging newcomer Joel Villanueva from the top spot. With 93.28 percent of 2016-05-11 02:44 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 25 Why she voted for a dead man WHEN Lourdes (not her real name) cast her vote last Monday, she knew she had voted for a candidate who had died before Election Day. At least in Lourdes’ case, her vote for Roy Señeres, who 2016-05-11 02:42 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 26 Comelec rethinks DQ case vs Digong COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista said the poll body may consider the mandate given by the electorate to presidential candidate Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte in resolving the 2016-05-11 02:40 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 27 Bishops offer olive branch to Duterte WHILE some of them had earlier questioned the fitness of Rodrigo Duterte to be President, Catholic bishops were now offering his incoming administration “vigilant collaboration.” “The 2016-05-11 02:36 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 28 Suspect caught after several schools placed on lockdown DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA (WXIA) – The search for a man accused of shooting at a deputy prompted the lockdown of several schools in Douglas County on Tuesday. 2016-05-10 22:43 2KB rssfeeds.11alive.com 29 Yahoo - Yahoo Announces Board Changes and Agreement With Starboard --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) today announced that it has reached an agreement with and its affiliates ("Starboard") under which four new independent directors, , Eddy W. Hartenstein, , and , Starboard's CEO and Chief Investment Officer, will join the board, effective immediately... 2016-05-10 22:52 5KB investor.yahoo.net 30 Winners and losers in 2016 elections #VotePH2016: The Inquirer multimedia coverage of the 2016 national and local elections in the Philippines provides to voters the latest news, photos, videos and infographics on the candidates and their platforms, as well as real-time election results come May 9, 2016. Visit our special Elections 2016 site here: http://www..... 2016-05-11 02:32 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 31 Syria peace talks to convene in Vienna next week The talks, among members of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG), are scheduled as the five year-old conflict enters a “critical situation.” 2016-05-11 02:29 4KB www.jpost.com 32 Ejercito blames ballot confusion for poll loss STA. CRUZ, Laguna—A political tactic meant to secure the gubernatorial seat apparently backfired on former Laguna Gov. Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito, who lost his bid to return to the provincial 2016-05-11 02:25 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 33 Cagayan de Oro representative concedes defeat CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—With more than 80 percent of the votes tallied in the city’s mayoral race on Monday night, Rufus Rodriguez conceded defeat to the incumbent, Oscar Moreno. “I concede 2016-05-11 02:21 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 34 Feds indict 11 in Beaumont 'vortex of misery' crack house operation Eleven Jefferson County men are facing federal drug and charges following a federal investigation into a crack cocaine operation prosecutors believe was run out of family home in Beaumont. A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted 13 individuals on four counts. A task force of federal, state and... 2016-05-10 22:36 2KB www.chron.com
35 We set the theme; you take the pictures Each week we ask you to send in your pictures on a set theme and a selection of these are then published each Thursday on our In pictures page 2016-05-10 21:30 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 36 Sheepish police blur faces of lambs at centre of alleged rustling Social media sites are rammed with confusion after police release blurred images of victims of crime - who happened to be sheep. 2016-05-10 21:30 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 37 Five in court over South Yorkshire Police helicopter sex films Five men appear in court accused of misusing the camera on a police helicopter to film people who were naked or having sex. 2016-05-10 21:30 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 38 Suspected ISIS supporter gets nod for back-to-school shopping trip A federal judge in Houston Monday signed off on a one-day shopping excursion for a defendant awaiting trial on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 2016-05-10 22:36 3KB www.chron.com 39 Alleged attacker held by genitals until cops arrive Contact WND (CBS12) — NASHVILLE, Tenn.–A mid-state man who allegedly assaulted and strangled his girlfriend received a quick dose of karma after the woman grabbed him by his genitals and held him until police arrived. According to statements from witnesses and the victim, 55-year-old Maurice B. Gray came home “extremely intoxicated” and began throwing items out of […]... 2016-05-10 21:25 1KB www.wnd.com 40 Nuclear giant EDF Energy reports sales fall as AGM looms French energy giant EDF reports a fall in sales of 7% in the first quarter in the face of stiff competition and lower energy prices ahead of a crucial shareholder meeting. 2016-05-11 00:26 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 41 NEWSNIGHT: What would Brexit mean for immigration? In the fourth in a series of special programmes, BBC Newsnight looks at how the EU referendum vote could impact on EU migration. 2016-05-10 21:27 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 42 Budweiser's new name taps American patriotism Budweiser beer plans to rebrand its cans for the summer in a bid to capture the patriotism of US consumers. 2016-05-10 21:27 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 43 Israelis, Palestinians participate in joint Remembrance Day ceremony in Tel Aviv The ceremony was organized by Combatants for Peace Movement in cooperation with the Parents’ Circle - Families Forum. 2016-05-11 01:51 2KB www.jpost.com 44 Bus driver and police officer who fought against terrorists among Mount Herzl beacon lighters 14 Israeli heroes to take central role in Independence Day ceremony 2016-05-11 01:39 5KB www.jpost.com
45 Tech can’t thrive without women, says Israeli-born Oracle CEO Software giant building tech-focused school to encourage girls to study sciences 2016-05-11 01:32 4KB www.jpost.com 46 PP-Dem-Pres-All,100 165 of 1,853 precincts - 9 percent Hillary Clinton, 11,934 - 61 percent Bernie Sanders, 7,639 - 39 percent 423 of 1,761 precincts - 24 percent x-Bernie Sande... 2016-05-11 01:27 860Bytes www.dailymail.co.uk 47 Yahoo - Yahoo to Live Stream Video of First Quarter 2016 Earnings on Yahoo Finance on April 19, 2016 --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) will discuss the Company's financial results for the first quarter ended via live stream video. WHERE: The live stream will be broadcast from Yahoo's studio and will be available exclusively on Yahoo Finance at http://finance... 2016-05-10 20:33 1KB investor.yahoo.net 48 Potential choices for Clinton's, Trump's running mates As time winds down for the Democrats and Republicans to pick their nominees, there is plenty of speculation about the candidates' respective running mates. 2016-05-10 20:44 1KB www.chron.com 49 Yahoo - TUNE IN TODAY: Yahoo Hosts First-Ever Live Stream of Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting Live coverage begins at 10 a.m... 2016-05-10 20:44 2KB investor.yahoo.net 50 Lighting a torch for the youth in Sderot Hallel Bareli, an 11th grader, will be the youngest torch lighter at this year’s traditional Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. 2016-05-11 01:21 6KB www.jpost.com 51 Patrick rails against Fort Worth ISD, superintendent over transgender policy Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took his crusade to keep men out of the women's restroom to the Fort Worth Independent School District Tuesday, calling the administration's interpretation of federal law allowing special accommodations for transgender students a "fantasy. " 2016-05-11 03:51 3KB www.chron.com 52 Official (Politically Correct) Islam versus the Truth KMorgan 1233 posts 2016-05-10 21:31 8KB www.thetribunepapers.com
53 MFA Financial Dividend History - In Photos: Top Real Estate Dividend Payers DividendRank #1 Yield: 13.4%* Symbol: MFA Dividend Period: Quarterly Dividend Amount: $0.25 ($1.00 annualized) MFA Financial, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) primarily engaged in the business of investment,... 2016-05-11 00:15 1KB www.forbes.com 54 Lauder: Israel was built to be a democracy in a sea of intolerance World Jewish Congress president says anti-Semitism in Europe demands action 2016-05-11 01:15 6KB www.jpost.com 55 How to win a referendum June's EU vote is a battle to the death between two tried-and-tested models of how to win a referendum - and there can be only one winner. 2016-05-11 03:47 7KB www.bbc.co.uk 56 School closure inquiry 'to conclude before end of year' Edinburgh Council says it expects an independent inquiry into the closure of 17 schools in the city to conclude before the end of the year. 2016-05-11 03:47 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 57 Sats: 'I've told my son not to worry' Year 6 pupils across England are sitting Sats this week, but are children feeling the pressure? 2016-05-11 03:47 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 58 The man who has photographed every train station in Great Britain David Brewer has taken a picture of a train in every railway station in Great Britain. Why? 2016-05-11 03:47 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 59 New wave of tornadoes sweeps across the heartland The same storm system that killed at least two people Monday night in Oklahoma produced more tornadoes Tuesday in Kentucky. Manuel Bojorquez has more. 2016-05-11 03:46 1003Bytes www.cbsnews.com 60 Meghan Trainor pulls music video that digitally altered her waistline M eghan Trainor, a popstar who has called on women to celebrate their natural bodies, is at the center of a fresh Photoshop controversy... 2016-05-11 01:14 2KB www.telegraph.co.uk 61 The migrant fleeing domestic abuse With hundreds and thousands of people fleeing brutal war and poverty in the Middle East, one story we don't hear of very often is people fleeing Domestic violence 2016-05-11 03:43 774Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 62 Chinese police uncover huge fake jellyfish 'scam' Chinese police raid two fake jellyfish syndicates, saying more than 10 tonnes of synthetic seafood made its way to local food markets. 2016-05-11 03:43 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 63 What's killing white middle-aged American women? Why are death rates going up for middle-aged less-educated white American women, given that mortality rates are generally improving? 2016-05-11 03:43 9KB www.bbc.co.uk 64 AP Delegate Count,100 ------Changes------Total ElecDay 7days 30days Clinton 2,228 0 +7 +453 Sanders 1,453 0 +3 +328 Uncommitted 127 0 -1 -31 De La Fuente 0 Farrell ... 2016-05-11 01:07 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 65 Mystery of Donald Trump tombstone in Central Park is solved A New York artist has been unmasked as the man behind a Donald Trump tombstone which appeared overnight in Central Park, causing a social... 2016-05-11 01:06 3KB www.telegraph.co.uk 66 Yahoo - Yahoo Announces Editorial Plans for 2016 Summer Games --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) today announced its full global editorial lineup for the 2016 in , including Olympic gold medalists and. Yahoo will send more than 15 experts and writers to Rio, plus another 15 video producers and crew to cover the Games from every angle... 2016-05-10 18:33 3KB investor.yahoo.net 67 Yahoo - Lexus Revs Up Basketball Fans with New Campaign on Yahoo Sports and Launches Bracket Challenge New campaign promotes the all-new 2016 Lexus GS F timed with the 2016 Men's College Basketball Tournament --(BUSINESS WIRE)... 2016-05-11 01:43 3KB investor.yahoo.net
68 Yahoo - Introducing Fair Play on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy Yahoo Launches Key Changes in Daily Fantasy to Help Level the Playing Field for Fans Including Entry Limits, Labeling of Veteran Players and No... 2016-05-11 01:43 2KB investor.yahoo.net 69 Key Republicans swing behind Trump; he takes 2 primaries WASHINGTON (AP) — Key Senate Republicans voiced optimism Tuesday about Donald Trump's presidential prospects in November, the clearest signal yet to the GOP... 2016-05-11 01:05 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 70 Nirenstein drops her candidacy to become ambassador to Italy In an email to journalists, Nirenstein, a former Italian journalist and parliamentarian who made aliya in 2013, said she had informed Netanyahu of her decision. 2016-05-11 01:05 4KB www.jpost.com 71 Dying coral reefs 'dull fish senses' Fish are unable to learn the scent of their predators in dying coral reefs, research reveals. 2016-05-11 03:43 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 72 Oops: Minor typo spotted in Texas Christian University commencement program You don't need to throw an amazing graduation to get everybody's attention - just make a simple mistake and let the fireworks light themselves. 2016-05-11 03:45 1KB www.chron.com 73 ARTS & CULTURE The best of arts and culture news from L. A. Times columnists and critics. Read reviews and find event information for Los Angeles. 2016-05-11 03:50 11KB www.latimes.com 74 Ethnic harmony on show in Malaysian street Malacca's Harmony Street, home to three different places of worship, is a symbol of good relations between Malaysia's different ethnic groups. 2016-05-11 03:43 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 75 Car rolls into estuary in Wales after driver 'went to spend a penny' A man in Wales discovered what the use of a car's hand break is when his Seat Leon rolled into Pembroke Dock as he... 2016-05-11 01:02 1KB www.telegraph.co.uk 76 Nigeria Giwa barracks 'a place of death' says Amnesty Amnesty International says at least 149 detainees have died "in appalling conditions" at a barracks detention centre in north-east Nigeria this year. 2016-05-11 03:43 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 77 NHS short of front-line staff after bad planning, say MPs Bad planning and cost-cutting have left the NHS in England short of vital front-line staff, MPs are warning. 2016-05-11 03:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 78 Under fives tooth decay 'improving' The number of five-year-olds suffering from tooth decay has dropped to its lowest level in almost a decade, latest figures from Public Health England show. 2016-05-11 03:47 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 79 Can the 'internet of moving things' end traffic jams? Can the 'internet of moving things' bring an end to traffic jams and commuter chaos? The tech utopians believe so. 2016-05-10 21:10 7KB www.bbc.co.uk
80 Car park orchestra wins classical award A multi-storey car park that has been turned into a classical music venue wins a top prize at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. 2016-05-11 03:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 81 The mysterious woman who inspired a bestselling novel A bestselling romantic novel penned by a Turkish writer more than half a century ago is being published in English for the first time. 2016-05-11 03:47 7KB www.bbc.co.uk 82 Newspaper headlines: Corruption remarks, and terror drill apology The prime minister's description of Nigeria and Afghanistan as "fantastically corrupt" in a conversation with the Queen makes several of Wednesday's front pages. 2016-05-11 03:47 889Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 83 Lakeshore promotes Greg Battistella to head baseball coach The veteran has 318 career wins at Holy Cross and Pope John Paul II 2016-05-11 03:45 2KB highschoolsports.nola.com 84 Can Cameron deliver on anti-corruption pledge? David Cameron has won praise for taking on the issue of corruption and tax transparency but pressure groups are warning he must put his own house in order first. 2016-05-11 03:47 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 85 Gordon Brown says quitting EU would not be British It would not be British to quit the EU, ex-PM Gordon Brown says as he urges the UK to help shape Europe's approach to terrorism, immigration and climate change. 2016-05-11 03:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 86 Disney disappoints despite box office success Walt Disney falls short of Wall Street expectations for the first time in five years, despite several box office successes. 2016-05-11 03:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 87 Sadiq Khan dismisses Donald Trump's Muslim ban 'exception' Sadiq Khan dismisses US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's offer to exempt him from his proposed ban on Muslims travelling to the US. 2016-05-11 03:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 88 Donald Trump's road to the nomination - In Photos: Donald Trump's Road To The GOP Nomination The 2016 presidential race began with 17 candidates on the Republican side. Now, Donald Trump is the last man standing--and the presumptive GOP nominee. Here's a look at how he got there. 2016-05-11 03:46 840Bytes www.forbes.com 89 MPs 'pay relatives £5,600 more than other staff', watchdog reveals Family members employed by MPs are paid on average £5,600 more than other staff, says a watchdog, as it calls for a review of the rules. 2016-05-11 03:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 90 Ombudsman: Patients sent home afraid and with little support NHS patients in England are being sent home from hospital afraid and with little support, a report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman reveals. 2016-05-11 03:47 4KB www.bbc.co.uk
91 Ancient trade routes written in camel genes Cross-continental study reveals how camels' genetic diversity is shaped by ancient trade routes. 2016-05-11 03:47 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 92 Footage shows bottles being thrown at Man Utd bus Bottles were thrown and windows smashed after Manchester United's coach was attacked on the way to Upton Park. 2016-05-11 03:47 647Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 93 Australian mum reveals quintuplets in photo shoot An Australian mother who gave birth to quintuplets in January has released a photo shoot of her unlikely new arrivals. 2016-05-11 03:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 94 Do you inherit your parent's mental illness? Are mental health problems hereditary? For James Longman it's a very personal question. 2016-05-11 03:47 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 95 Claims against cops who stuffed man in mental hospital advance Contact WND A federal appeals court has reinstated a constitutional violations damage lawsuit against several police officers who handcuffed a Waynesboro, Virginia, man and locked him up in a mental health facility for nearly week for having a chronic disease similar to multiple sclerosis. They believed he was hallucinating... 2016-05-11 01:00 6KB www.wnd.com 96 Facebook Moments facial-recognition app launches in Europe Facebook launches an app that uses facial-recognition technology, in the EU and Canada, working round local restrictions on the tech. 2016-05-11 03:47 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 97 Buried without a name Mapping the untold story of Europe's drowned migrants 2016-05-11 03:47 777Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 98 Reality Check: Do EU migrants take jobs from UK-born workers? Iain Duncan Smith says that for every 100 migrants who get a job in the UK, 23 British- born workers are displaced. Is this true? 2016-05-11 03:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 99 Panama Papers: Emma Watson named in latest offshore data release E mma Watson used an offshore company leaked by the Panama Papers to purchase a multi-million pound property. The actress, currently taking a... 2016-05-11 00:58 3KB www.telegraph.co.uk 100 Nasa's official count of exoplanets more than doubles The Milky Way just got a lot more crowded - with planets. 2016-05-11 00:56 3KB www.independent.ie Articles
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-05-11 06:02
1 NASA says 1,284 new planets found by Kepler telescope (1.02/2) MIAMI, United States — NASA announced Tuesday the discovery of 1,284 new planets outside our solar system, more than doubling the number of exoplanets found with the Kepler space telescope. “This gives us hope that somewhere out there, around a star much like ours, we can eventually discover another Earth,” said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington. READ: Scientists discover three ‘potentially habitable’ planets | Predicting planets: The highs and lows The unmanned Kepler space observatory, which launched in 2009, has been scanning 150,000 stars for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. It works by observing a dimming in the light of a star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it. “Of the nearly 5,000 total planet candidates found to date, more than 3,200 now have been verified, and 2,325 of these were discovered by Kepler,” NASA said in a statement. Of the new trove of 1,284, nearly 550 could be rocky planets like Earth, based on their size, the US space agency said. “Nine of these orbit in their sun’s habitable zone, which is the distance from a star where orbiting planets can have surface temperatures that allow liquid water to pool.” ‘Goldilocks’ zone The addition of these nine means that 21 exoplanets now are known to be circling their stars in the so-called “habitable zone,” and may harbor life. However, Kepler is a “statistical mission,” NASA scientists said, and is not designed to probe further into the environmental conditions of planets that exist in the so-called “Goldilocks zone” of their stars — neither too hot nor too cold to sustain life. That means even the most advanced space telescopes now being built, including the James Webb Space Telescope, may not be able to shed much more light on the nature of life — if it exists — on another of these distant exoplanets. “If you ask yourself the question, where is the nearest potentially habitable planet likely to be, you find that it is going to be within about 11 light-years,” said Natalie Batalha, Kepler mission scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Although she described that distance as “astronomically speaking… very close,” one light-year equals about six trillion miles (9.5 trillion kilometers), and no spacecraft or technology exists to travel that far. However, Kepler has already opened up a great deal about the galaxy that surrounds us. “Before the Kepler space telescope launched, we did not know whether exoplanets were rare or common in the galaxy. Thanks to Kepler and the research community, we now know there could be more planets than stars,” said Paul Hertz, astrophysics division director at NASA headquarters. “This knowledge informs the future missions that are needed to take us ever closer to finding out whether we are alone in the universe.” The latest trove of planets was confirmed by a new statistical method, instead of the time- consuming, one-by-one process previously used. This statistical analysis method can be applied to many planet candidates simultaneously, according to Timothy Morton, associate research scholar at Princeton University and lead author of a paper describing the findings in The Astrophysical Journal. Emergency event Kepler survived an emergency last month, when some kind of “transient event… triggered a barrage of false alarms that eventually overwhelmed the system,” NASA said. The space telescope suffered another crisis in 2013, related to a problem with the reaction wheels that typically keep the spacecraft steady. NASA saved it back then, and set the spacecraft on a new mission called K2, to study supernovas, star clusters and far-off galaxies. The latest failure, which NASA described as leaving the spacecraft in a “fuel-intensive coma,” was discovered on April 8. Engineers on Earth were able to rescue Kepler and restored its ability to collect data on April 22.
Kepler telescope discovers 100 Earth-sized planets bbc.co.uk 2016-05-11 06:01 Agence France technology.inquirer.net
2 US keen to work with new Philippines leader (1.02/2) WASHINGTON, United States — The United States said Tuesday it was keen to work with whoever wins the presidential election in the Philippines, after foul-mouthed populist Rodrigo Duterte claimed victory. “We look forward to working with and congratulating the winner,” State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said, after the 71-year-old firebrand declared himself the winner of Monday’s voting. READ: Duterte twits US, Aussie envoys for ‘meddling’ in PH politics | If elected president, Duterte’s foreign policy to be lukewarm to US Trudeau stressed that official results had not yet been confirmed, but said the United States would work with whichever candidate emerges on top. “Washington respects the choice of the Philippines’ people. We will gladly work with the leader they’ve selected,” she added, without being drawn on some of Duterte’s more controversial statements. Duterte, who has vowed a fierce crackdown on crime and corruption, has made no secret of his involvement in running vigilante death squads as mayor of Davao and waged an incendiary campaign. Duterte dominated campaign media coverage and generated international headlines with his relentless gutter talk, branding the pope a “son of a whore” and boasting repeatedly about his Viagra-fueled affairs. He caused further disgust in diplomatic circles by joking about a raped Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot. Duterte was enraged when the US and Australian ambassadors criticized his comments and even threatened to break ties with Washington, one of the Philippines’ closest allies. On Tuesday, he said it was up to US officials to repair relations with him and indicated that he was prepared to hold direct talks with Beijing over a sensitive territorial dispute in the South China Sea. This, at least, did not cause offense. “The United States has consistently expressed support for nations to exercise peaceful means to resolve territorial or maritime disputes without the use of force, intimidation or coercion,” Trudeau said.
U.S. official signals willing to work with Duterte news.abs-cbn.com 2016-05-11 06:01 Agence France globalnation.inquirer.net
3 Duterte grounds jet ski vs China (1.02/2) DAVAO CITY—Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he would settle the rows in the South China Sea with multilateral talks that would include allies United States, Japan and Australia, and the claimant nations against China. Duterte, erstwhile mayor of this city, said China should respect the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around coastal states and team up with the Philippines to jointly exploit offshore oil and gas deposits. “I would say to China: ‘Do not claim anything here and I will also not insist that it is ours.’ But then I will just keep a blind eye,” he told reporters, who waited with him for the results of an unofficial count that showed him winning with a hefty 40 percent of the vote. “If you want joint ventures, fine, we can get the gas and the oil,” he said. “I believe in sharing.” Tensions have risen sharply between China and the Philippines as an international tribunal in The Hague is preparing to deliver a ruling soon in a case lodged by Manila in 2013 that could undermine Beijing’s claim to 90 percent of the South China Sea. China has rejected the court’s authority. Duterte, 71, had puzzled diplomats with his contradictory positions on dealing with China’s assertiveness and blockade of waters and islands long held by the Philippines within its EEZ. During one presidential debate, Duterte said he would call for a dialogue with Beijing, but moments later added that he would ride a jet ski to the disputed Spratly islands occupied by China and plant the Philippine flag. On Monday, Election Day, he said talks were needed among the claimant countries—the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and China—and the big powers like the United States, Australia and Japan. “They would want a multilateral roundtable discussion, probably this year,” he said of the western countries. “I do not think anyone is interested in going to war. Although we are allies with America, we will agree to, say, multilateral participation.” In Beijing, China responded by saying it hoped to work with the new Philippine administration to resolve the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the AP reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Tuesday that Beijing hoped the Philippines would “meet China halfway” and take concrete measures to get ties back on a healthy track. Lu said that while the two countries had a traditional friendship, bilateral relations had hit major setbacks in recent years, the causes of which he said were “known to all.” Reports from the wires
Duterte may impose curfew on minors, ban loud karaoke news.abs-cbn.com 2016-05-11 02:34 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net
4 US Election 2016: Sanders aims for win in West Virginia (1.02/2) The US states of Nebraska and West Virginia hold primary votes on Tuesday, with Bernie Sanders still battling to slow Hillary Clinton's march to the Democratic nomination. Mr Sanders is expected to perform well in West Virginia, despite Mrs Clinton's huge lead in overall delegates. "We're going to fight for the last vote," Mr Sanders said on Monday. Minutes after the West Virginia polls closed, Donald Trump was projected the winner in the Republican race. He is the party's presumptive nominee after his last remaining rivals left the race last week, although their names remained on the West Virginia ballot. According to exit polls, the most important issue for voters in that state was the economy and jobs. In Nebraska, where only the Republicans are voting, the polls close at 2100 EST (0100 GMT). Mr Trump is now trying to unite the Republican Party after a contentious primary season. Many top Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have declined to support Mr Trump's candidacy, saying the New York businessman does not represent conservative values. Mr Trump will meet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Mr Ryan on Thursday in hopes of resolving their differences. Some Republicans are concerned that Mr Trump will negatively affect other races, hurting the party's chances of retaining control of Congress. Mr Trump is deeply unpopular among key voting blocs including women, Latinos and African Americans. On the Democratic side, Mrs Clinton is on the defensive in West Virginia because of comments she made during a town hall meeting in March. Addressing environmental issues, she said she wanted to put coal companies out of business. Battered by dwindling demand and new environmental rules, coal companies are among the top employers in West Virginia. Mrs Clinton later said she had misspoken and that she had wanted to bring new industries to the state. Mr Sanders's message of economic fairness has also resonated in West Virginia, one of the poorest states in the country. While a win in West Virginia will not derail Mrs Clinton's path to the Democratic nomination, Mr Sanders' continued success will give him leverage to influence the party's platform. Full US election coverage from the BBC The Latest: Trump wins Nebraska's GOP primary dailymail.co.uk 2016-05-10 17:39 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
5 If Rousseff goes will 47 million Brazilians lose their benefits? (1.00/2) Mother-of-six Ana Rita de Jesus is worried about the future of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff. She works in a womens' pottery cooperative in the secluded rural community of Itamatatiua, in the Northeast state of Maranhao. "I saw on television that they want to remove Dilma from power and end the Bolsa Familia programme," she tells me. "If that happens, I might have to move to a bigger city, because there are no paying jobs here. " Bolsa Familia is the world's largest cash-transfer programme. A total of 47 million Brazilians - almost a quarter of the population - receive money from it on a monthly basis. It was introduced in 2003 when the Workers' Party came to power under the former president, Lula da Silva. Without it, Ana Rita de Jesus says she would be in extreme poverty, even with the wage she gets from her day job at the cooperative. Her monthly income hovers around 65 reais ($18; £12) and this depends on the how many pottery pieces the cooperative sells. But from Bolsa Familia, she gets 237 reais. Her entire community of Itamatatiua has been transformed by the social programme. Up until the last decade, local life was marked by extreme poverty and subsistence. "After former President Lula de Silva came to power, our community got a lot better", says local leader Neide de Jesus. "Back then, our money was not enough for us to buy things - we had just enough to eat. "Today people here have refrigerators, ovens, televisions. We started studying and having proper houses. " The hot topic in the pottery cooperative is the future of Bolsa Familia. Families who are below the poverty line, which in Brazil is 164 reais a month, get an average monthly income from the government of 176 reais. In return, mothers are expected to keep all their children in school with an attendance record of at least 85%, and with all vaccination up-to-date. There are no requirements for childless families who fall below the poverty line. To tackle Brazil's worst recession in over two decades, President Rousseff had been promoting deep cuts in government spending over the past year. Despite these, she went out of her way to protect Bolsa Familia and other social programmes. In fact, Ms Rousseff claims that some of the alleged fiscal crimes she is accused of in her impeachment process were procedures intended to protect social programmes from drastic spending cuts. The Bolsa Familia became one of her main political weapons in her last days in office before being suspended. Earlier this month she told crowds that Vice-President Michel Temer would remove 36 million people from the programme and "throw them into the free market, forcing the poor to fend for themselves". One of her last moves was to raise the Bolsa Familia benefit by 9%, and to change the financial definition of poverty, to bring more people into the scheme. Ms Rousseff's speech struck a chord with women in Itamatatiua and across Brazil. They fear that under Mr Temer's rule their benefits might be cut. The pottery cooperative makes on average $225 (£155) a month, which is split between its 12 members. But most women here do not make the bulk of their income from the cooperative. Keeping children in school is more lucrative than running a business or even getting a job, when they can find one. Itamatatiua is one of the 207 small communities in Alcantara, a very poor city in Maranhao state, that highlights the successes and failures of Bolsa Familia. The city has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.573, which means there is a low standard of living, but even so it has improved its score by 40% over the course of the decade. The small communities now have roads connecting them to the city centre. Another social programme implemented by the Workers' Party (Minha Casa, Minha Vida) built brick-and-mortar houses where mud and straw ones used to stand. But despite all improvements, the local economy has come to depend heavily on money that comes from the federal budget. In a city of 21,000 residents, a staggering 78% of them receive money from Bolsa Familia. On payment week, there are long cues outside the payment centre from the early hours until closing time. Some of the women I met wanted better standards of living but could not find jobs. Many simply gave up on the idea of working, and found themselves better off by having children and living on welfare. Alcantara's mayor Domingos Araken, from Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party, acknowledges that even after 13 years of Bolsa Familia, the town has so far failed to build a self-sustaining economy. "Over the years we didn't get our economy going on its own feet - but the social programmes allowed us to spend a lot more on infrastructure, such as roads and houses, and invest in education. "Hopefully all that will pay off now and we won't depend so much on Bolsa Familia in the future. " He believes that spending cuts to the programme will force thousands to migrate to bigger urban centres, in search of work. The future of Bolsa Familia is a challenge for Brazilian society and its new president. The Workers' Party says it has helped lift 36 million people out of poverty and has drastically reduced inequality. The programme has earned plaudits from the World Bank and has been copied in many other places. Yet Brazil is running high budget deficits and its public debt is in an unsustainable course. With a deepening recession, tax increases no longer seem viable and the government is cutting spending where it can. Mr Temer and people around him have signalled that Bolsa Familia still ranks high in his list of priorities, but has said that no social programmes are immune to cuts. After a decade of benefiting from Brazil's economic emergence, families in many poor communities across the country like Itamatatiua now fear their fates may be about to change. Back in her pottery cooperative, Ana Rita de Jesus does not believe her wage will be enough for her to make it on her own. "I need the money from the government. It is not every day that we get to sell our pottery pieces. But I know that I can count on Bolsa Familia every month. "
What's gone wrong for Brazil? bbc.co.uk 2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
6 PP-GOP-Delg-All,100 (1.00/2) 0 of 1,853 precincts - 0 percent 0 of 36 Delegates allocated Donald Trump 0 - 0 percent Ben Carson 0 - 0 percent Ted Cruz 0 - 0 percent John Kasich 0 - 0 percent Marco Rubio 0 - 0 percent 162 of 1,761 precincts - 9 percent 3 of 34 Delegates allocated Donald Trump 3 - 8 percent Jeb Bush 0 - 0 percent Ben Carson 0 - 0 percent Rand Paul 0 - 0 percent Ted Cruz 0 - 0 percent Carly Fiorina 0 - 0 percent John Kasich 0 - 0 percent Marco Rubio 0 - 0 percent Chris Christie 0 - 0 percent Mike Huckabee 0 - 0 percent David Hall 0 - 0 percent PP-GOP-Pres-All,100 dailymail.co.uk 2016-05-11 00:57 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
7 Paul Ryan: conservative Contact WND (0.04/2) Order Branco’s first book of politically incorrect — and hilarious — cartoons Mike Lester has Obama responding to N. C. on federal bathroom pressure John Cole illustrates Donald's stunning progression through 2016 election cycle A. F. Branco spotlights Benghazi deaths A. F. Branco has MSM on task for electing Hillary Mike Lester notes change in answer of 'Curt Schilling' question Mike Lester portrays Obama comment about Trump A. F Branco parodies TV commercial Rick McKee illustrates hypocrisy of former House speaker's attack on Ted Cruz Mike Lester envisions effect of Mike Tyson's endorsement of Trump Mike Lester has Carly joining the Cruz campaign Insiders expose Hillary's own 'war on women' Contact WND wnd.com Will super-conservative take Boehner's seat in House? Contact WND wnd.com
N. Carolina's resistance to LGBT demands to inspire others? Contact WND wnd.com It's my potty Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-11 02:03 www.wnd.com
8 Amazon.com pressured to dump Trump Contact WND (0.03/2) Amazon.com, the popular online retailer, is reportedly under pressure from shareholders to stop selling products associated with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. According to the New York Post , a group claiming to represent 1,500 Amazon shareholders has asked CEO Jeff Bezos to end its marketing of Trump shirts, hats, ties and other products promoting the Trump campaign. “This isn’t about politics: Donald Trump’s misogyny, racism and outright bigotry are dominating the political news cycle,” shareholder group UltraViolet said in a letter to Bezos. The letter noted the continued presence of Donald Trump products “poses a risk to Amazon’s reputation.” The ‘Stop Hillary’ campaign is on fire! Join the surging response to this theme: ‘Clinton for prosecution, not president’ A spokesman for Amazon, which holds its annual shareholder meeting May 17, declined to comment to the Post. Related articles (story continues below): Insiders expose Hillary’s ‘war on women’ Sanders set to Bern Hillary in West Virginia DOJ workers donate $75,000 to Hillary Clinton Will super-conservative take Boehner’s seat in House? Trump candidacy divides religious leaders Amazon pressured to dump Trump gear Trump tombstone mystery solved: The ‘hipster’ did it Cruz reopens door to resurrected campaign This isn’t the first time Trump has caused angst among the business community. Last year, Macy’s removed Trump’s menswear line from its department stores after the candidate referred to some Mexicans as “rapists.” Serta and NBC also cut ties with Trump. Like the reporting you see here? Sign up for free news alerts from WND.com, America’s independent news network. Regarding Macy’s, CNBC reported Tuesday some bad news for the chain, stating: “Macy’s investors may not want to count on the beleaguered department store making its much- needed recovery in the first quarter. “According to fresh estimates from Retail Metrics, Wall Street expects the big-box chain to report declines in four major metrics – earnings per share, operating income, revenue and comparable sales – in what would be a disappointing kickoff to the new fiscal year. “Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics, said Macy’s is expected to earn 38 cents a share in the recently ended quarter when it reports earnings before the opening bell Wednesday. That would represent a decline of nearly 50 percent from the prior-year period. Retail Metrics is also calling for a year-over-year operating income decline of 40 percent, a 4.4. percent drop in revenue, and a comparable-sales slide of 3.2 percent.” The CNBC report did not mention if Macy’s actions with Trump were thought to have been a factor in the company’s downturn. Note: Those wishing to contact Amazon.com may do so here . Follow Joe Kovacs on Twitter @JoeKovacsNews
Insiders expose Hillary's own 'war on women' Contact WND wnd.com N. Carolina's resistance to LGBT demands to inspire others? Contact WND wnd.com Why Trump will clean Hillary's clock Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-10 21:23 Joe Kovacs www.wnd.com
9 Foreign-owned Budweiser renames itself 'America' Contact WND (0.02/2) (MIAMI HERALD) — Most people have heard the “USA, USA, USA!” chant at some point in their lives, typically by college frat bros who may have had a little too much to drink. Well now, those frat bros — and you — can literally get drunk on America. In an either completely bizarre or potentially brilliant publicity stunt, Budweiser has decided to temporarily rename its beer “America.”
Insiders expose Hillary's own 'war on women' Contact WND wnd.com N. Carolina's resistance to LGBT demands to inspire others? Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-11 02:03 www.wnd.com
10 You think military is sexist? Check this out Contact WND (0.02/2) A not so secret “secret” weapon Putin is at it again. That sexist! That 19th century unprofessional! The UK Mirror reports , “Vladimir Putin’s all- female ‘miniskirt army’ display their strength in a sexist military parade.” “The event in Moscow’s Red Square this morning showcased Russia’s modern military war machine – yet the parade of women looked distinctly out of date,” according to Jones. “Despite the strength of force on show with jets, air defense missile systems and nuclear weapons aplenty, it was the female touch that garnered most attention.” And it always has. But is this sexism? Or just how the world turns? The Red Square parade, held annually to commemorate Russia’s triumph in WWII, is not another Crimea-like encroachment, the very same that had the Obama administration scrambling to issue threats of consequences, much like an ineffectual parent (you know the kind – hamstrung by too much psychology and too little practical application). This miniskirt brigade seems rather to be a reminder that, despite the gold braid and ramrod posture, women – even those capable gals wearing the uniform – are (surprise!) female. Perhaps it’s time we in the United States took our president’s words to heart, like those of the Pharisees, instead of looking to his example. After all, just two short years ago Reid J. Epstein of Politico reported that, “President Obama wants to emphasize to the Russians that there are a right set of choices.” Or so said Secretary of State John Kerry. But Obama was right. There are right choices. However ignoring the inherent difference between men and women and opting to forget one’s own threats of reprisal for bad actions are not among them. Right or wrong, Putin (in true 19th century fashion) appears undaunted by using the woman card to remind one and all that women are, when you get to it, female. He’s also the one who okayed the use of women pushing baby carriages in the Sochi Olympics opening ceremonies. Young women with shapely legs and babies! The horror! What’s next? Religion for the “intellectually pruned” Wicca is on the rise! Or, at the very least, it is coming out of the shadows, according to Qiling Wang who ventured out to the Wicca meet-up on behalf of Reporting Texas. The group, gathering every other Monday at an Austin coffee house, is headed by high priestess Mary Caldwell. The spiky pink-haired Caldwell, 44, with tattooed arms and an undeniable zeal for her religion, works in customer service for a software company. “Wicca,” apparently, “is a modern version of ancient pagan religions, created in England and brought to the United States in the 1960s.” (That last factoid should be warning enough.) “Its followers worship a goddess and a god, honor the Earth and practice ritual magic. They follow the Wiccan Rede , a statement of principles that stresses the importance of doing no harm.” But who defines what is harmful? The spiritually clueless? Those who, by sheer force of could- be, want to metaphorically recast matches as non-burning twigs? Or the overly curious, bent on abusing boundaries or perhaps pretending boundaries don’t exist any until someone – hmmm – does get hurt? “Recently, some members of the group had visited a local cemetery to commune with spirits,” according to the high priestess. “Some of the people in the group just see them, some just hear them and some of them just smell them. It was great fun.” Is that “fun” like visiting a toxic lab, the kind with the glowing test tubes, and wondering what kind of virus one might contract? And maybe bring home or back to work and school for sharing? But sharing is what it’s all about. The love or the lunacy. You decide. Caldwell continues her merriment in explaining how “… I’ve got people who are devoted Catholics coming to me and saying, ‘I’ve got a problem, and can you do a spell for me?'” Ha ha, funny, right? (That’s how Caldwell goes on to describe the phenomenon.) Or is there a fundamental flaw? A devoted Christian of any denomination would never engage in spell- casting. This video is too disturbing to miss: With shows like Fox’s “ Lucifer ,” depicting a Catholic priest seeking the aid of the demon to root out an underground drug operation at a neighborhood youth center just this March … well, you’ve got the perfect storm of could-be for the intellectually pruned. Nothing like mixing the utterly evil with the good to make it all seem well-intended. What’s that? Sympathy for the devil? But hey, that forbidden fruit in Eden probably looked and smelled pretty darned tasty. And the rise of Wicca, whose adherents (at the American Religious Identification Survey’s last reporting) had more than doubled from 2001 to 2008, is going to continue. Not because it’s true, but because it satisfies an itch. Blood Express? Life-saving drones According to MarketWatch , the UPS Foundation has announced “it has entered into a partnership with drone startup Zipline and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to deliver blood for transfusions by drone throughout Rwanda. UPS offered an $800,000 grant to kick off the deliveries.” Check out the particulars in this video and be amazed: “Here’s how Zipline works: A doctor sends a text message stating what type of blood they need to Zipline, which has a central base with two employees – one to manage all the drones and another to load the drones with supplies. When the Zipline center receives a delivery request, a worker immediately loads up the pouch of blood (and eventually vaccines or other medical supplies), enters in the drone’s destination, presses a button to launch it, and the drone flies to that medical center based on a predetermined route.” Wow! Thank you, UPS!
Insiders expose Hillary's own 'war on women' Contact WND wnd.com
N. Carolina's resistance to LGBT demands to inspire others? Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-11 01:59 Patty Ann www.wnd.com
11 Kerry's utopian 'borderless world' Contact WND (0.02/2) If I said the dream of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party and the establishment Republicans was a “borderless world,” a great big global village under the rule of the elite, many would discount it as hyperbole. “There goes Farah, again,” some would say. “He’s a conspiracy theorist. He’s paranoid. Nobody really seeks to tear down borders.” Yet, in a commencement speech to Northeastern University graduates, Secretary of State John Kerry let drop the phrase “borderless world,” just as President George H. W. Bush did when he famously mentioned his desire for a “New World Order” to a joint session of Congress in 1990. Here’s what he said: “Many of you were in elementary school when you learned the toughest lesson of all on 9/11. There are no walls big enough to stop people from anywhere, tens of thousands of miles away, who are determined to take their own lives while they target others. So I think that everything that we’ve lived and learn tells us that we will never come out on top if we accept advice from sound-bite salesmen and carnival barkers who pretend the most powerful country on Earth can remain great by looking inward. And hiding behind walls at a time that technology has made that impossible to do and unwise to even attempt.” If all that weren’t enough, Kerry concluded: “The future demands from us something more than a nostalgia for some rose-tinted version of the past that did not really exist in any case. You’re about to graduate into a complex and borderless world.” Let me repeat that: “You’re about to graduate into a complex and borderless world.” He’s laying out the globalist agenda in plain sight. What is the goal? One big, happy world under their control. See Kerry’s comments: Elections can be messy. Constitutions make real change and control of populations difficult. Better for the smart people like Kerry to sit down with their peers and work out problems without oversight, accountability and concerns about the rule of law and the will of the people. Experience more of Joseph Farah’s no-nonsense truth-telling in his books, audio and video products, featured in the WND Superstore National sovereignty, after all, is a relic of the past – as is individual sovereignty. It’s the dawn of a new age. This is how people like Kerry and Obama and Hillary and the permanent Washington establishment think. They just aren’t always quite that frank. We should be grateful for those moments when their enthusiasm for imposing their will on the rest of us get the better of them – and they let the cat out of the bag. Do you understand now why there is such resistance to securing America’s borders? So what if open borders lead to terrorist attacks, criminal invasions, drug cartels running wild, economic dislocation? If you want to make an omelet, you’ve got to break some eggs. And the elite master chefs want to make some omelets. If for no other reason, this is why the 2016 presidential election is so important. It’s come down to this showdown over whether the United States of America will continue to be a sovereign country under the rule of law and the will of the people – or whether the elite will be permitted to conduct the largest social experiment in the history of the world since the Tower of Babel. Media wishing to interview Joseph Farah, please contact [email protected] .
Insiders expose Hillary's own 'war on women' Contact WND wnd.com N. Carolina's resistance to LGBT demands to inspire others? Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-11 01:01 Joseph Farah www.wnd.com
12 Harvard prof: Treat evangelical Christians like Nazis Contact WND (0.01/2) (BREITBART) — A Harvard Law professor is telling his fellow liberals that the culture wars are over and the victorious Left should treat conservative Christians the way the allies treated Germany and Japan after World War II, offering no quarter or clemency. In an online post, the 70-year-old professor Mark Tushnet (pictured), a surviving member of the old guard of 1960s liberal elites, advises his like- minded minions to unabashedly take up “aggressively liberal positions,” because they will no longer meet resistance, especially after the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Since “they lost, we won,” Tushnet confidently announces, it is time to press the liberal advantage and abandon any defensive positions. 'Christian hegemony'? Guilty as charged Contact WND wnd.com 2016-05-10 21:24 www.wnd.com
13 Private security team arranged for Duterte DAVAO CITY—Who will secure the country’s next President? Although Rodrigo Duterte’s future as the next President has already been conceded by his rivals, he still cannot avail of the services of the Presidential Security Group (PSG). This has prompted his camp to organize a “PSG- like” security team for Duterte. “We have to beef up his security because he is the next President,” Peter Laviña, Duterte’s campaign spokesperson, told the Inquirer Tuesday morning. The move comes amid rumors, which Sen. Bongbong Marcos earlier claimed was the ruling party’s possible “Plan B,” to wrest the presidency from Duterte and fill the vacancy with Liberal Party (LP) vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo, if she wins. The LP has denied any such plan but other rumors continue to swirl in social media that some disgruntled military men may try to stage a coup or assassinate Duterte, whom they accuse of having communist links. Laviña said the additional security men for Duterte will be privately-funded. “We have to shoulder the expenses until he assumes office,” Laviña said. On Monday night, police blocked the street fronting the hotel where Duterte held a press conference after he cast his votes. It was the first time a security measure of this kind was conducted for the mayor. “He may be safe because he is in Davao, but what about in other areas?” Laviña asked. Aside from beefing up Duterte’s security, his camp also have other plans for the incoming administration. Laviña said they have initially set up a “transition team, policy group, selection committee and inauguration committee” in preparation for the Duterte presidency. The transition team, Laviña said, will be coordinating with the outgoing Aquino administration for a “smooth turnover” of government. “The policy group will help in identifying issues—like traffic, issues with China—that need to be addressed within the first 100 days of the Duterte administration,” Laviña said. The selection committee, on the other hand, will be in charge of identifying, vetting and recommending those who will be Cabinet members of the Duterte government. Duterte earlier told his running mate, Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano, to choose between the foreign affairs and justice secretary post. He also hinted he wanted former Press Secretary Jesus Dureza to be his presidential assistant on the peace process. Laviña said they “also have to prepare for the inauguration . ” Nico Alconaba, Inquirer Mindanao
2016-05-11 02:51 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net
14 Sentinel's first map of sea-surface 'hills and valleys' The EU's Sentinel-3a satellite has given a sneak peek at what will be one of its most fundamental products - a map of sea surface height anomalies. Launched in February, the spacecraft carries an altimeter to sense the oceans' "hills" and "valleys". It is basic information that is needed to track currents and eddies, inform ocean forecasts and track variability in climate-driven sea-level rise. This first Sentinel-3a global map contains just one month's data. The acquisition was made between 3 March and 2 April 2016. Red shows (positive) areas where the sea surface is higher than the reference sea level, and blue (negative) areas reveal where it is lower. Positive anomalies are normally associated with warmer waters and a deeper thermocline, with negative anomalies associated with cooler waters and a shallower thermocline. The thermocline is the transition layer between warmer mixed water at the ocean's surface and cooler deep water below. The "reference" against which Sentinel-3a is looking is the historical dataset gathered by satellite altimeters since the early 1990s. Some of the big features immediately recognisable in the map are the Gulf Stream moving up the US East Coast and across the North Atlantic, the Brazil-Falklands Confluence Zone in the southeast Atlantic, the Benguela and Agulhas currents that hug the southern tip of Africa, and the Kurishio current that sweeps east of Japan into the central Pacific. Sentinel-3a joins five other space altimeters already in orbit that are contributing this kind of data. This number of instruments is unprecedented. "The main reason you want so many space altimeters is to provide good sampling of mesoscale details," explained Dr Craig Donlon, the European Space Agency's (Esa) mission scientist on Sentinel-3a. "Given the very narrow field of view which is at nadir (straight down), you only get to see a few km in width, depending on the sea state. "With a series of altimeters flying in a constellation, you can improve the sampling of the global ocean. But you have to make sure that at least one of those altimeters is working as a reference. This one must be an accurate, well-monitored system, and a consistent system throughout the historical altimeter constellation as well. "That's been the Topex/Jason series, soon to become Sentinel-6/Jason-CS in a few years' time. The reference altimeter orbit is a 66 degree (relative to the equator) orbit, that was chosen very deliberately because you minimise tidal aliasing, because as you can imagine, if you have tides in your signal it's very confusing. " But being in a 66-degree orbit means behaviour at the poles is lost. That is where S-3a comes in. It goes to much higher latitudes, enabling it for example to have a look at what is happening in the Arctic Ocean. It is hard to overstate the importance of sea surface elevation to the study of the oceans. Just as surface air pressure reveals what the atmosphere is doing above, so ocean height will betray details about the behaviour of water down below. The data gives clues to temperature and salinity, and when combined with gravity information, it is possible to gauge not just current direction but speed as well. The oceans store vast amounts of heat from the Sun, and how they move that energy around the globe and interact with the atmosphere are what drive our weather and climate systems. The sea surface anomalies map, processed by the French space Agency CNES, was released here in Prague at Esa's Living Planet Symposium - a conference dedicated to Earth observation. Many of the talks are centred on data coming from the EU's new Sentinel satellites - the biggest EO project in the world. Four spacecraft have now been launched, with many more to follow. Esa's Earth observation director Prof Volker Liebig showed a recent image from the colour camera on Sentinel-2a. This featured a giant algal bloom off the coast of Chile. The bloom was powered by the warm waters brought to the eastern Pacific last year by the El Nino phenomenon. "Twenty-four million salmon in fish farms died as a consequence of this event," he said. "The El Nino led to warm water there; normally it is cold water. The industry was unprepared. Eight-hundred-million US dollars have been lost. "We hope governments and industry will become more aware of these (Sentinel satellite) tools and use them in the future to be better prepared. " A multitude of services based on Sentinel and other satellite data is already available under the EU's Copernicus programme. The European-funded Sentinel series What is the Copernicus programme? Jonathan. [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
2016-05-10 21:10 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
15 Amazon Video Direct poses challenge to YouTube Online retail giant Amazon has launched an online video service to rival Google's YouTube. Amazon Video Direct will allow users to post videos and earn royalties. Viewers can rent and buy content or watch it for free with adverts. An ad-free version is offered to Amazon Prime members - a subscription service with other benefits. Initially, videos will be viewable in the US, Germany, Austria, Japan and the UK. The firm already offers access to professional TV shows and films via Prime Video, a rival to Netflix. It also streams user-generated clips about video games via Twitch. "There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there's a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service," said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video "We're excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content. " The news comes barely a month after online talent firm Fullscreen launched its own subscription video platform. Previously the firm had published content on free platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. YouTube offers an ad-free subscription service of its own - YouTube Red - which costs $10 per month. There's no shortage of places to watch video online, and Amazon is already a major player. But what it's trying to do here poses a lot of questions. How is this new idea different from YouTube? How do you beat the world's biggest video site at its own game without, on the face of it, offering any extra incentive to post or view content? Unless, of course, Amazon does. It may need to woo big name content creators over to the new platform with lucrative offers. But that's an expensive proposition and one that will take a long time to come to fruition, if at all. Vimeo, Ted, Vine, Funny or Die and other popular video sites have found success by attacking a niche. It's hard to see what Amazon Video Direct's is here.
2016-05-10 21:10 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
16 Pacquiao punches way to Senate; next stop, Malacañang? BOXING hero Manny Pacquiao is virtually assured of a Senate seat based on the election results on Tuesday which take him a step closer to his dream of the presidency. Pacquiao, 37, whose rise from desperate street kid to boxing superstar has made him one of the nation’s biggest heroes, retired from boxing last month to become a full-time politician. With over 91 percent of voting centers accounted for from Monday’s polls, the winner of an unprecedented eight world championships had garnered 14.94 million votes, more than enough to enter the Senate. Pacquiao placed eighth out of a field of 50 candidates in a national race where the top 12 win a seat in the upper house, a powerful legislative body that has often served as a springboard to higher office. Regarded as an icon in an impoverished nation, Pacquiao’s boxing matches have regularly brought the country to a standstill. The high school dropout has parlayed his sporting successes into a fortune from commercial endorsements, eventually moving into a political career, serving two terms as a congressman. His foray into government was part of a long-term strategy to become president, a not unrealistic ambition given his wild popularity. But his critics have charged that he performed poorly in Congress, barely attending sessions, and instead preferring to train for matches, bask in the celebrity limelight, and dabble in professional basketball. During his campaign, Pacquiao promised to help the poor, improve the lot of farmers and teachers, campaign for free education, and in a nod to his old profession secure funding for grassroots sports programs. Answering his critics, who say he is not fit to be a senator because he has little education or track record as an effective lawmaker, Pacquiao has insisted his rags-to-riches story qualifies him for the job. His election is part of a wave of populism in the country, which saw firebrand politician Rodrigo Duterte win the presidency in a landslide on Tuesday. AFP
2016-05-11 02:48 INQUIRER.net newsinfo.inquirer.net
17 In pictures: The last nomadic people of Nepal The Raute are the last nomadic people of Nepal. Now numbering fewer than 150, they live in the forests of Accham's middle hills, where photographer Andrew Newey caught up with them. The Raute people live in temporary camps, hidden away from the villages, in remote parts of the forest. Their dwellings are basic tents made from wooden branches covered with leaves and cloth. These hunter-gatherers move camp every few weeks through the steeply wooded hills and mountains A Raute elder returns to camp with a monkey after a successful day's hunting. They are accomplished in the art of hunting monkeys, which they trap using a special net. Hunting is carried out only by males in the community Division of labour is based on gender. Women mostly carry out daily tasks such as cooking, washing, collecting water and firewood and beating the grains. A very typical scene in the Raute camp, with the whole family gathered around a fire. Despite immense pressure from the Nepalese government to conform, the Raute remain a secretive community deeply suspicious of outsiders. A pot of leaves from the forest boils on the fire. The Raute have a strong attachment to the forest and shun agriculture because they believe it is a sin to sow seeds. Once their forest home allowed them to be self-sufficient, but now they rely on government handouts. Young Raute girls grind corn using heavy wooden poles, while the infants help to tidy up. The Raute live in an area known as the middle hills, between the flat land of Nepal's southern Terai region and the Himalayas, and cut only common species of trees. Following two bear attacks in as many days, where one tribe member was killed and another seriously injured, the children are warned not to venture too deep into the forest. The area has lost much of its forest. And, although the remaining areas are protected by government legislation, the loss of this habitat along with many of the animals and plants on which the Raute depended for survival has pushed them into direct contact with their settled counterparts. All photographs by Andrew Newey .
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
18 How a 15-year-old discovered an ancient city What was your biggest achievement at the age of 15? Well, a Canadian teenager has outshone the experts after discovering a lost Mayan city. William Gadoury, from Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec, made the discovery by comparing star charts with satellite images. The new city, discovered in a Mexican jungle, is thought to be the fourth biggest Mayan city, and has been named 'Mouth of Fire' by the teenager. The revelation went viral after a report on the findings was posted on Reddit - with hundreds of commenters amazed by the teenager's discovery. William has been fascinated by the Mayans for much of his childhood, ever since a Mayan calendar predicting the 2012 apocalypse sparked his interest. His hobby eventually turned into serious research. The imaginative youngster theorised that the locations of Mayan cities might correspond to stars in Mayan constellations. He analysed 22 Mayan star maps from ancient books (known as the Madrid Codex), and overlaid the star positions onto Google Earth images of the Yucatan Peninsula. He was able to show that the 117 Mayan cities did indeed match the star positions, with the brightest stars representing more major cities. William then overlaid a 23rd constellation, finding a discrepancy; three stars but only two known ancient cities. The location corresponding to the third star was on the Mexico-Belize border. But the as-yet undiscovered city was covered in thick vegetation, making his findings inconclusive. Thankfully, the teenager had a close relationship with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) - he had won a science competition a year earlier for his theory - and they had already been providing him with images from their RADARSAT-2 satellite; A 2 billion US dollar satellite with cutting-edge terrain mapping abilities. They gave him images of the new location. He also scoured the internet for other satellite images from 2005, when a fire had engulfed the area leaving it more exposed - and any remains more visible. Armed with his images, he then collaborated with Remote Sensing expert Dr. Armand Larocque from the University of New Brunswick. By studying the satellite images and applying digital image processing a fascinating discovery was made; LaRocque proved that the 15 year old had found a major city with 30 buildings and an 86 metre pyramid. His findings have been met with widespread praise, with scientists from the Canadian Space Agency describing his work as 'exceptional'. They also presented him with a medal of merit. William named the city K'ÀAK 'CHI' which means Mouth of Fire. So what next for William? He plans to go to the International Science Fair in Brazil in 2017 to present his findings. He also hopes that archaeologists will visit the site of the 118th Mayan city very soon. On the possibility of an archaeological dig, Rocque is realistic, telling The Montreal Journal "It's always about money. An expedition's costs are horribly expensive". Regardless, William's legacy will almost certainly be etched into history. The findings are soon to be published in a scientific journal, and it is thought that methods similar to his could lead to the discovery of more lost Mayan Cities. Blog by Alex Dackevych Next story 'I'm in charge of worrying' - Teachers taking the stress out of Sats tests How some primary school teachers are trying to remove the fear being felt by pupils ahead of their big exams. READ MORE You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending , and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending .
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
19 Sir Cliff Richard file sent to Crown Prosecution Service Prosecutors have received a file of evidence regarding the singer Sir Cliff Richard and allegations of historical sexual assault, the BBC has learned. The Crown Prosecution Service said it will now make a decision as to whether to bring charges or not. Sir Cliff, 75, was interviewed in 2014 and 2015 by South Yorkshire Police investigating a claim of a sex crime involving a young boy in the 1980s. The singer has never been arrested, and has always denied the claims. His spokesman said: "It would be inappropriate to comment while the matter is under review. " A CPS spokesman said: "We have received a full file of evidence from South Yorkshire Police. "We will now carefully consider its contents in line with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, in order to establish whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and whether it is in the public interest to do so. " A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "Investigation files relating to allegations of non- recent sexual abuse involving a 75-year-old man have been handed over to the CPS. "The CPS will now consider the matter and South Yorkshire Police awaits their decision. " Sir Cliff has been interviewed twice in connection with the allegations and has met officers voluntarily each time. He has never been arrested. The first interview in August 2014 followed a high-profile police search of his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire. He was then reinterviewed in November 2015.
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
20 Sats test paper 'leaked by rogue marker' A "rogue marker" leaked a test the day before it was taken on Tuesday by children aged 10 and 11 in England, the Department for Education has said. The Sats answers had been mistakenly published on Monday on a password-protected website for test markers, schools minister Nick Gibb told MPs. He said an individual then tried to leak them to a journalist but it appeared they had not become public. The DfE blamed an "active campaign" to "undermine these tests". The test was valid and had gone ahead as planned, Mr Gibb told MPs in response to an urgent question on the matter. He said the spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG) test had been "mistakenly uploaded" by the test supplier, Pearson, onto a secure website, and that an individual with access to the site had then leaked the test to the media. Mr Gibb said it was a "serious breach" but that "teachers and parents should have confidence in the test. " But shadow schools minister Nic Dakin, who posed the urgent question, said the matter was "just the latest in a sorry line of chaos in primary assessment". The SPAG test was taken by 600,000 children in their final year of state primary school in England on Tuesday morning. It is the second time in three weeks a primary school exam has been published in advance. The government was forced to scrap a test for half a million children aged six and seven after it emerged that it had been posted with practice materials three months early. Pearson apologised for this week's problem, which it said it was investigating. In a statement the company said: "A small number of markers accessed the paper, although as contracted markers they are bound by confidentiality and have a duty not to share any papers. "We do not have any evidence that the content of the paper has been compromised. " Pearson's chief executive John Fallon said the company believed 102 markers had seen the paper in the four hours it was available. Mr Fallon told the BBC the information should have been uploaded to its secure website on Tuesday evening for markers to use, but was instead mistakenly uploaded on Monday evening. "Unfortunately, in this case we have made a mistake which we are very sorry for," he said. The DfE said while the paper had not been put into the public domain, it appeared a "rogue marker" had then leaked the paper to the Guardian newspaper. "We are aware that Pearson, the external marking supplier responsible for Key Stage 2 tests, published the Key Stage 2 grammar, punctuation and spelling test on its secure marker site for a short period of time," said a DfE spokesman. "The site can only be accessed by Pearson's approved markers, all of whom are under secure contract. Any distribution of materials constitutes a clear breach of that contract. " Mr Gibb said the paper was still valid, despite the publication and said an investigation was under way. by Sean Coughlan, BBC News education correspondent This has been an accident-prone year for primary school tests - and the amount of attention given to this latest leak is a reflection of a cumulative build-up of mistakes and controversy. The English test was uploaded in error on to a website for test markers - who are mostly likely to be teachers - and then it's claimed a "rogue marker" among them tried to leak it further. It's not often that primary school tests get associated with sabotage, but the Department for Education linked this to a campaign to undermine the tests. Teachers' unions - long-term opponents of Sats tests - would say the government has already been doing a good job of that on its own. This is the third test problem so far this year. A previous test for seven year olds was ditched when questions were accidentally published online. And the baseline tests, intended for the reception calls, were called off when a pilot study showed the results were unreliable. This has been in addition to a parents' protest and complaints that tougher tests are so difficult that even ministers struggle to answer them. Not to mention the U-turn on academies. Ministers will feel themselves unlucky. But the Labour opposition will claim that the government's education team is losing its credibility. Labour's shadow education secretary Lucy Powell said the leak was a further "body blow to parent and teacher confidence" in how the primary testing system was being run. Speaking on Radio 4's World at One programme she said the matter was "not an isolated incident". "The government has woefully mismanaged and caused absolute chaos and confusion in primary assessment and it's a travesty for those kids, it really is. " Ms Powell has now written to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, saying there is "no confidence" among parents, teachers and school leaders in this year's primary assessments. The letter calls on Mrs Morgan to offer a guarantee that primary schools will not be forced to become an academy on the basis of the tests. Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said the tests should be scrapped for this year. "We didn't like the tests in the first place, but the fact is the tests are compromised and it just adds to the general sense of chaos, about not just the curriculum but in particular about assessment this year. " The new tests have been drawn up to assess children's grasp of the recently-introduced primary school national curriculum, which is widely considered to be harder than the previous one. The more challenging tests have been controversial - with parents claiming they make children stressed and anxious . Almost 50,000 parents have signed a petition calling for a boycott of primary school tests and some kept their children off school on 3 May in protest. The government has said it is determined to raise standards and the tests reflect the "more rigorous curriculum", but that they should not cause pupils stress. The debacle follows a government climbdown last week on plans to force all schools to become academies. Are you a parent who has a child taking Sats? How is your child coping with the tests? Tell us your experiences by emailing [email protected] . 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
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
21 Being overweight 'may be less unhealthy' Being overweight may not be as unhealthy as it was 40 years ago, Danish research suggests. The study found the "moderately" overweight now had lower rates of early death than those who were normal weight, underweight or obese. The work, published in JAMA , looked at many thousands of people's height, weight and death rates at three different time periods since the 1970s. A UK doctor said it did not mean being overweight was healthy or desirable. And advice about preventing obesity should remain. A person's body mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. In the mid-1970s, those with the lowest death rates were a normal weight and the obese faced a 30% higher risk of early death, the doctors, from Copenhagen University, found. But now the threat to people's survival from being obese was now almost negligible The authors say the most likely explanation is that health systems are now much better at treating obesity-linked conditions, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. Lead investigator Prof Borge Nordestgaard said: "Our results should not be interpreted as suggesting that now people can eat as much as they like, or that so-called normal-weight individuals should eat more to become overweight. "That said, maybe overweight people need not be quite as worried about their weight as before. " The Danish researchers say their work shows a need to update the global categories that define excess weight, which are now two decades old. But that idea was rejected by a British expert in metabolic medicine. Prof Naveed Sattar, from the University of Glasgow, said: "These data are of interest, but they do not change advice we have been giving on obesity and its treatment and prevention. "The current findings do not mean that being overweight is protecting you from death, far from it. "Obesity and overweight categories also signal risks for many diseases - such as type-2 diabetes, liver disease, cancers, sleeping problems, multiple pregnancy complications, to name but a few. "Although we can manage many of those much better these days, such complications also impair quality of life and self-esteem, as well as increase health costs for societies. "
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
22 Brighton 'Babes in the Wood' murders: Man arrested A man has been arrested in connection with the "Babes in the Wood" murders of two schoolgirls nearly 30 years ago. The bodies of Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, both aged nine, were discovered in bushes in Wild Park, Brighton, a day after they went missing on 9 October 1986. The suspect cannot be named for legal reasons. The arrest was made after new evidence emerged. The girls had been sexually assaulted and strangled. They were found after a search by scores of police, relatives and friends. On the 20th anniversary of the girls' deaths, their families and supporters took part in a march to mark the milestone, holding teddy bears and single roses.
2016-05-10 22:12 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
23 23 PNP trusts Duterte has anti-crime plan other than just killing criminals AS A new administration readies to govern the country’s affairs, the Philippine National Police trusts that the incoming President has a peace and order plan other than just simply killing criminals. This was expressed by PNP’s top official in a press briefing at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Tuesday morning, as Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte continues to widen his lead in the presidential elections. “We have articulated many days ago that we will safeguard the ballot. We will be an instrument for the safe, peaceful transfer of power. We are ready. We will follow the law. We will respect the will of the people,” said PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez, when asked regarding PNP’s readiness for a Duterte presidency. When asked however if the PNP was ready to carry out Duterte’s threats to kill all criminals, even without due process, Marquez said it was “premature for us to assume that will really be the case.” “[Duterte] is a lawyer. He used to be a prosecutor, so I would like to believe [with him] as President, that will not really happen,” Marquez said.
2016-05-11 02:46 Jaymee T newsinfo.inquirer.net
24 Drilon knocks Villanueva out of top position REELECTIONIST Senate President Franklin Drilon is now leading the partial, unofficial count for the senatorial race, dislodging newcomer Joel Villanueva from the top spot. With 93.28 percent of precincts counted as of 5:43 p.m., Drilon had 17,748,436 votes, followed closely by Villanueva with 17,706,902, based on the unofficial tally of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting. Both are administration candidates. In third place was incumbent Sen. Tito Sotto with 16,473,166, followed by returning Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 16,190,291. Richard Gordon, another returning senator, was fifth with 15,966,951, followed by Juan Miguel Zubiri with 15,331,515 votes. Former party-list representative Risa Hontiveros, who is on her third try for a Senate seat, was in seventh place with 15,221,216 votes. Next were boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao with 15,216,401 votes, former Sen. Francis Pangilinan with 15,181,333, Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian with 14,376,920, and incumbent Sen. Ralph Recto with 13,580,997. In 12th place was former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima with 13,486,623 votes. Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chief Francis Tolentino was 13th with 12,260,315 votes while incumbent Sen. Sergio Osmeña III was in 14th place with 12,079,239.
2016-05-11 02:44 Leila B newsinfo.inquirer.net
25 Why she voted for a dead man WHEN Lourdes (not her real name) cast her vote last Monday, she knew she had voted for a candidate who had died before Election Day. At least in Lourdes’ case, her vote for Roy Señeres, who passed away last Feb. 8, was a none-of-the-above type of vote. “I did not like any of the five (presidential candidates) so I voted for a dead person,” the 40- year-old legal assistant explained. Despite the Señeres family’s petition to remove his name from the ballot, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had gone ahead and printed the ballots in February with the original official list of candidates—which included Señeres. Lourdes was among the 24,541 voters—and counting—who shaded the name Señeres. Lourdes said she did not want to skip voting for a President because she feared her ballot might not be read. “Since his (Señeres) name was still there, I thought, why not him? I felt I would be wasting my vote more if I had voted for any of the other candidates,” Lourdes added. She also feared that her ballot might be used by one of the presidential candidates to cheat if she did not choose one. The partial tallies being reported to the Comelec showed votes for Señeres, ranging from a few hundreds to a couple of thousands in every region, have left many in wonder and frustration. In the microblogging site Twitter, supporters of losing presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago had this response: “People aren’t voting for MDS (Miriam Defensor- Santiago) because they say she’s dying (of cancer) but … people voted for Señeres when he is dead. Where is the logic?” said one who used the account @ItsAngelClyla.
2016-05-11 02:42 Dona Z newsinfo.inquirer.net
26 Comelec rethinks DQ case vs Digong COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista said the poll body may consider the mandate given by the electorate to presidential candidate Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte in resolving the pending appeal on the disqualification cases against him. Voting unanimously, the First Division of the Comelec dismissed in February all disqualification cases filed against Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City. However, two of the petitioners filed an appeal for reconsideration of the decision. “We will study that, but of course, we know that we also have to respect the mandate given to him by the people,” said Bautista when asked if the pending cases against Duterte could already be considered moot and academic now that he was the apparent winner in the presidential race. “That (case) has been raffled to a ponente. I guess we (the Commission en banc) need to discuss what to do,” said Bautista. Asked why it took a long time for the Commission to deliberate on Duterte’s case, Commissioner Luie Guia said the poll body was handling 200 to 300 cases of disqualification. “We had to rush almost everything,” he said. Guia added that the last-minute changes in the procedures and preparations for elections occupied much of their time. “It’s difficult to run an election, then we still have to decide on cases, so we apologize if the resolutions of some cases were delayed,” he said. Asked if the decision would be released before the proclamation, Guia said: “It will come. It will be released, don’t worry about that.” The Comelec’s First Division is composed of Commissioners Christian Robert Lim, Rowena Guanzon and Luie Tito Guia. The poll body had consolidated the petitions filed by broadcaster Ruben Castor, University of the Philippines Student Council head John Paulo de las Nieves, and disqualified presidential bets Ely Pamatong and Rizalito David. David and Castor had asked the Commission to reverse the First Division ruling.
2016-05-11 02:40 Tina G newsinfo.inquirer.net
27 Bishops offer olive branch to Duterte WHILE some of them had earlier questioned the fitness of Rodrigo Duterte to be President, Catholic bishops were now offering his incoming administration “vigilant collaboration.” “The greatest promise the Church can offer any government is vigilant collaboration, and that offer we make now,” Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said in a statement. “We will urge our people to work with the government for the good of all, and we shall continue to be vigilant so that ever so often we may speak out to teach and to prophesy, to admonish and to correct—for this is our vocation,” Villegas said in the statement under the heading, “Get up now, let us go!” Before the elections, Villegas had advised voters to judge for themselves if Duterte was the right choice for the presidency. This after the Davao City mayor had cracked a joke about an Australian lay missionary who was raped and killed during a prison hostage situation in 1989. In December last year, Villegas urged the faithful to seriously think about the kind of leadership Duterte would bring. “Vulgarity is corruption. When we find vulgarity funny, we have really become beastly and barbaric as a people,” Villegas had said in a statement after Duterte in his proclamation speech cussed at Pope Francis, blaming him for the traffic gridlock during the papal visit in January last year. God’s will In the spirit of unity, the CBCP’s post-election statement emphasized the Church’s continual guidance and prayers for the elected leaders. “To those who have been voted to office, we assure them of our prayers, principally for wisdom, that they may discern God’s will for his people and courageously do as he bid,” Villegas said. He said several critical, even spiteful, voices had asked the prelates to desist from “interfering” in politics. “We cannot,” he said, explaining that “it would be a denial of Christ’s universal Lordship were we to desist from reminding his disciples of what fidelity to him—in all things, including political life —demands.” “We do not aspire after office and we have sought none. We do not even impose upon the Catholic faithful a set of anointed candidates,” he said. To those candidates who lost, Villegas said they were more than the positions they aspired to. He challenged them to do good even if they did not win public office. “You, as persons, as sons and daughters of God, are infinitely so much more than the positions after which you aspired. Rather than becoming despondent and discouraged, you should challenge yourselves. It is for you to discover your paths, in faith and in docility to God’s spirit.”
2016-05-11 02:36 Tina G newsinfo.inquirer.net
28 Suspect caught after several schools placed on lockdown DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA (WXIA) – The search for a man accused of shooting at a deputy prompted the lockdown of several schools in Douglas County on Tuesday. Tuesday night, authorities were still searching for the weapon used to allegedly fire at the deputy. They fear he may have tossed it in a neighborhood during his escape and a child might find it. The manhunt began around 7 a.m. in Haralson County, and went through Carroll County before ending in southwest Douglas County. Authorities said a Haralson County Sheriff’s Deputy was fired at by 25-year-old, Zachary Ryan Lord of Tallapoosa, who was recently released from prison. Haralson County Sheriff Eddie Mixon said deputy Richard Harrison was on patrol when he noticed a black four-door car parked on a road that leads through a cemetery. Harrison pulled alongside the vehicle and saw Lord sleeping on the driver’s side of the vehicle as well as a woman asleep in the passenger’s seat. Harrison recognized the man as Zachery Lord, who was wanted for failure to appear for fingerprinting. Harrison pulled his patrol car in behind Lord's vehicle and contacted authorities. As Harrison then got out of his patrol car and approached the suspicious vehicle, Lord opened fire on the deputy. He then left the scene and ended up in Douglas County. According to Lt. Glenn Daniel with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, search teams were looking for a suspect, thought to be Lord, in the southwest portion of that county. Daniel said schools in that area, including Fairplay Middle School, had delayed releasing students while authorities continued their search for Lord. Eventually Lord was spotted by a K-9, hiding in a briar bush, telling authorities "I give up. " He was finally taken into custody just before 6:30 p.m. Lord was transported to a hospital in Douglasville, and the sheriff says they believe he was high during the chase. Officials said that Lord has been charged with violating the terms of his parole, aggravated assault with a gun and escape. (© 2016 WXIA)
2016-05-10 22:43 Michael King rssfeeds.11alive.com
29 Yahoo - Yahoo Announces Board Changes and Agreement With Starboard --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) today announced that it has reached an agreement with and its affiliates ("Starboard") under which four new independent directors, , Eddy W. Hartenstein, , and , Starboard's CEO and Chief Investment Officer, will join the board, effective immediately. will also join the Strategic Review Committee. Additionally, Starboard has withdrawn its director nominees for Yahoo's board as part of the agreement. At the Annual Meeting, two incumbent directors will not stand for re-election, so that following the Annual Meeting the board will have 11 members. "We are pleased to welcome these four new highly respected, independent directors to our board," said , chairman of Yahoo's board of directors. "The additional board members will bring valuable experience and perspectives to during this important time for our company. " "This constructive resolution will allow management and the board to keep our focus on our extremely important objectives. Management is looking forward to working with the entire board, including the new directors, to maximize shareholder value," said , CEO of. said, "I am pleased that we were able to reach a constructive agreement with to add new independent directors to the Board. We look forward to getting started right away and working closely with management and our fellow board members with the common goal of maximizing value for all shareholders. " served as Managing Director and Global Head of Technology Mergers and Acquisitions for from 2004 until 2012. During his career, has been directly involved in negotiating or executing numerous mergers and acquisitions in the technology industry. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, served as Managing Director and Co-Head, West Coast Technology, Mergers and Acquisitions for. currently serves as a director of Viavi Solutions and Sigma Designs. is a seasoned media executive with a wealth of executive experience from his time serving as CEO of the , Chairman and CEO of , and Publisher and CEO of the . has served as a director of Tribune Publishing Company since and was Non-Executive Chairman until . served as the publisher and CEO of the from 2008 to 2014. Mr. Hartenstein currently serves as a director of SanDisk, Sirius XM Holdings, Broadcom Ltd., and Rovi Corporation. is a seasoned senior executive and public company board member who has served as Chairman of Tessera Technologies since 2013, and who previously served as Tessera's interim CEO. Prior to Tessera, spent 20 years at Novellus Systems, a semiconductor equipment designer and manufacturer. currently serves as a director of Tessera, Arrow Electronics, Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, and Autodesk. is a Managing Member, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of Starboard. has extensive experience in best-in-class corporate governance practices and significantly improving value at underperforming companies. currently serves as a director of Advance Auto Parts and, until earlier this month, served as a director and Chairman of Darden Restaurants. Two current independent directors, and , have opted not to stand for reelection at this year's Annual Shareholder Meeting. To ensure a smooth transition, while they'll continue to serve on the board through that meeting, Lee and Sue have relinquished their respective committee responsibilities effective immediately to board members who will be up for reelection to serve another term. "Sue and Lee have been exceptional board members," said. "Sue has been the longest standing member of our board and an outstanding Audit Committee chair and Lee has served honorably as chair of the. The entire board and management team thank them both for their significant contributions over the years. " Given Sue and Lee's personal decisions not to stand for reelection, the committees have been reconstituted to transition work smoothly and to provide clarity on leadership going forward. will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board. will chair the , joined by and . will chair the , joined by and . will chair the Strategic Review Committee, joined by and. Finally, will serve as chair of the , joined by , , and. The complete agreement between and Starboard will be included as an exhibit to the Company's current report on Form 8-K which will be filed with the . About is a guide to digital information discovery, focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining users through its search, communications, and digital content products. By creating highly personalized experiences, helps users discover the information that matters most to them around the world -- on mobile or desktop. creates value for advertisers with a streamlined, simple advertising technology stack that leverages Yahoo's data, content, and technology to connect advertisers with their target audiences. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com). About is a -based investment adviser with a focused and fundamental approach to investing in publicly traded companies. Starboard invests in deeply undervalued companies and actively engages with management teams and boards of directors to identify and execute on opportunities to unlock value for the benefit of all shareholders.
2016-05-10 22:52 investor.yahoo.net
30 Winners and losers in 2016 elections #VotePH2016: The Inquirer multimedia coverage of the 2016 national and local elections in the Philippines provides to voters the latest news, photos, videos and infographics on the candidates and their platforms, as well as real-time election results come May 9, 2016. Visit our special Elections 2016 site here: http://www.inquirer.net/elections2016. Recommended
2016-05-11 02:32 INQUIRER.net newsinfo.inquirer.net
31 Syria peace talks to convene in Vienna next week BERLIN – International powers will convene in Vienna next week to discuss ways of salvaging dilapidated peace talks regarding Syria’s civil war, the US State Department confirmed on Tuesday. The talks, among members of the 17- nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG), are scheduled as the five year-old conflict enters a “critical situation,” according to France’s foreign minister, who hosted a “friends of Syria” conference in Paris on Monday. The Paris conference served as a working meeting for the Vienna summit next week – which, in turn, is meant to encourage both the government of nominal Syrian President Bashar Assad and the rebels fighting for his overthrow to return to the negotiating table. Indirect talks between the two parties, brokered by the United Nations, broke down last month as a cessation of hostilities began to fray. That truce, set in place by Russia and the United States, is now holding again in some parts of the country – including in parts of Aleppo, where the fighting has been most intense in recent weeks. But in other parts of Aleppo, violence is still raging, and air strikes have continued on civilian targets – ostensibly perpetrated by one of the only two air forces operating in the area: those of Assad and Russia. Moscow said it would pressure Assad to limit air strikes on heavily populated areas this week, and Russia and the US, on Monday, agreed to broaden their cooperation over enforcement of the truce. The Obama administration suspects the Assad regime is intentionally targeting civilians and aid workers to create fear and panic among supporters of the opposition – and that Russia is supporting them in order to stoke a crippling refugee crisis for Europe. Damascus denies intentionally targeting civilians, insisting it is only targeting terrorists of the state. “I hope that through the mechanism which we put in place with our partners, specifically with the Americans, with our armed forces and their representatives and specialists taking an active part in the work – I hope that this will bring about positive and fundamental changes in that country,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, speaking to his generals before making a series of phone calls to world leaders to discuss the crisis. Russia is considered one of the only influential parties over Assad, and has contributed substantially to ensure his survival in power. So, too, has the government of Iran, which will send representation to the Vienna talks next week. Russia’s foreign minister corresponded with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday over the ceasefire. “It was stressed that during the planned meeting of the International Syria Support Group, the primary focus should be... the fight against Islamic State and al-Nusra and stopping their supply channels from abroad,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said of the call. The two sides of the war – Assad, Russia and Iran in one axis, with much of the world on the other and opposed to Assad’s continued rule – continue to remain far apart on the man’s fate. In recent rounds of talks, Damascus has refused to broach the topic of the Syrian presidency, despite acknowledging the necessity of a new constitution, a political transition and national elections. On Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir repeated the kingdom’s commitment to Assad’s removal. “The choice is Bashar Assad’s,” al-Jubeir told French media. “He will be removed, either through a political process or through military force.”
2016-05-11 02:29 MICHAEL WILNER www.jpost.com
32 Ejercito blames ballot confusion for poll loss STA. CRUZ, Laguna—A political tactic meant to secure the gubernatorial seat apparently backfired on former Laguna Gov. Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito, who lost his bid to return to the provincial capitol. Ejercito, a candidate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), lost to reelectionist Gov. Ramil Hernandez of the Nacionalista Party. On Tuesday afternoon, Hernandez and his running mate, Karen Agapay, were proclaimed governor-elect and vice governor-elect, respectively. Hernandez garnered 602,182 votes against Ejercito’s 231,414. Ejercito, an actor, won as Laguna governor in 2010 but his second term was cut short after being ousted in 2014 due to campaign overspending. This paved the way for Hernandez, then the vice governor, to assume the top provincial post. Even trailed son But what was even more revealing in this year’s election results was Ejercito placed third and trailed his son, Jorge Antonio Ejercito, who got 334,975 votes. Jorge Antonio had withdrawn his candidacy for governor in February, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had not deleted his name from the printed ballots despite a petition from the Ejercitos’ camp. On May 6, Ejercito’s lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, filed a petition in the Comelec, asking the poll body to credit the votes cast for Jorge Antonio to Ejercito. But their combined votes, at 566,389, would not be enough to beat Hernandez. Protest Ejercito, in a telephone interview on Tuesday, said he would contest the results, blaming his loss to the ballot confusion. “It is very unfortunate for me that Comelec has again hit me hard for the second time since they removed me as the duly elected and legitimate governor of Laguna on May 26, 2014,” he said. “This year, Comelec again favored [Hernandez] by not removing the name of my son (Jorge Antonio) from the list of candidates on the ballot which unfortunately created a lot of confusion and dismay from my loyal supporters,” he added. In an earlier interview, Ejercito’s spokesperson, Gener Dimaranan, said they fielded Jorge Antonio in October to secure the candidacy of someone from the Ejercito camp, should their political rivals file a disqualification case against the former governor. Ejercito is facing a case over an alleged anomalous contract with an insurance company when he was still mayor of Pagsanjan town in 2008. Gloria Petalio, provincial election supervisor, said Jorge Antonio, in December 2015, wrote the Comelec to request the cancelation of his certificate of candidacy (COC). The Comelec, however, did not honor this, citing rules that withdrawals must be done in person. In February, Jorge Antonio went to the Comelec provincial office to withdraw his COC, but his appearance became moot as official ballots had already been printed by then. But Ejercito said what happened was an “intentional delay” by the Comelec to favor Hernandez, who, he said, is an ally of the administration’s Liberal Party. “The province of Laguna did not have fair and square elections,” he said. Aside from Ejercito, his brother and basketball star, Gherome Eric, also lost his bid to represent the first district in the provincial board. But Ejercito’s wife, Girlie, is leading in the race for mayor of Pagsanjan, while his son, John Paul, is poised to win as councilor, partial and unofficial count from the Comelec showed.
2016-05-11 02:25 Kimmy Baraoidan newsinfo.inquirer.net
33 Cagayan de Oro representative concedes defeat CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—With more than 80 percent of the votes tallied in the city’s mayoral race on Monday night, Rufus Rodriguez conceded defeat to the incumbent, Oscar Moreno. “I concede to you as the clear winner for mayor! Congratulations Mayor Oca! Rufus,” read a text message sent by Rodriguez, a second district representative, to Moreno and reporters. Rodriguez, national president of the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP), ran against Moreno, a Liberal Party candidate, and former mayor Vicente Emano, founder and chair of Padayon Pilipino, a local party affiliated with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). As of 10:06 p.m. Monday, Moreno led with 83,447 votes, followed by Emano with 69,757 and Rodriguez, 54,844. The city has a total voting population of 305,321. Moreno’s running mate, Raineir Joaquin Uy, topped the vice mayoral race with 80,140 votes. He was followed by Caesar Ian Acenas of UNA with 73,683 and Roger Abaday (CPD), 37,773. Jigger Jerusalem, Inquirer Mindanao
2016-05-11 02:21 Inquirer Mindanao newsinfo.inquirer.net
34 Feds indict 11 in Beaumont 'vortex of misery' crack house operation Eleven Jefferson County men are facing federal drug and charges following a federal investigation into a crack cocaine operation prosecutors believe was run out of family home in Beaumont. A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted 13 individuals on four counts. A task force of federal, state and local officers Friday began executing search warrants, according to a press release from the U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, based in Beaumont. U. S. Attorney John M. Bales called the alleged family business "a vortex of misery and lost dreams," in the release. Five defendants in the case, all from Beaumont, were apprehended and are expected to have initial appearances in federal court this week. They are Ashton Devon Randolph, 20; Christopher Dewayne Ooten, 38; Clifton Ray Freeman, 26; George Lewis, 58; and Kody Dwayne Ardoin, 21. Six other defendants, also from Beaumont, were already in custody: Kerry Arsenio Ardoin, 25; Kristopher George Ardoin, 29; Michael Eugene Ardoin, 29; Patrick Alan Jackson, 27; Seth Deandre Turner, 27; and Terrance Ardoin, 31. Law enforcement is actively seeking the two remaining defendants, whose names were not released. Prosecutors allege in the indictment that for more than a decade, the Ardoin family distributed crack cocaine out of their home on Avenue A in Beaumont. The investigation included efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Beaumont Police Department and the U. S. Marshals Service.
2016-05-10 22:36 By Gabrielle www.chron.com
35 We set the theme; you take the pictures Each week we ask you to send in your pictures on a set theme and a selection of these are then published each Thursday on our In pictures page. You can see the latest galleries by following the links at the bottom of this page. If you'd like to take part, then grab your camera and take a picture to match one of the themes below. Current themes In order to give you a little time to send in your pictures here are the themes for the next few weeks with their deadlines: Interpret these themes in any way you see fit and send your pictures to us at [email protected] or upload them directly from your computer using the link to the right. Please include the title of theme in the subject line of your message and remember to add your name and a caption: who, what, where and when should be enough, though the more details you give, the better your chance of being selected. You can enter up to three images per theme. Pictures should be sent as Jpeg files. They shouldn't be larger than 5Mb and ideally much smaller: around 1Mb is fine, or you can resize your pictures to 1,000 pixels across and then save as a Jpeg. Please see our terms and conditions , but remember that the copyright remains with you. The pictures will only be used by the BBC for the purposes of this project. Finally, when taking photos, please do not endanger yourself or others, take unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. If you have any questions then please email: [email protected]
2016-05-10 21:30 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
36 Sheepish police blur faces of lambs at centre of alleged rustling Social media sites have been rammed with confusion after police released blurred images of victims of crime - who happened to be sheep. The lambs' identity was "protected due to their age and vulnerability", West Midlands Police said. The woolly passengers were spotted after they were herded into the back of a car and driven around by suspected rustlers. But the subsequent image circulated by the force turned out to be a joke. Nic Barlow commented on Facebook: "I wondered why the picture looked a bit woolly. " Abbas Zen said: "It would be an animal rights issue if they didn't [blur the images]. " Other people were less amused by the force's sense of fun. "Police show criminal sense of humour as they release pictures of stolen sheep with pixelated faces," tweeted Solene Deplanche. Officers said three suspected sheep rustlers found in the car near Hob Moor Road, Yardley in Birmingham were rounded up in nearby gardens - with one up a tree and another penned in a conservatory. The men aged 22, 27, and 28, were arrested on suspicion of theft, while police traced owners of the sheep. Jokes aside, officers said the lambs were unhurt and have been temporarily re-homed on a farm in Sheldon. By Dominic Casciani, BBC News home affairs correspondent British police have guidelines over what information they reveal about victims of crime - but was there a bit of woolly thinking in the West Midlands force after journalists were given an image obscuring the faces of allegedly-rustled lambs? The Data Protection Act and Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, which covers family and private life, require the police to protect personal information unless there is a good reason to release it. My mint sources tell me that an officer in the case blurred the image as a joke. He presumably concluded he had an obligation under the Ewe-ropean Convention on Eweman Rights to hide the poor little lambs' faces.
2016-05-10 21:30 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
37 37 Five in court over South Yorkshire Police helicopter sex films Five men have appeared in court accused of misusing the camera on a police helicopter to film people who were naked or having sex. Two serving police officers, a retired police officer, a current pilot and a retired pilot were arrested as part of a South Yorkshire Police investigation. Reports had been made that the force's helicopter had been used for inappropriate filming, Sheffield Magistrates' Court heard. All five are charged with misconduct. The charges relate to four alleged incidents between 2007 and 2012. Mr Lucas and Mr Walls are both currently suspended from duty, South Yorkshire Police confirmed. District Judge Naomi Redhouse granted the men bail, with the next hearing due at Sheffield Crown Court on 7 June.
2016-05-10 21:30 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
38 Suspected ISIS supporter gets nod for back-to-school shopping trip A federal judge in Houston Monday signed off on a back-to-school shopping excursion for a college student awaiting trial on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. U. S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes granted the uncontested defense motion for Asher Abid Khan, a 21-year-old University of Houston student, to spend one day doing back-to-school shopping with supervision by a probation officer. READ MORE: Judge issues unusual one-sentence demand in terror case Khan's lawyer, Tom Berg, stated in his request that Khan, who is free on bond and lives with his parents, has grown since his arrest and no longer fits in his school clothes. Khan's conditions of release allow him to attend school and religious services. Khan faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted of supporting the international terrorist organization. He was 20 in June when a federal magistrate judge released him on $150,000 bond. A special agent at the FBI testified at his detention and probable cause hearing that Khan caught officials' attention at the McAllen division while he was living in Australia in 2014. The agent testified that Khan sent a Facebook friend request to a man identified in court as SRG, whom he apparently knew from his mosque in Spring Cypress, called Champions Mosque. THE ARREST: Spring man nabbed, accused of planning to join ISIS According to the FBI agent, Khan told SRG via Facebook that he wanted to join ISIS, and he spelled out what each of the letters of ISIS stood for. A couple of weeks later, Khan told another unnamed individual that he wanted to "die as a shahid," or martyr for the Quran. The FBI agents believe that Khan and SRG made plans to meet in Turkey near the Syrian border, but that Khan cut the trip short and returned to Houston because his parents and possibly the FBI had learned of the plan. Under cross examination at the June 2015 hearing, the agent testified that Khan was partially interested in joining the effort in Syria because he was afraid his brothers and sisters might die there. ISIS IN AMERICA: U. S. citizens accused of crimes tied to the Islamic State Assistant U. S. Attorney U. S. citizens accused of crimes tied to the Islamic State Carolyn Ferko argued that Khan should be detained until trial on the basis that he had planned to commit suicide over a girlfriend when he was 16, that he expressed interest in becoming a martyr in 2014 and he had a passport and had traveled abroad in the past.
2016-05-10 22:36 By Gabrielle www.chron.com
39 Alleged attacker held by genitals until cops arrive Contact WND (CBS12) — NASHVILLE, Tenn.–A mid-state man who allegedly assaulted and strangled his girlfriend received a quick dose of karma after the woman grabbed him by his genitals and held him until police arrived. According to statements from witnesses and the victim, 55-year-old Maurice B. Gray came home “extremely intoxicated” and began throwing items out of the refrigerator, breaking a pan and pouring beer out on the floors. The victim confronted Gray about his actions and he allegedly struck the woman with several “upper cuts” then pinned the woman down and strangled her. She was able to break free by securing “a grip on the defendant’s testicles in self-defense” and he stopped.
2016-05-10 21:25 www.wnd.com
40 Nuclear giant EDF Energy reports sales fall as AGM looms French energy giant EDF says sales fell 7% in the first three months of the year in the face of stiff competition, a mild winter and lower energy prices. The figures come ahead of Wednesday's AGM where investors will quiz management over their plans for the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in the UK. EDF, 85% controlled by the French state, has struggled to find the cash for its 66.5% stake in the project. In April it pushed a final decision on the £18bn plant back to September. Chief financial officer Thomas Piquemal resigned in April following an internal disagreement over whether to press on with the controversial project. However, EDF has outlined plans to raise €4bn, with up to €3bn provided by the French government. Credit rating agencies are due to assess the group in the coming days and their verdict on its finances will determine how easy it will be for the group to raise cash. Meanwhile, tough market conditions mean EDF is cutting costs and planning to sell €10bn in assets by 2020, including a stake in French power-grid operator RTE. On Tuesday the new chief financial office Xavier Girre, said the management was not considering spinning off any part of the group to raise money. Its latest earnings report shows it has reduced its target for 2016 nuclear output to 408-412 terawatt-hour from 410-415. The scaling down of its output reflects continuing problems at its Paluel nuclear facility in France where a steam generator collapsed during maintenance. Sales fell 7% to €21.4bn in the first three months of the year, with sales in the UK down 9.8%. The company said its earnings forecast for 2016 remained on track.
2016-05-11 00:26 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
41 NEWSNIGHT: What would Brexit mean for immigration? How will the EU referendum result - whichever way it goes - impact on EU migration? That is the subject of a BBC Newsnight special coming live from Boston in Lincolnshire - a town with one of the highest proportion of EU migrants in the UK. Click here to watch and follow a live blog of the programme The programme is the fourth in a series of one- hour Newsnight specials dedicated to the big questions behind the EU referendum. Catch up on the previous programmes here: Sovereignty: Who really rules the UK? Economy: Would the UK be better off in or out of the EU? Security: Would the UK be safer in or out?
2016-05-10 21:27 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
42 Budweiser's new name taps American patriotism Budweiser beer plans to rebrand its cans for the summer in a bid to capture the patriotism of US consumers. The beer will have its name changed to "America" from May to September. Budweiser is hoping to capture the patriotic spirit of Americans focused on events like the US election, summer Olympics, and Copa America Centenario. This is not the first time Brazilian-run, Belgium- based parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has redesigned its labels to feature American icons. Ab-Inbev has run pictures of the Statue of Liberty and the American flag on Budweiser's labels in previous summer promotions. The Belgian-Brazilian company controls nearly 25% of the world's beer market. North American is Ab-Inbev's most profitable market. In its 2015 financial report the company said it planned to invest in more marketing campaigns to boost sales of its brands including Budweiser. "We are increasing our investments in sales and marketing programs that build on each brand's distinct image and consumer positioning," the company wrote in its report. Beer sales typically spike between the end of May and the beginning of September and AB- InBev's hope is that the new labelling may allow Budweiser to attract even more American consumers. The writing on the cans will look the same as the script used to write Budweiser. The can will get a full makeover with everything rewritten to have a patriotic US slant - even the words "trade mark registered" will be replaced with "Indivisible since 1776". In a statement, Budweiser vice president Ricardo Marques said: "Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we're honoured to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years. " The company has also launched targeted marketing campaigns in other regions. Budweiser bottles were redesigned for New Year in China and linked to football and music events in the UK. US Budweiser was created in St. Louis, Missouri in 1876. Due to a trademark battle, Ab-Inbev has to market the beer as "Bud" in many countries in the European Union, excluding Ireland, the UK and Spain. The Czech beer-maker Budweiser Budvar Brewery controls the name in the other EU countries.
2016-05-10 21:27 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
43 Israelis, Palestinians participate in joint Remembrance Day ceremony in Tel Aviv Some 3,000 Israelis and Palestinians, including hundreds from the West Bank, participated on Tuesday in an Israeli-Palestinian Remembrance Day ceremony that was held for the 11th consecutive year in Tel Aviv on the eve of Memorial Day. The ceremony was organized by Combatants for Peace Movement in cooperation with the Parents’ Circle - Families Forum. The ceremony included speeches by bereaved family members who are active in different forums promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and nonviolence in Israel. The ceremony included performances and speeches by some notable artists such as Ohad Naharin, the artistic director and choreographer of the Batsheva Dance Company, Shaa'nan Street, the lead vocalist of 'Hadag Nahash' and the Arab-Jewish women's choir 'Rana'. The ceremony was also attended by several MKs including Zehava Galon and Issawy Frej from Meretz and Dov Khenin from the Joint List. The ceremony took place for the first time 11 years ago as an initiative of Buma Inbar who lost his son Jotam in 1995 while serving with the Golani Brigade in Lebanon. Since then, the ceremony has provided an alternative platform for bereaved families in addition to the official ceremonies. In a meeting prior to the ceremony that was held in the shadow of tensions at the Gaza border, Combatants for Peace activist and Co-founder, Suliman Khatib, said that the movement is also facing challenges at home. "The main opponents we have in the Palestinian society are the 'Anti-Normalization' advocates," he explained. "There will always be people who would prefer to stay at the 'comfort zone' and would stick with old habits". Khatib referred to the inauguration of the Nelson Mandela Square in Ramallah last month and stressed out that "his way is the way of movement – combating without violence". Dozens gathered outside the joint ceremony to protest against it. As participants entered the ceremony, protesters holding blue and white flags shouted slogans such as, "There is no such thing as Palestinian people," and called the participants traitors. Nir, one of the protesters, told The Jerusalem Post that he thinks that having such ceremony is unacceptable. "I am shocked. I can't believe that on the day that we mourn our soldiers, some of us find it right to mourn the loss of Palestinians," he said.
2016-05-11 01:51 Udi Shaham www.jpost.com
44 Bus driver and police officer who fought against terrorists among Mount Herzl beacon lighters Heroism, though associated with military feats, is also often evident on the home front. The Ministerial Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols, headed by Minister of Culture Miri Regev, selected 14 individuals – both civilians and service personnel – whose courage will be reflected in the beacons they light on Mount Herzl to usher in Israel’s 68th Independence Day. Best known among them is Rona Ramon, whose late husband – astronaut Ilan Ramon – was killed with the rest of the crew when their space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentering Earth in 2003. She suffered another tragedy six years later when her eldest son, Asaf, who wanted to be a combat pilot like his father, was killed in a plane crash during a training exercise. In their memories, Ramon created the Ramon Foundation, which encourages space, science and technology education, excellence in scholarship, leadership development and community responsibility. Other beacon lighters include: Hallel Bareli, a junior high student at the AMIT school in Sderot, volunteered to help local kindergarteners during the rocket bombardment from Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and assisted elderly people to find shelters. Since then, Bareli has continued to engage in volunteer work, and is currently involved with Sderot’s center for youth at risk. Gabi Barsheshet is active in Friends of United Hatzalah, one of the country’s rescue organizations that sent human and medical resources to Nepal last year in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake disaster. The aid worker coordinated Israeli humanitarian efforts to rescue Nepalese trapped in the rubble. The Joint Israelife Disaster Response team included members of various Israeli rescue organizations who worked together in Kathmandu. They participated in search efforts to find, among others, missing Israeli tourists, and to save Israeli babies born to surrogate mothers in Nepal. Tel Aviv bus driver Herzl Biton wrestled with a knife-wielding terrorist in January, and in the struggle succeeded in opening the bus doors, allowing passengers to escape. Though seriously wounded in his life-and-death fight with the much younger Palestinian, Biton chased him on foot after the terrorist gave up on his attack and fled from the bus. Border Police Staff Sgt. Alison Berson, an immigrant from France now living in Afula, saved the life of a fellow officer in the northern area of the West Bank in October 2015 when she noticed two Palestinian youths with knives drawn approaching a Border Police checkpoint. Berson instinctively opened fire, killing one of the would-be attackers and wounding the other. Her speedy preventive action won high praise from her commanders. Deaf mute Holocaust survivor Yaakov Ehrenfeld has worked on projects with the Association for the Deaf, and was also one of the initiators of a Yad Vashem project to make all the Holocaust museum’s exhibits and facilities accessible to the deaf. Women’s rights activist Rotem Elisha, 18, from Ramle, is spearheading the national dialogue on rape and sexual harassment. Elisha, herself a rape victim, went public with her story, paving the way for others to do the same without feeling guilty. Dr. Anan Falah, the first female dentist in the Druse community, is also a lawyer, a pilot and a staunch women’s rights advocate. She was appointed by the Ministry of Health to act as supervisor for Arab communities, and in addition to all that is the director of Acre’s radio and TV station. Pluralism in high schools is something that should be taken for granted, yet in reality, if it weren’t pushed, there are many schools where it would not exist. Among the pushers are Nili and Moshe Levy. The Modi’in couple have devoted their energy to promoting a school pluralism educational project called Gvanim. Greek Orthodox priest Gabriel Naddaf has earned the displeasure of many Arab Israelis by his campaign calling on Christian Arabs to join the IDF. In Naddaf’s case, it goes beyond lip service; his own son is serving in the army. Colombian immigrant Osa Roberto, a soldier in the IDF, foiled the efforts of a Palestinian determined to kill an Israeli soldier and in so doing commit suicide. When attacked by a terrorist at the Etzion junction a few weeks back, Roberto calmly neutralized him without injury to either of them. Divorce is often a nasty business, sometimes even more so observant Jewish women, as a stubbornly recalcitrant husband can keep a woman chained in marriage forever. In ultra-Orthodox circles, it is worse. A divorce puts a stain on a woman’s character, and regardless of what the husband does, the wife is frequently held to blame for any breakdown in the marriage. Fainy Soknick wants this to change, and has established an NGO to help ultra- Orthodox women in the process of divorce. Soknick, a mother of three, advocates for their rights and brings their cases to the attention of community leaders. In 2009, Israeli canoe champion Yasmin Feingold was in a boat on the Yarkon River when it capsized and sent her plunging into the depths. Seeing that the boater was trapped, Avi Toibin dove into the polluted waters and rescued her. Feingold was sick for some time afterwards, but made a full recovery and returned to her favorite sport. Toibin’s heroism has been recognized, and he, too, will be among the beacon lighters.
2016-05-11 01:39 GREER FAY www.jpost.com
45 Tech can’t thrive without women, says Israeli-born Oracle CEO Business and technology will not thrive without greater participation from women, Oracle CEO Safra Catz said this week in Tel Aviv. “We need everybody, the folks that are most interested and the best,” she told reporters at a conference Monday launching Oracle’s new cloud ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) platform for businesses in Israel. “We can’t afford half of the population deciding they’re not interested and they’re not going to do it.” Without the creative and mental wherewithal of half the population, society will have difficulty solving its greatest challenges, she said. “We are dealing with mathematical, technical issues, issues of physics that have not been solved before,” Catz said. The Israeli-born Catz is one of just a handful of women leading tech companies in Silicon Valley (IBM, HP and Yahoo are notable exceptions), and is one of 20 women (4 percent) leading S&P 500 companies. In Israel, the situation is hardly better, with women accounting for just 6% of CEOs on the TASE, according to a 2015 study by CofaceBDI. “When I was younger, I did not completely understand this whole ‘women’ issue because I was in advanced mathematics classes myself and I was typically the only woman and it never really bothered me. I didn’t notice,” said Catz, who joined Oracle in 1999. “Then, when I was going to Wall Street and to law school, it didn’t occur to me too much to be involved in women-only events. I was wrong. It’s actually extremely important. Because it turns out that people in general often are uncomfortable when they’re the only one of a certain type and, as a result, they drop out before reaching their highest potential,” she continued. Oracle, which has a market cap valuation of $164 billion, is building a tech-focused public school on its main campus to help encourage girls to study STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and math. Catz is confident of Oracle’s market dominance, breezily dismissing the giants that compete with it. Amazon Web services? Google Cloud? Microsoft Azure? SAP? Salesforce? They’re all in the game, she admitted, but aren’t in the same league. “We have competitors at every level, but we don’t have competitors at all levels,” she said. “Nobody has everything.” Oracle, which offers businesses software, infrastructure and platforms as a service for running their companies, invested heavily in research and development even through the dotcom bust, Catz said. This prepared them to get into the world of cloud computing before the term even existed. Not only did it devote billions to creating its own new technology, but it was savvy about buying up other technology. As with many multinational tech companies, Oracle has found Israel to be a fertile ground for acquisitions, most recently shelling out half-abillion dollars for Ravello, a Ra’anana-based cloud- computing company. “What happens in Israel it’s all about solving problems. They never follow. Even when you beg them to!” she said. “As much as it can be annoying, it’s incredible and exciting.” When asked to discuss Oracle’s acquisitions pipeline, Catz stopped to consider what has or has not already been announced – an indication that another announcement is in the works. But Oracle has its critics, most recently over a lawsuit with Google concerning its android operating system. Because Google used Java, owned by Oracle, to create its popular Android mobile-operating system, Oracle is suing for damages, saying it was a copyright infringement. Though some argue that the suit could upend the culture of code-sharing that has underpinned the digital economy, Catz, who will testify in the latest trial, this week, disagreed. “Exactly the opposite is true. It actually encourages innovation, and innovation requires investment,” she said. People who create software should be assured of their intellectual property, she argued. Though many companies provide open source licenses to help foster innovation, she said Google chose not to use an open source Java license because, she suspected, it would have required it to put the android code it developed out in the open source market, as well. “As much as Google would like to make it that they can just take someone else’s hundreds of millions and billions of innovation just because they’re Google, they can’t,” she said. Jury selection for the trial was completed Monday in San Francisco.
2016-05-11 01:32 NIV ELIS www.jpost.com
46 PP-Dem-Pres-All,100 165 of 1,853 precincts - 9 percent Hillary Clinton, 11,934 - 61 percent Bernie Sanders, 7,639 - 39 percent 423 of 1,761 precincts - 24 percent x- Bernie Sanders, 39,148 - 50 percent Hillary Clinton, 31,363 - 40 percent Paul Farrell, 5,510 - 7 percent Keith Judd, 1,251 - 2 percent Martin O'Malley, 1,105 - 1 percent Rocky De La Fuente, 307 - 0 percent
2016-05-11 01:27 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
47 Yahoo - Yahoo to Live Stream Video of First Quarter 2016 Earnings on Yahoo Finance on April 19, 2016 --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) will discuss the Company's financial results for the first quarter ended via live stream video. WHERE: The live stream will be broadcast from Yahoo's studio and will be available exclusively on Yahoo Finance at http://finance.yahoo.com/. The video will be archived after the event at https://investor.yahoo.net and will be available for 90 days following the broadcast. 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). and Yahoo Finance are the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
2016-05-10 20:33 investor.yahoo.net
48 Potential choices for Clinton's, Trump's running mates What a presidential race it has been thus far. Needless to say, it's been full of drama , name- calling and insults. As time winds down for the Democrats and Republicans to pick their nominees, there is plenty of speculation about the candidates' respective running mates. OH, THE DRAMA: All of Donald Trump's best Twitter insults compiled ABC News asked a group of political experts and analysts to give their opinion on who could join in on the presidential drama. A number of names have floated around the political rumor mill, but all have varying lists rendering hosts of pros and cons. JUST KEEPS GOING: Donald Trump - Ted Cruz Twitter fight over wives continues Click through the gallery above to see the potential running mates for the Democratic and Republican front-runners, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
2016-05-10 20:44 By Heather www.chron.com
49 Yahoo - TUNE IN TODAY: Yahoo Hosts First-Ever Live Stream of Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting Live coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday (4/30) Interviews with: , Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; , Series Creator, "Breaking Bad" & "Better Call Saul"; , Chair, CEO and Chief Designer, Kathy Ireland Worldwide; , Sr. Partner, , and many more --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tune in as (Nasdaq:YHOO) hosts the first-ever live stream of Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting today, , kicking-off with live coverage and analysis from Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief , on-the-ground at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Audiences will be able to watch live on Yahoo Finance - across desktop, tablet and mobile - as Chairman and CEO and his right-hand man share their unscripted views on the company, the markets, the economy, and whatever other topic that may come up. Watch the live stream here: http://yhoo.it/BRKLive Throughout the Preshow and Halftime Report we'll also feature a number of live and pre-taped interviews with the Yahoo Finance editorial team, including: , Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; , BNSF CEO; , CEO; , CEO; , CEO; , CEO; songwriter, and long-time Buffett friend ; author and international speaker ; legendary business journalist ; Sr. Partner, , ; BRK-B shareholder and series creator of "Breaking Bad" & "Better Call Saul" ; Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, ; and many others. The shareholders meeting live stream will be available in both English and Mandarin, and will be delivered in 1080p HD quality. Embeddable VOD replay will be available on Yahoo Finance for 30 days following the meeting. For more information, and to register for regular updates on the Berkshire on Yahoo Finance, go to: http://yhoo.it/BRKLive Follow the conversation on Twitter with @YahooFinance #BRKLiveStream
2016-05-10 20:44 investor.yahoo.net
50 Lighting a torch for the youth in Sderot You should try to do some good wherever you are in the world, 17-year-old Hallel Bareli, a resident of Sderot, recently told The Jerusalem Post. Bareli, an 11th grader at the AMIT Shirat Ulpana in Sderot, will be the youngest torch lighter at this year’s traditional Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. This year’s ceremony theme is “Courageous Citizens.” “I am representing not myself, but all the youth of Sderot,” she said. Bareli has been an integral part of Sderot’s youth community, where she acts as a social activist and counselor for the Ariel youth movement. During Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, Bareli played a key role in helping to maintain a sense of routine and normalcy for the city’s citizens. She took part in a community volunteer project that provided a 24/7 telephone hotline and aid services to elderly people in the city. She also ran shelters for young children, organizing fun activities to provide a respite from the constant rocket fire. “When I was young, the adults always tried to give us candy or chocolate when there was an alarm so that we wouldn’t feel scared,” she said. “So we played music, brought clowns and balloons. We wanted to give the kids and their parents a break from the Kassams and let them have some fun for a little while.” Bareli took it upon herself to establish a volunteer rotation for all of Sderot’s neighborhoods, and mobilized youth movements, both religious and secular, to help maintain calm. She also visited injured soldiers in Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. “One story that always makes me emotional is when we went into the room of an injured soldier to tell him about Sderot and thank him for defending us and he looked at us for a while and then said that he had taken the grenade with ‘love for us.’ “This really strengthened me and it showed us that what we are doing is important and it has an impact and meaning,” she said. Bareli, who has nine brothers and sisters, has lived in Sderot for the majority of her life, which means that she has also known rocket fire for the majority of her life. “I love Sderot. I am happy in this city. There are amazing people here,” she said. “The residents are brave and strong and don’t give up and won’t let the terrorism take them away from here. “Of course I remember the previous wars. I was young, but you remember. You remember the fear. Every citizen in Sderot has this mark,” she said. “You hear a door slam and you think it was a Kassam – it is a part of our instincts to run and look for shelter,” she said. “You can’t forget that people have paid for this city with their blood, with their lives.” When asked why she felt the need to volunteer and take part in so many activities for the citizens of Sderot, she replied: “I think that when a person gives, he actually receives.” “In the previous wars there was fear throughout the city and we were even hesitant to go outside – we didn’t always have the sirens to warn us – but volunteers from all over the country came to help the people in Sderot,” she said. “Well, the youth of Sderot have grown up and they remember this and so now we are able to help Sderot. We received a lot and we are giving back a lot.” Bareli explained that rather than sulk about how the last Gaza war ruined summer vacation, the youth decided not to indulge in self-pity. “The youth, the citizens, and the city decided to take this [situation] to a different place,” she said. “Despite the Kassams and the difficulty, the city has only grown – there are no words to express the strength of this city,” she said. “It is the city that deserves this credit.” Bareli joins another AMIT School Network student, Or Assouline, who was chosen to light the torch at last year’s Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl. Assouline, an outstanding student from the AMIT Kennedy School in Acre who has already established herself as CEO of a company for young entrepreneurs, lit the torch together with Ehud Shabtai, one of the founders and developers of the Israeli navigation application Waze. “After generations who worked to establish the state, I am thrilled to be part of the next generation that will continue the path and will promote the country,” she said of her lighting the torch. Dr. Amnon Eldar, CEO of the AMIT school network told the Post, “What is characteristic of these girls is a lot of creativity. Each took it to a different direction. Or took it to excellence and entrepreneurship, to be a CEO at this [young] age in the “Startup Nation;” Hallel took her creativity and her infinite giving to help those in need during a difficult time, a time of crisis.” Eldar attributed the fact that both girls are from the Amit network in part to the ethos and values their schools have sought to impart. “One of the principles we really believe in is being involved in the community – and being a part of the community of all of Israel. This is a part of our DNA of every school, regardless of their differences,” he said. He said that the school network encourages students to volunteer, to give back and to take on leadership roles. The network even has a Leadership Council comprised of student representatives from every school and named after fallen soldier Roi Klein, another student from the AMIT network, who jumped on a grenade to save the lives of the soldiers in his unit. “Whenever you give students the leadership, the responsibility, the drive to be involved, it is no surprise that girls like Or and Hallel become such leaders,” he said. He added that it was wonderful to see that two girls were chosen from the periphery, one from Acre in the North and the other from Sderot in the South. Eldar said he felt it was important to note that one of the most essential aspects of the education system today is not only to “worry about students’ academic successes, but also to educate toward responsibility, toward accepting others and living together in society.”
2016-05-11 01:21 LIDAR GRAVÉ www.jpost.com
51 Patrick rails against Fort Worth ISD, superintendent over transgender policy Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took his crusade to keep men out of the women's restroom to the Fort Worth Independent School District Tuesday, calling the administration's interpretation of federal law allowing special accommodations for transgender students a "fantasy. " Growing heated throughout a press conference just minutes before the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education meeting, Patrick renewed his call for Superintendent Kent Paredes Scribner to resign for approving the policy without the blessing of the public or the school board. "If he wants to devise social engineering, he's in the wrong job," Patrick said of Scribner, a freshly minted district chief who approved the policy Patrick called "ripe for lawsuits every which way from Sunday. " Scribner has said he has no plans to resign and is standing by his administration's transgender policy, a set of rules ranging from making single-stall bathrooms or empty restrooms accessible to transgender students to ensuring staff "show respect for the student's desires and wishes to the extent practical. " The policy has been in the works in earnest since last summer, months before Scribner began as superintendent in October, according to Fort Worth ISD. "This is not a bathroom policy. These are guidelines that simply provide campus personnel with direction to support all kids in a balance and dignified way. Children shouldn't have to wait for their schools to be safe and full of respect," Scribner told the school board Tuesday evening after Patrick's press conference. "Every time we allow any student to believe that another student would be harmed or disrespected, students may wonder what will happen to them next. " Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Patrick ally, joined the fray Tuesday, warning the school board president the policy violates the Texas Education Code pertaining parents' right to know and attempts to lump "gender identity" in with Title IX prohibitions against sex discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation. "The transgender policy your administrators have adopted turns this mandatory framework on its head and relegates parents to a meaningless status," Paxton said in the letter sent Tuesday. "We sincerely hope you will assess these deficiencies in the transgender policy and more as the board deliberates its next steps. " The treatment of transgender people has come into the spotlight in Texas and across the country after a North Carolina law passed earlier this year banned people from using a bathroom that conflicts with the sex on their birth certificate. Hundreds of residents lined up to get into the board meeting Tuesday evening, with numerous people signed up to speak in favor and against the district policy.
2016-05-11 03:51 Andrea Zelinski www.chron.com
52 Official (Politically Correct) Islam versus the Truth Part 3 of a Series on the Foundations of Islam Time to Clear Our Thinking and Act on Truth By Mike Scruggs- In the last two articles on the Foundations of Islam, I have pointed out that the violent coercion of Jihad is deeply embedded in its founding doctrinal texts: the Koran, the Hadiths, and the Sira. These are essentially the alleged revelations to Muhammad of Allah’s words in the Koran and of Muhammad’s words and example recorded by his closest companions in the Hadiths and Sira. Sharia Law is also based on this textual trilogy. The only way to judge the true nature of Islam is through the Koran and the words and example of its Prophet, Muhammad. It will not do to call Islam a religion of peace, when 9 percent of the Koran and 31 percent of Islam’s doctrinal trilogy is about Holy War on all non-Muslims, and Muhammad claims that he is called by Allah to make Islam the only religion and that all nations should be subject to Sharia Law. None of the Jihad spoken of in these doctrinal standards is a “spiritual struggle” of prayer and fasting, as is falsely claimed by Muslim Brotherhood propagandists. One of the most shocking incidents of Muhammad’s early leadership is the beheading of 800 Jewish prisoners of war in Medina, because they would not accept the Muslim faith. This ghastly massacre is taught approvingly by Muslim scholars and leaders. There are 328,000 words in the Islamic trilogy devoted to political violence, almost all against non-Muslims, whereas the Hebrew Bible has only 34,000, and the New Testament has almost none. Far from being a religion of peace and tolerance, a huge portion of Islamic doctrine is devoted to Holy War, coercion, deception, and trickery against unbelievers, and that has been the Muslim pattern for 1400 years, because that was the example of Muhammad, 91 times called the perfect Muslim in the Koran. Muhammad is the golden rule of Muslim conduct. Yet the prevailing official belief about Islam in the U. S. and many Western governments is taken from Muslim Brotherhood propaganda dispersed through our educational, media, cultural, and government institutions. It is that Islam is a harmless religion of peace and tolerance much like Christianity and Judaism. Politicians of both major parties continually repeat Muslim Brotherhood deceptions like “Islam is a peaceful religion hijacked by extremists.” The fact that suicide terrorists are a small minority of Muslims blinds our political leaders to the fact that most Muslims support Sharia Law, and few are willing to deny the teachings of Jihad and Islamic Supremacy. Widespread subjugation of Muslim women and astonishingly high rates of sexual assault and rape of non-Muslim women and girls is ignored and blamed on Western prejudice. Because we have some personal anecdotal evidence of some apparently nice or moderate Muslims, we dismiss the danger of massive Muslim settlement. We dismiss the high probability that significant Muslim immigration will lead to political fifth columns that strongly oppose most American religious, cultural, and political values. Most of the Republican Presidential Primary candidates in 2016 have been too politically correct to oppose President Obama’s massive importation of unvetted Muslim immigrants. George W. Bush and Barack Obama both hold to the fairytale that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Here are a few disconcerting quotations from Bush: «The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam…. Islam is peace.» 9-17-2001. “There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know—that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.” 9-28-2001. “The Islam that we know is a faith devoted to one God, as revealed through the Holy Quran. It teaches the value and the importance of charity, mercy, and peace.” 11-15-2001. “Islam brings hope and comfort to millions of people in my country, and to more than a billion people worldwide.” 12-4-2002, On October 26, 2004, Bush gave this answer to ABC’s Charles Gibson’s question on whether Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven: “Yes they do. We have different routes of getting there.” This contrasts sharply with John 14:6; Acts 4:12; and 1 Timothy 2:5. Bush’s universalist leanings were made clearer in an October 11, 2007 interview with Al-Arabiya TV: “Well, first of all, I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That’s what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace…. See, I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.” Here are two quotes from President Barack Obama: “This great religion in the hands of a few extremists has been distorted to justify violence.” 11- 11-2010 “The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam. The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.” “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.” America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.” 9-25-2012. Contrast these quotes with those of the past in the U. S. and Europe: “I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction that by and large there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad.”— Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). “How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity.”—Winston Churchill (1874-1965) “Those who have declared Jihad against the West, and Western values, such as freedom of speech, are doing all in their power to mobilize against us the large Muslim communities living in our midst. Unbelievably, Washington is urging Europe to admit Turkey to the EU. Were that to happen, the Muslim population of Europe would skyrocket to 100 million — an act, in my view, of consummate folly. Already Judeo-Christian Europe is under siege from a tidal wave of Islamic immigration. The admission of Turkey would hasten its demise…”—Winston S. Churchill (1940- 2010), grandson of Winston Churchill. Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 was as politically correct on Islam as George W. Bush in 2001, but this 2016 quote shows he is coming closer to the truth: “There is not a problem with Islam… But there is a problem within Islam, and we have to put it on the table and be honest about it. There are, of course, Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu ones. But I am afraid that the problematic strain within Islam is not the province of a few extremists. It has at its heart a view of religion—and of the relationship between religion and politics—that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies. At the extreme end of the spectrum are terrorists, but the worldview goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit. So, by and large, we don’t admit it. This has two effects. First, those who hold extreme views believe that we are weak, and that gives them strength. Second, those Muslims–and the good news is that there are many—who know the problem exists, and want to do something about it, lose heart.” Common sense national patriotism must prevail against the deadly cultural and political poisons of multiculturalism, political correctness, and hysterical diversityism. Failure of our next President and Congress to comprehend the true nature of Islam and take strong and immediate action to correct our misguided immigration and refugee resettlement policies would be national suicide.
2016-05-10 21:31 By Mike www.thetribunepapers.com
53 MFA Financial Dividend History - In Photos: Top Real Estate Dividend Payers DividendRank #1 Yield: 13.4%* Symbol: MFA Dividend Period: Quarterly Dividend Amount: $0.25 ( $1.00 annualized ) MFA Financial, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) primarily engaged in the business of investment, on a leveraged basis, in a portfolio of both Agency and non-Agency residential mortgage-backed securities. * Data as of 11:30am on 8/2/11
2016-05-11 00:15 Panos Mourdoukoutas www.forbes.com
54 Lauder: Israel was built to be a democracy in a sea of intolerance There are many things that trouble World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, but on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day, the prominent Jewish leader is optimistic about the fate of his people. In a broad-ranging interview with The Jerusalem Post, he weighs in on anti-Semitism in Europe, the dimming connection between Israel and young American Jews, the upcoming US presidential elections and the future of world Jewry. Below is an excerpt of an interview which will run in full in the Post’s Diplomatic Conference magazine. Lauder will serve as president of the conference, scheduled for May 22 in New York City. This is the 68th Independence Day for the State of Israel. What was the biggest challenge Israel faced when it was established? The biggest challenge Israel faced in 1948, of course, was war. After its remarkable victory, the next challenge was how to build an economically vibrant homeland for the Jewish people. There was no infrastructure, and Israel, as a fledgling nation, took in hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Europe shortly thereafter from the Arab countries that expelled them. The challenge was not only to build a Jewish state from the ashes of the Holocaust, but to establish this state as a democracy in a sea of intolerance, and to maintain security as a young state surrounded by neighbors who were trying to destroy it. What do you wish the Jewish people on Independence Day? I wish the Jewish people many more years of a democratic, diverse, and thriving Israel. I hope that Jews around the world celebrate today knowing they will always have a homeland to call their own, and that they feel secure enough in their communities to be open in their celebration. It’s important for Jews to be mindful on this day of the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, unprecedented since the 1920s and 1930s, and the alarming apathy toward Israel among some in the United States. In this global climate, Israel as a Jewish state holds increased significance. I hope that Jews celebrate the strength and resilience of Israel, but take the time to recognize those who fought throughout history to secure its safety, and to reflect on how they can ensure its future. How do you see the American Jewish community voting in the upcoming US elections? Are American Jews voting less and less with Israel as a major consideration for them? The Jewish community in the US is diverse – it’s spread across all 50 states and does not vote as a monolithic bloc, so it is impossible to discuss it in those terms. What I do know is this: The security and prosperity of the State of Israel is of paramount importance to the Jewish community in the US, and the community carefully and substantively evaluates where candidates stand on the issue. This has been true in every election in my lifetime, and I believe will continue to be. No candidate weak on Israel or the Israeli peace process is a serious contender for the American presidency. American voters, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, know that even beyond the deeply held value of a Jewish state, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East that broadly supports Western values, and that a safe, thriving Israel is essential to a peaceful Middle East. Related to that, do you see American and Israeli Jews drifting apart as a generation of American Jewish leaders who have not experienced watershed moments like the Six Day War come into adulthood? I do, and it is unfortunate. Many younger Americans have witnessed the intifadas, and a steady stream of attacks on Israel itself by her neighbors, as well as rising anti-Semitism around the world and a spike in troubling anti-Israel activity at the United Nations. But, yes: I believe that there is a lack of unity around the issue of Israel as a whole among the younger generations. I agree that while nearly all Americans were instantly mobilized by events such as the Six Day War, there is a lack of unity, awareness and cohesion of thought today. The reality is that the situation in Israel continues to be beyond precarious. It is up to Jewish and non-Jewish leaders to work together across all boundaries to engage the next generation and ensure that the United States remains an unwavering ally. American support for Israel cannot be allowed to erode; American safety and that of Israel depend on it. How well do you think Europe is handling the issue of rising anti-Semitism, and what can it do better? The rise of anti-Semitism across Europe is unprecedented since the 1920s and 1930s. There is no question that we are witnessing a surge in hatred that brings us back to darker times that we thought were behind us. Jews around the world are being harassed, assaulted and even killed. We are facing not just one discrete enemy, but rather a number of groups, movements and leaders that are spewing anti-Semitic hatred. Let’s be clear: the wave of hate does not only come from fringe groups, but from mainstream governments, such as Hungary’s, and major government parties in the mainstream of their country’s political leadership. That is why we demand that European leaders stand up and take decisive action against those who are attacking Jews across Europe and around the world, and the United States should support leaders who do so. This zero-tolerance approach must be identical to our approach to institutionally racist or sexist regimes. How important an issue is the BDS movement for you? Do you agree with those who say taking it on full throttle only succeeds in raising its prominence? Is it better to let it simmer on a low flame? BDS is far out of the mainstream and does not deserve recognition. I agree that it is counterproductive when the Israeli government draws undue attention to minor BDS statements, because doing so has the unintended consequence of raising BDS’s profile. But, at the same time, I am concerned that BDS is gaining traction outside of its base on certain college campuses. Jewish leaders and elected officials across the world must be clear that BDS is anti-Semitic. No question.
2016-05-11 01:15 Jpost Com www.jpost.com
55 How to win a referendum The EU referendum is not just a fight to the death between two competing visions of Britain's future place in the world. It is also a battle between two tried-and-tested methods of winning a referendum. Vote Leave can trace its roots back to a largely forgotten referendum that took place in the North East of England in 2004. The then deputy prime minister John Prescott had long dreamed of a new tier of local government - regional assemblies - which he believed would shift the balance of power in the UK away from Westminster. But he got a rude awakening when the first region chosen for the experiment overwhelmingly rejected the idea in an all postal ballot. Prescott's dream, which had been backed by the local Labour-dominated political establishment, big business and much of the local media, and had begun the campaign with a big lead in the polls, had been sunk by an inflatable elephant. The White Elephant was the mascot of North East Says No - a tightly-focused, agile campaign run by a group of young Eurosceptics, including Dominic Cummings, now the chief strategist of the Vote Leave campaign. It was one of the first political campaigns in the UK to tap into the "anti-politics" mood that was beginning to sweep the country. "The messaging was all about being the cheeky upstarts. We were the insurgents, it was the anti-politics approach. It was the first time that approach had been taken," says Graham Robb, who was the campaign's chief spokesman, now the Remain-backing chairman of the North East branch of the Institute of Directors. North East Says No even had their own Nigel Farage, in "metric martyr" Neil Herron, a man-of- the-people market trader who had grabbed headlines with his campaign to protect imperial measures . Mr Herron launched his own campaign against the regional assembly but lost out to North East Says No in the battle for the official Electoral Commission designation. He carried on regardless, but found himself being sidelined by the team with the White Elephant. "His campaign withered," says Mr Robb. "He was mainly based in Sunderland so we let him get on with it. " Nigel Farage, whose favoured campaign lost out on the official designation to Vote Leave, probably knows how he feels, although the UKIP leader is still managing to make his voice heard... well beyond Sunderland. Many of the lessons learned in the North East were applied to the 2011 campaign to keep Britain's first-past-the-post voting system. The successful No2AV campaign was run by Matthew Elliott, the former boss of the Taxpayers Alliance, who is now Vote Leave's chief executive. The EU referendum campaign is very different - Cummings and Elliott are campaigning for a change to the status quo this time. But they are still playing the anti-establishment card for all it is worth, as they dismiss warnings from international bodies, groups of scientists and business people and world leaders about the dangers of Brexit. "The establishment operates on the basis of herding around conventional wisdom," Mr Cummings told the Treasury select committee. "It is why the establishment has got every big foreign policy decision wrong since trying to deal with Bismarck in the 1860s. " But surely the campaign's two star spokesman Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are members of this hated establishment? "They are champions of anti‑establishment, anti‑conventional wisdom and thinking, and Michael Gove has been like that for many a year," argued Cummings. Running an insurgent, anti-establishment campaign was not really an option for Britain Stronger In Europe. The prime minister and the leaders of every other traditional major party in the UK are all on board, after all. Instead, the campaign, which is being run by Labour activist Will Straw, son of former home secretary Jack, is taking its cues from Better Together, the 2014 campaign to keep Scotland in the UK. David Cameron's former head of strategy Andrew, now Lord, Cooper, whose focus group and polling insights were used to craft Better Together's core message is at the heart of the campaign. The key group in Scotland, Cooper found, were "uncommitted security seekers" - people who had no particular loyalty to the UK but who were worried about losing their jobs if Scotland went it alone. This led to a heavy focus on the risks of leaving - leading to the Better Together camp being dubbed "Project Fear" by the SNP. A name that stuck and is being applied with glee by Vote Leave to their opponents in the Remain camp. The Remain camp are not worried about "Project Fear" jibes because they are convinced such an approach works. Businessman Roland Rudd, who has been focus grouping and polling with Lord Cooper, told the Politicos website : "I think you'll find that people's jobs are the most important thing in life. The fact that so many jobs are linked to the EU does come up in the focus groups. "So the issue would be stronger by being in, rather than being cut off and risking the loss of trade and exports and free trade agreements. " Despite their different approaches, both sides are competing for the same voters - those who have yet to make up their minds - and they are facing the same set of challenges. They have both had to stitch together cross party coalitions and juggle the fragile egos of politicians who are more used to knocking lumps out of each other rather than working for a common cause. And they are both engaged in a daily battle to achieve the Holy Grail of all political campaigns - "cut through". Something that will stick in the mind of the average voter come polling day. Perhaps an eye-catching statistic about how leaving or remaining will directly affect them. Which can lead to some dubious claims on both sides. Unlike general elections, referendums are a winner-takes-all deal. You can't have another go five years later if you don't like the result. There is no prospect of a coalition if the result is close. Winning is everything and just like in war, the first casualty is often the truth. "In a conventional election, people know what parties are liable to do and what powers are available to them," says Daily Herald political correspondent Tom Gordon, who covered the Scottish referendum. "Referendums are a completely new scenario. Fiction can fill the void. There are fewer reference points. They can lay it on thick. " It is perfectly possible to run a bad referendum campaign and still win. Or to run a brilliant campaign and lose. One thing everyone agrees on is that if the public are not buying the product you are selling, no end of stunts and clever tricks will convince voters to change their mind. But you can guarantee that whichever side does win will claim it has discovered the winning formula for success in any future referendum.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
56 School closure inquiry 'to conclude before end of year' Edinburgh Council said it expects an independent inquiry into the closure of 17 schools in the city to conclude before the end of the year. Chief executive Andrew Kerr is leading the search for someone to chair the inquiry and determine its remit. He hopes to appoint an industry figure with experience of Private Finance building contracts by the summer. The council said all schools are due to open in time for the new term in August when the inquiry will begin. The schools were closed last month over safety fears when a wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School and others were found to be missing vital wall ties. Children at all 17 schools are now back in classrooms but finding alternative accommodation was a major logistical operation and some youngsters face lengthy journeys to temporary sites. Andrew Burns, City of Edinburgh council's leader, said: "I'm pleased to be able to say that the progress is been quite rapid in recent days and we are still on schedule to have three of the schools reopening this month in May, five schools next month in June and the remaining nine schools by the middle of August for the start of the new term. " Melanie Main, Edinburgh's Green education spokeswoman, said: "This update report is woefully inadequate in the detail it provides. "What is required is a full, in depth inquiry with a agreement on what the inquiry will cover. "It is neither clear who will make these decisions nor what will be included in scope, but, if it turns out that the Labour/SNP administration intend to make these decisions behind closed doors, that would be unacceptable. "If the confidence of the public and school communities is to be restored this fiasco must be carefully examined so that the facts can be laid out honestly and publicly and the right steps be taken to ensure the council can provide safe, fit for purpose schools for our children well into the future. "
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
57 Sats: 'I've told my son not to worry' Year 6 pupils across England are sitting Sats this week, but are children feeling the pressure? The tests have been controversial with many parents claiming they make children feel stressed and anxious. Here, parents reveal how their children are coping with the test. "She is a bit apprehensive as they are a set of tests, and yes, they are allegedly a bit harder this year. " "But she will do her best despite a bad throat and the recent warm weather hindering sleep. " "She knows the tests are a fact of school life and that they were coming up - she has been prepared quite well and her school has been supportive. " "Teachers don't make light of the tests but they try to make them as fun as possible by including art and making things. " "I do simple maths quizzes or spelling tests with my daughter during a car journey, for example, to encourage her to work out things in the practical sense. " "The media have hyped it up - on Monday morning there was the news of children doing Sats - my daughter didn't need to hear that before breakfast to add stress on her. " "Throughout most modern history there has been some sort of exam at this age, be it the 11 plus, Sats or just end-of-year exams. " "My attitude is that if our children stand a chance of getting on in life, exams are something they are going to have to live with. " "Children need to get used to performing under pressure for exams, interviews, etc in the future - they should not be wrapped up in cotton wool. " "But the tests are not the be-all and end-all. " "I'm a strong believer that tests are good for children to see how they are doing at school and where they might need help. " "However, it's the insane pressure that's put on the children that I am against. " "Sats, in my opinion, are too hard and the children have been pushed and hounded to learn all they must to pass. " "My son has spent weeks and weeks doing practice paper after practice paper. " "I've told my son not to worry and try to keep him as relaxed as possible. " "But when he comes home from school I can see he is under pressure and is worried about not getting things right. " "In the latest newsletter from the school, I was shocked to read that parents must bring their child in even if the child is ill, just to do these tests. " "Our children forced to sit at school while sick for the benefit of what? Not for the benefit of the child. " "I feel we are not educating our children, just teaching them to pass these tests. " "These tests are purely for the school not for the children. " "As a parent of two Year 6 children, I am appalled by yet another unsurprising twist in this farce. " "I sat one of the mock Spag (spelling, punctuation and grammar) tests myself last night and I found it challenging, to say the least. " "Many of the questions are set to catch children out at every turn. " "I am a primary school teacher and so is my husband and we have had concerns about these tests for some time. " "I have given up hope with the current regime completely. " "I am glad about the NUT stance on this - as I have been telling my children all the way through, this has very little to do with them and what is important is their learning. " "The trouble is that vulnerable 10-year-olds are in the middle of this and I feel that we are failing them in our duty to give them a rounded, challenging and creative education. " "I think we do need some sort of assessment but these tests go too far - the curriculum is difficult and the testing is over-rigorous. "My husband and I try not to let our children feel any of the pressure - we don't buy them extra books or go over things all the time. " "We're able to leave a barrier there because of our understanding of the school system but we see the whole picture. " "The tests are in the interests of the school and government, not the children. " Compiled by Andree Massiah
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
58 The man who has photographed every train station in Great Britain Passengers on the 15:52 from Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street may not have noticed the man with the camera at Manea station. Manea is a small stop in Cambridgeshire, not far from Peterborough. Two platforms. Easily missed. The man with the camera was David Brewer, from Chorley in Lancashire. And when he photographed the 15:52 from Norwich, his odyssey was over. He had completed the set. He had taken a picture of a train in every railway station in Great Britain. There are more than 2,500 in total. From Penzance to Thurso, Abbey Wood to Ystrad Rhondda, he had seen them all. And he had photos to prove it. Some stations were easier to reach than others. Redcar British Steel, for example, has two services per day - one in the morning, and one, in the other direction, in late afternoon. David decided to get there by bus, and leave by train. One problem - the station is on private land owned by the steel firm, and isn't open to non-employees. "I got off the bus and walked towards the steel works, but they weren't going to let me in," he says. "I spoke to the gatekeeper and explained what I was doing. I had to persuade him. "Eventually, he went to an office, came back, and said he'd let me in. I took my photos, waited an hour, and got the only train out in the evening. " Like Redcar British Steel, Shippea Hill in Cambridgeshire has a sparse service. In order to leave by train, David arrived in a taxi from Ely. "Twenty pounds," he says, almost wincing. "It was either that or walk 10 miles. " The station at Teesside Airport has two trains a week, both on Sundays, meaning David arrived and departed on bus. "And the station is a good 15 minute walk from the terminal," he says. And so, the obvious question. Why? "My father worked on the railways all his life, on the controls at Preston station," says David, 68. "Three or four times a year we'd get the train down to London to see relations. That probably started me off. "As a boy I was a keen trainspotter, but I wasn't satisfied with sitting on Preston station, getting a few. I had to go to the best engine sheds. I had to go round the country, getting as many as I could. " As an adult, David ran a business selling music records. He closed the firm in 1998, and, like his father, went to work on the railways. He was turned down for a conductor's job on Virgin Trains. "They probably thought I was too old," he says. But he became a ticket office clerk at Leyland station, and then Chorley. He retired in 2007, aged 60. Having travelled on every line in Britain, and taken some pictures, he set himself a challenge - to photograph every station. "And if I make my mind up to do something, I'm going to do it," he says. David kept meticulous, handwritten notes of his adventures, drawing tables to log where he'd been. For example, he knows that he photographed 487 new stations in 2008, on 44 separate trips. The photos are printed and kept in timetable order. So, in the national timetable, table one is London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness and Southend. Therefore, picture one is Fenchurch Street, picture two is Limehouse, and so on. Some get published in the magazine, Today's Railways. What does his wife, Shirley, make of it? "I have asked her this," says David. "She's quite happy for me to be out of the house. She's not really interested in railways herself. " The trips are well planned and budgeted. As a former employee, David gets free travel on Northern trains, and rover tickets - which allow unlimited travel for seven or 14 days - keep costs down. David also combines railways with his other hobbies, including tennis - he's been to every Wimbledon since 1965 - and Blackpool FC. "We keep getting relegated," he says. "But it means I get to see new places. " Last year, he self-published a photographic book, Britain's Least Used Stations. It takes us from Teesside Airport (eight passengers in 2013/14) to Altnabreac in the Highlands (138 passengers) to Sugar Loaf in Powys (240 passengers). These stations - the unseen, unused, underdogs of the national network - are his favourites. "If I can pick two, I'll go for Dolau on the Heart of Wales line, and Chathill, which is north of Newcastle," he says. "Both lovely stations, both very well looked after. " Likewise, his favourite lines are remote - the West Highland Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, in northern Scotland. David visited Manea in 2011. Although new stations, and sometimes new lines, do open - "I visited the Borders Railway on the second day it opened" - he needed new worlds to conquer. And so, he turned his attention to the London Underground. He's now photographed every tube station, plus all the stops on the Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink, Midland Metro, Nottingham Tram, Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Supertram, Tyne and Wear Metro, and Edinburgh Tram. After publishing his book, one reader got in touch to say he'd also visited every station in Britain. But - once you include the trams and light railways - it's thought no-one is more travelled than David. "You could say there's not a lot of point in it," says David. "But it's my hobby. I like travelling, and I like travelling by train. "People say - 'Oh, you went to such and such a place - what did you do there?' And I say - 'Well, I stood on the station and took photos.' "Occasionally I'll walk round the town, if I have time to spare and it's an interesting place. But I'm there to photograph the station. That's what I'm there for. " Mags Thomson has completed an extraordinary mission to visit every pub in one massive chain. For 66-year-old Mags it all began at Reading railway station in 1994. Her husband was a railway enthusiast - bored with standing around cold platforms, she decided to wait for him in a pub. It was a Wetherspoon's. The hobby was born. One woman's 21-year odyssey to visit every Wetherspoon's Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
59 New wave of tornadoes sweeps across the heartland New wave of tornadoes sweeps across the heartland |The same storm system that killed at least two people Monday night in Oklahoma produced more tornadoes Tuesday in Kentucky. Manuel Bojorquez has more.
2016-05-11 03:46 New wave www.cbsnews.com
60 Meghan Trainor pulls music video that digitally altered her waistline M eghan Trainor, a popstar who has called on women to celebrate their natural bodies, is at the center of a fresh Photoshop controversy after it emerged that she was digitally altered in her latest music video to make her appear slimmer. The Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter revealed that she had the original video for her new single Me Too pulled offline after seeing that editors had manipulated her waistline. She told her fans on social media site Snapchat: "They photoshopped the c**p out of me and I'm so sick of it and I'm over it, so I took it down until they fix it. My waist is not that teeny. " Trainor, 22, has been hailed as a role model for image-conscience young girls and was even dubbed a "poster girl for the larger woman". I n her hit single All About That Bass, she says "it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two" and goes on to criticise the use of Photoshop, saying: "we know that s**t ain't real, come on now, make it stop". She later said she takes "full blame" for not spotting her Photoshopped waistline when she signed off on an earlier version of the video. "We didn't have a lot of time for this video and we had to wrap it around pretty quick," she told American entertainment magazine ET. "They had like a day to get beauty and colour done. I take full blame for not seeing it. " "I approved a version, but I remember we were so focused on the car scene for a lot of takes, because they had filters over it to make it look like a video recording. It was very rushed, and I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the dance scene" Trainor admitted that she only noticed her digitally altered body after her fans made comments about it online. She said: "When I saw it out, the fans were posting pictures of it, and I said, 'Why are fans, like, Photoshopping my waist?' And then I said, 'Oh god, is that the video?' Then I freaked out and called everyone. " It comes after the actress Lena Dunham complained that a Spanish magazine used “mad Photoshop” on a photo of her on its cover. However she was later forced to apologise after it emerged that the publisher did it not airbrush the image and that Dunham’s representative had agreed to its use. Me Too is the second single from Trainor's new album, Thank You, which will be released on Friday.
2016-05-11 01:14 Camilla Turner www.telegraph.co.uk
61 The migrant fleeing domestic abuse Thousands of people flee war and poverty in the Middle East every day, but we don't often hear from people fleeing domestic violence. The BBC's Sahar Zand has been to Sweden to meet an Iranian asylum seeker, we have called Maryam, and her son, who arrived a few weeks ago. Video journalist: Joe Inwood
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
62 Chinese police uncover huge fake jellyfish 'scam' Police in eastern China have raided two fake jellyfish workshops, saying more than 10 tonnes is thought to have made its way into local food markets. Police said the fake jellyfish had been made by mixing chemicals, adding that checks showed high levels of aluminium. The syndicates made more than 170,000 yuan (£18,100; $26,100) in profits in a year of production, they added. Jellyfish is very popular sliced and served as salad, particularly along China's southern and eastern coasts. Huzhou municipal police in Zhejiang province, which is leading the investigation said they first found a workshop run by a Mr Yuan, who made and sold the fake jellyfish at a farmer's market. Mr Yuan then led detectives to a bigger workshop in Changzhou city in neighbouring Jiangsu province run by a Mr Jia who had taught him the "art" of faking jellyfish. He was detained alongside other syndicate members. The arrests were made in late April, but police only made it public late last week Mr Yuan told the investigators he made the jellyfish by mixing three chemicals - alginic acid , ammonium alum and calcium chloride anhydrous - according to an official release (in Chinese) by Huzhou police on social media platform WeChat. Officers say they found "excessive levels" of aluminium in the fake jellyfish - up to 800mg/kg, which is eight times of China's own legal limit . The food and drug safety branch of Huzhou police said too much aluminium could result in bone and nerve damage, and potentially harm memory. They warned against pregnant women, children and the elderly consuming the substance. Although jellyfish can be poisonous they are considered something of a delicacy in China, described as both tasty and a good source of collagen. Especially popular in the summer, jellyfish skin is sliced and served like a salad with various dressings. It appears as if the wild jellyfish supply simply cannot cope with the demand. Zhejiang's Metropolitan Express paper has reported on jellyfish farms in the province. It quotes fish farmers saying that half-a-kilo of jellyfish takes 40 days to raise, with the wholesale price at about 30-40 yuan. This cost is halved with artificial jellyfish and for obvious reasons, the production time is far less. The Huzhou police have issued guidance on how to spot the difference. Artificial jellyfish is tasteless with no smell and is tough to tear and has a texture similar to sellotape. The real deal? Quite the opposite. It has a fishy smell, and is yellowish and colourful. In November 2014, Huzhou police, again, caught three individuals selling fake jellyfish made from a similar chemical mixture. In October 2013, police in central Hunan province broke another jellyfish syndicate. That group is said to have made 40 tonnes of fake jellyfish, and the ringleader was sentenced to six months in jail .
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
63 What's killing white middle-aged American women? The rich world has got used to health and longevity getting better, and death rates falling for everyone. But over the past few years, data has been accumulating which suggests that this trend has stopped for poorly-educated, white Americans. And for one group in particular - middle-aged women - death rates are going up. Four experts talk to the BBC World Service Inquiry programme to try and explain why. Jennifer Karas Montez is assistant professor of sociology at Syracuse University. Her award- winning research was among the first to flag up rising death rates among American women. "A study came out in 2008 which was our first sign that something was amiss. It found that these mortality trends were actually going in the wrong direction for some education groups. We were really perplexed and not quite sure what to do with these results. "They're highly significant. Between 1990 and 2010, life expectancy of low-educated white women declined by 1.2 years. That 1.2 years is about 13 years of progress washed away, so what seems to be minor changes in life expectancy signal really big problems going on underneath the surface. "If we look at the trends in the US in an international context, it becomes even more stark. US women are at the bottom in terms of other high-income countries on these measures. So we've really fallen off; the trends have really diverged in an international context which tell us there's something unique going on in the US, especially for US women. "One of the great things about the Case and Deaton study [published by two Princeton University academics in November 2015] is it finally elevated this issue that many of us have been concerned about for many years, since 2008 when it was first reported. "This study finally had the breakthrough that we were all hoping for in terms of reaching a much broader audience and getting people to really believe that these problematic trends might in fact be real. "Death is the ultimate indicator of how well we're doing, how well we're functioning as a society, how healthy we are mentally, physically, emotionally. "A sustained increase in mortality is unprecedented. We're all scratching our heads thinking 'what do we do next, what could possibly be causing this?'" Laudy Aron is a senior fellow researching health and mortality with the Urban Institute, a research organisation based in Washington DC. "There are a lot of different forces at play, and we need to be digging further. A number of recent studies are adding pieces to this bigger puzzle. "Raj Chetty and colleagues came out with a very big study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April looking at the association between income and life expectancy in the US between 2001 and 2014. "They showed rich women outlive poor women by ten years. They also showed that these gaps between the rich and poor in terms of survival have been growing over time. So over the period that they looked at, the richest Americans gained about three years of life expectancy, while the poorest had no increase. "The importance of place in terms of life expectancy and survival is one of the most interesting features of this study. It really shows that even at the same level of low income, you're better off in a more affluent, better-resourced community. "That really points to the value of the other kinds of resources and opportunities that are available to you in these communities, in terms of the quality of the schools, the financial base, the tax base on which so many of our shared resources depend. "It's one thing to raise your family in poverty, and your children in poverty, it's another thing to raise them when 40% of your neighbours are also living in poverty. "My colleagues and I looked into the data and really started to dig into what's happening among white women, and we noted that we were seeing in particular a spike in women of both child- bearing and child-rearing years, and that the specific causes of death that seemed to be driving that were drug-related overdoses, cirrhosis of the liver, suicide, and similar types of causes. "A lot of them are associated with health behaviours, but I want to caution that even a lot of these health behaviours and the mortality causes that underpin them occur in a context. So I think it's important that we understand the bigger environment in which these are occurring. "It really is a constellation of factors having to do with social and economic wellbeing. " Dr Andrew Kolodny is a leading expert on opioid addiction and executive director and co- founder of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. Opioids are painkillers which have a similar effect to heroin and are also derived from opium. "I remember looking at some early federal reports involving opioid painkillers and overdose deaths, and they had increased so rapidly that when I was looking at the data, I was convinced someone had put a decimal point in the wrong place. "The sharp increase was very real and what we would ultimately come to recognise is that we were at the beginning of a new and very severe epidemic. "The reason the medical community began to prescribe opioids so aggressively is that we were responding in many ways to a brilliant marketing campaign launched by the maker of one opioid pain medicine, a drug called Oxycontin. " In 2007 Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to misleading doctors and patients about the addictive properties of OxyContin and paid $600m (£415m) in fines. It also reformulated OxyContin to deter abuse. "Rates of overdose deaths [from opiods generally] begin to soar: from 1999 to 2014, 250,000 Americans have died of an opioid overdose. Today there are more Americans dying of drug overdoses than dying from motor vehicle crashes, "This is the worst drug addiction epidemic in US history. We have about 10 to 12 million Americans on opioids chronically, so many that drug companies can now make money selling medicines to treat the side effects from being on opioids chronically. "We've seen a very sharp increase in prescription opioid overdoses in women. I think one of the reasons is that middle-aged women are more likely to receive treatment for a chronic pain problem from a doctor, [and] they're more likely to be prescribed prescription opioids. "This epidemic is almost completely white. It's so white that it's fair to say that it's protective in some ways to be African-American or Latino. "What I think may be happening is that if the patient is black, the doctor is more concerned about the possibility of the patient becoming addicted or of the patient selling their pills. "Racial stereotyping is having a protective affect on non-white populations. " Jennifer Silva is assistant professor of sociology at Bucknell University, and the author of Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty. "I've been to central Pennsylvania, rural Ohio, Texas, Oregon and Minnesota, and in most of these places the jobs have left and families are trying to cope with what comes next. "When you look at the grandparents' generation, you see very stable communities, stable marriages, often the grandfathers worked in the coal mines or on the railroads and had a very rich community life where people were embedded in their unions and their churches and their ethnic clubs. "Some of the remaining good blue collar jobs - such as fire-fighter or police officer or joining the military - do seem to be pretty male-dominated jobs. For women, it is more difficult to see a job that would pay good wages or give you benefits, whether retirement or good health insurance, So women end up with the lower-paid service jobs. "I have talked to many young adults in their 20s or early 30s who tell harrowing stories of family trauma, of watching their parents choose drugs or alcohol over them. A young woman named Ashley told me her mother would use drugs and then her stepfather would drive her to school every day with a Bloody Mary between his legs and smoking marijuana. "People are trying to solve the crisis on their own. I see a lot of relying on the internet to try to treat, especially mental health problems. I had an older white woman who was suffering from self-diagnosed depression, but a few years later I learned she actually died of a brain tumour but she never went to a doctor because she couldn't afford it. "[These people] are often not working, not in relationships, just not connected to any kind of social organisations. In this coal region there used to be a church on every corner and people would join together and socialise and exchange information, but now, most of those churches have closed down. "We have a whole generation of people who are just in some ways wasted talent. There's a lot of suffering, a lot of desperation, fear, vulnerability, and hopelessness. They're not really sure how they can make a world better for their children and they feel very betrayed. " The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT. Listen online or download the podcast.
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
64 AP Delegate Count,100 ------Changes------Total ElecDay 7days 30days Clinton 2,228 0 +7 +453 Sanders 1,453 0 +3 +328 Uncommitted 127 0 -1 -31 De La Fuente 0 0 0 0 Farrell 0 0 0 0 Judd 0 0 0 0 O'Malley 0 0 0 0 Needed to nominate..: 2,383 Total Delegate votes: 4,765 Chosen thus far.....: 3,808 Yet to be chosen....: 957 ------Changes------Total ElecDay 7days 30days Trump 1,107 +39 +47 +344 Cruz 564 0 -1 +5 Rubio 166 0 0 0 Kasich 153 0 0 +9 Uncommitted 48 0 -7 +18 Carson 9 0 0 0 Bush 4 0 0 0 Fiorina 1 0 0 0 Huckabee 1 0 0 0 Paul 1 0 0 0 Christie 0 0 0 0 Hall 0 0 0 0 Needed to nominate..: 1,237 Total Delegate votes: 2,472 Chosen thus far.....: 2,054 Yet to be chosen....: 418
2016-05-11 01:07 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
65 Mystery of Donald Trump tombstone in Central Park is solved A New York artist has been unmasked as the man behind a Donald Trump tombstone which appeared overnight in Central Park, causing a social media frenzy with its caption: "Make America Hate Again. " The tombstone was ordered from a Brooklyn- based company, and turned up on Easter Sunday in Central Park. "It's the day Jesus was resurrected , and the point is to have Trump remember his legacy," the artist, who would not disclose his name, said at the time. "There are some poetic ties. " Brian Whiteley , 33, was named by The New York Times as being the man behind the stunt. I t had Mr Trump's date of birth, but no date of death. It did, however, feature a slogan mocking his campaign phrase. The tombstone was removed by park officials the same day. Mr Whiteley refused to confirm or deny that he was the customer who ordered the tombstone. He was visited by police on Monday, but has not been charged with any crime. In a telephone interview on March 30 the artist, who refused to give his name, said he was “trying to remind Donald what type of legacy he’s leaving behind". He added: “And also leaving the date of the death open, alluding to the fact that there’s still time to change who he is.” He told Gothamist that the tombstone was " political satire and a guerrilla art piece ," and should not be interpreted as a death threat. "I was trying to find a way where I could literally connect to Donald and say, 'Wake up man.' "I was trying to get him to understand what he would be remembered for at this point. " M ichael Cassara, who made the tombstone, said he was not surprised when he heard the name the man wanted on the stone. “I deal with a lot of these artists; I make a lot of crazy things,” he told the paper. “I do a lot of movie props, props for plays. ‘I want to make a stone for Michael Jackson.’” He described the client as a "hipster. " Mr Cassara declined to say what the stone cost, but another dealer said that sort of stone would run to $2,450. He gave the police the customer’s name, and footage from the shop’s videos that showed him loading the finished stone into a truck. Officers called the company whose name was on the truck, and confirmed the same man had rented it. Mr Cassara was not charged with any crime. Mr Trump has not commented on the stunt. The tombstone remains in a police storage site in the Bronx.
2016-05-11 01:06 Harriet Alexander www.telegraph.co.uk
66 Yahoo - Yahoo Announces Editorial Plans for 2016 Summer Games --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ( : YHOO) today announced its full global editorial lineup for the 2016 in , including Olympic gold medalists and. Yahoo will send more than 15 experts and writers to Rio, plus another 15 video producers and crew to cover the Games from every angle. Yahoo's focus for the 2016 will be to tell compelling stories and produce instant reactions across all content platforms. "We will use our world-class reporting to seek out the unscripted moments that make the so riveting," said , Vice President,. "We're poised to offer our most comprehensive coverage ever with a relentless emphasis on mobile-first content. We look forward to Shawn (gymnastics) and Summer (swimming, host) along with Canadian Olympian ( ) providing insider commentary on Yahoo's global stage. " Yahoo's experts will create unique content for Yahoo's global audience leading into the and throughout the. Content from Yahoo's talent will include video originals such as Instant Reactions, Power Rankings, Yahoo Sports Rio 101 and the Yahoo Sports , while Yahoo's award-winning writers like , , and will create in-depth features to tell the untold stories of Olympians and how medals were won or lost. Former Canadian national team and pro soccer goalkeeper will bring expert analysis to Yahoo Canada and host "Bring Your Eh Game" podcasts throughout the games. Finally, Yahoo's and based production teams will create three daily shows in Spanish and English, as well as documentary-style video content capturing the lively and colorful environment on the ground at the Games. Yahoo Summer Games coverage can be found across platforms from its custom destination page featuring medal counts and on the app. will also translate its coverage into a variety of languages to reach its over one billion unique users worldwide. Yahoo's editorial staff will work around the clock to make sure fans across the globe won't miss any piece of the action or unique story whether they're cheering for the , , , , , etc. 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).
2016-05-10 18:33 investor.yahoo.net
67 Yahoo - Lexus Revs Up Basketball Fans with New Campaign on Yahoo Sports and Launches Bracket Challenge New campaign promotes the all-new 2016 Lexus GS F timed with the 2016 Men's College Basketball Tournament --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) announced today that Lexus is a presenting sponsor of Tourney Pick'em and will also launch "GS F The Bracket," a custom Lexus branded game around the 2016 Men's College Basketball Tournament. In addition to Lexus connecting with fans through display, native and video advertising, "GS F The Bracket" asks fans to pick which games will reach a combined 60 points the fastest for an opportunity to win a GS F-inspired luxury vacation. "Working with , we have the opportunity to engage millions of college basketball fans and highlight the Lexus GS F," said , Lexus general manager of consumer and product marketing. "A car that goes 0-60 in 4.5 seconds deserves the spotlight while we give fans a fun and fast way to get into the games this month. " Every year, is the ultimate destination for millions of sports fans during the Men's College Basketball Tournament. As a sponsor of Sports' Tourney Pick'em, Lexus's digital campaign includes display ads driving to "GS F The Bracket" game, pre-roll video ads and branded integrations, and native ad placements targeted to the GS F audience. As part of this, Lexus will be integrated within the "Tourney Bracket Live" show on. "We're helping brands like Lexus connect with the millions of fans that visit every year to create brackets tied to one of their favorite basketball events," said , Chief Revenue Officer,. "Sports fans are incredibly passionate on and we're committed to bringing them new experiences that make their favorite games even better. " To sign up for "GS F The Bracket," fans can visit GSFtheBracket.com beginning. Each round, players can select which matchup will reach a combined 60 points the fastest. Fans are encouraged to make their picks for each round but can join the game at any point before. "The phenomenon of college basketball fans and their brackets create an unparalleled level of engagement each March," said , Chief Creative Officer, , agency of record for Lexus. "With ‘GS F The Bracket,' there's a logical connection between the speed of offense that sports fans find with college hoops and a high-performance car like the Lexus GS F. " 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). Lexus launched in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since that time, Lexus has expanded its line-up to meet the needs of global luxury customers. Lexus is now going beyond its reputation for high quality vehicles with the integration of innovative technology, emotional exterior and interior designs, and engaging driving dynamics and performance. With six models incorporating , Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers seven F SPORT models and two F performance models. In , Lexus vehicles are sold through 236 dealers who are committed to exemplary customer service.
2016-05-11 01:43 investor.yahoo.net
68 Yahoo - Introducing Fair Play on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy Yahoo Launches Key Changes in Daily Fantasy to Help Level the Playing Field for Fans Including Entry Limits, Labeling of Veteran Players and No Scripting --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced important changes to its Sports Daily Fantasy product to make contests more transparent and fun for all users. Changes include limiting entries to a max of 10 entries per user per contest (and in no event can a single user's entries make up more than 1% of total entries in a contest), clearly identifying Veteran players with a badge, and prohibiting the use of any type of scripting tool to upload or edit entries. "We first launched Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy back in because it was an exciting addition to our product suite and because our users were clamoring for it," said , Head of Product for and Finance. "Yahoo Fantasy Sports has tens of millions of registered fans and we are making these changes today as the result of months of user experience and customer requests. values an environment that is transparent and trustworthy. We also want to provide the best Fantasy games for true sports fans. does both. " As daily fantasy continues to evolve, the labeling of a small percentage of "Veteran" players with a distinct badge is a key change that will make it easier for all players to know who they are playing against on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy. Veterans will be defined as users who have entered more than 1,000 contests within a single year, or who have entered more than 250 contests and prevailed in greater than 65% of them within a single year, or who have won a single prize of or greater more than three times within a single year. As a thank you to those users who have been so dedicated to Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy, will be inviting Veterans to a special, free, invitation-only contest. has been a leader in fantasy sports for over 17 years. The changes made today will continue the tradition of fun and social user experiences that fans have come to expect from. 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).
2016-05-11 01:43 investor.yahoo.net
69 Key Republicans swing behind Trump; he takes 2 primaries WASHINGTON (AP) — Key Senate Republicans voiced optimism Tuesday about Donald Trump's presidential prospects in November, the clearest signal yet to the GOP rank and file to unite behind the bombastic billionaire and turn their energy against Democrat Hillary Clinton. But it was uncertain whether the doubters could be quieted. Trump added two more primaries to his column, taking West Virginia and Nebraska. "We have a nominee, it looks like he may well be very competitive, and we want to win the White House," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters. He also said, "We know that Hillary Clinton will be four more years of Barack Obama. I think that's going to in the end be enough to unify Republicans across the country. " Still, doubt and angst over Trump remained palpable as GOP lawmakers returned from a weeklong recess that saw him effectively clinch the presidential nomination. For some, the question of whether they were backing their party's standard-bearer — a no-brainer in a normal election year — proved too much to answer. "We're not doing any Trump questions today," an aide to Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois told a crowd of reporters as Kirk, one of the most endangered Senate Republicans, sped into a meeting. Another Republican who's up for re- election, Tim Scott of South Carolina, offered his support, but like others managed to sound grudging and backhanded in the process. "I'm supporting the Republican candidate, and it happens to be Donald Trump," he said. A third, Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, deflected questions about whether he would back Trump, saying he's focused only on securing another six-year Senate term. "The only thing I can do is get re-elected so we have a Republican majority in the Senate," Isakson said. "I will support the Republican ticket and I'm endorsing me for my Senate seat. " The comments reflected ongoing divisions in a party still reeling over Trump's success in locking up the nomination and pushing his two remaining rivals from the race last week. McConnell and others have decided that the best approach is to get behind Trump. But especially in light of House Speaker Paul Ryan's surprise decision to withhold his support, unity is elusive for now. That could start to change Thursday, when Ryan, McConnell and other congressional Republicans meet with Trump, who himself has downplayed the meeting and suggested he can win the election unity or no. Ryan defended his stance anew Tuesday, insisting that he was just being honest in saying Trump had more work to do to show he could unify the party after alienating numerous voters including women, Hispanics and many conservatives. "It is going to take more than a week to unify this party," Ryan said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal broadcast online. "If we just pretend to unify without unifying, then we'll only be at half-strength, and it won't be good for us in the fall. " But some Republicans argued that Ryan himself was making it harder to unify by essentially giving other Republicans cover to refuse to get behind Trump. "I didn't really appreciate his comments," said Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. "They have to establish a workable relationship, and I think they will, but that's not a good way to start. " Yet after a bruising primary season others were not yet ready to move on. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Trump's leading opponent before he dropped out last week, made clear he was in no hurry to endorse the mogul and reality TV star who defeated him. "The voters in the primary seem to have made a choice and we'll see what happens as the months go forward," Cruz told conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck. Cruz went so far as to leave open the possibility of restarting his campaign if he should score a surprise win in Nebraska, while making clear he didn't anticipate that outcome. "The reason we suspended the race last week is with Indiana's loss I didn't see a viable path to victory. If that changes we will certainly respond accordingly," Cruz said. Another of Trump's vanquished opponents, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, said at the Hudson Institute: "He's the nominee of the Republican Party, or presumptive nominee via the voters. I respect that and accept it, but that's not going to change the reservations I have about his campaign or about some of the policies he's established. " Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, who heads Senate GOP re-election efforts, said "actually I feel pretty good" about prospects to hang onto control of the Senate. "It seems to me after every presidential primary there's a coming together, and I expect that will happen," Wicker said. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Richard Lardner and Andrew Taylor contributed.
2016-05-11 01:05 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
70 Nirenstein drops her candidacy to become ambassador to Italy Fiamma Nirenstein, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice as ambassador to Italy, withdrew her candidacy on Tuesday citing “personal reasons.” In an email to journalists, Nirenstein, a former Italian journalist and parliamentarian who made aliya in 2013, said she had informed Netanyahu of her decision. “I thank the prime minister for the confidence he placed in me,” she said, adding that she will continue to contribute to Israel as much as possible. The surprise announcement came three weeks after the offices of both Netanyahu and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi denied that the Italian premier discreetly asked Netanyahu to reconsider the appointment of Nirenstein as Israel’s next envoy to Rome, as claimed in a Haaretz report. Haaretz also reported shortly thereafter that in an article in the Italian press in 1996, during Netanyahu’s first term in office, Nirenstein wrote unflatteringly about Sara Netanyahu, describing her once as a “monster dressed up as a first lady.” A senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office said there is “no truth whatsoever to the suggestion that Prime Minister Netanyahu withdrew his support for her candidacy.” Nirenstein “withdrew completely for personal reasons,” he said. “No message was received from Prime Minister Renzi asking to drop her candidacy.” Netanyahu appointed Nirenstein last August, and her appointment was recently approved by the Civil Service Commission. Haaretz reported last month that opposition to her appointment in Italy stemmed from a concern about conflicts of interests – that she would continue to receive a salary as a former Italian parliamentarian even while serving as Israel’s’ ambassador; that as former vice president of Italy’s foreign affairs committee she was exposed to state secrets; and that her son has a job in the Italian intelligence services. Shin Bet: Hamas digging more tunnels, wants next round of fighting in Israeli territory • Jerusalem Post staff Hamas is continuing to dig attack tunnels and is closely following Israel’s efforts to uncover such tunnels, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has gleaned from the interrogation of an operative from the group’s military branch. The Shin Bet announced on Tuesday that it arrested a minor who was enlisted into the ranks of Hamas prior to summer 2014’s Operation Protective Edge and was active in the organization’s efforts to dig tunnels to infiltrate into Israeli territory. News of the arrest comes after the IDF uncovered two Hamas attack tunnels entering into Israeli territory in the past month. Another Hamas operative involved in the organization’s tunnel enterprise was also recently arrested and shed light on the group’s efforts to dig into Israel. The teen, whose arrest was announced on Tuesday, hails from the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, and was arrested last month attempting to cross the border fence into Israel. He belonged to the northern division of the Kassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. According to the Shin Bet, the suspect said during his interrogation that he was trained to infiltrate, enter structures and place explosive devices, in keeping with Hamas’s strategy of ensuring that the next round of fighting will take place in Israeli territory. The suspect divulged information on the structure of Hamas tunnels intended to be used by the group’s elite tunnel unit in times of emergency, and the location of tunnels in Gaza, the Shin Bet stated. He also allegedly told his interrogators about Hamas’s efforts to keep their tunnel- digging activities secret, such as avoiding leaving the tunnels in their dirt-covered “work clothes,” and covering up any signs that they had been in a tunnel. The suspect took part in placing explosive devices in tunnels to prevent IDF soldiers from entering them and even stored explosives at his home, the Shin Bet said. The Israeli security agency said that the suspect is one of many being interrogated who is providing intelligence on Hamas’s tunneling efforts. Syria peace talks to convene in Vienna next week
2016-05-11 01:05 HERB KEINON www.jpost.com
71 Dying coral reefs 'dull fish senses' Researchers in Australia and Sweden have found that coral bleaching and death can have a direct effect on how reef-dwelling fish learn about their environment - particularly how to avoid predators. The team from James Cook University in Queensland and Uppsala University carried out tests in enclosed "mini reefs" that simulated the environment they were studying. They put young damselfish in their reefs, half of which contained healthy coral, the other half containing the skeletons of dead coral. The scientists then trained the fish to recognise the scent of a new predator - pairing that scent with another chemical that damselfish release when they're under attack. Only the fish in the healthy reefs learned the new predator's smell, and hid among the coral in response. On dead reefs, the fish just kept on exploring, leaving themselves vulnerable. The researchers say their results show worrying signs of the direct impact of coral damage on marine animals' behaviour and survival. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B . Coral reef timelapse footage courtesy of Pim Bongaerts and damselfish pictures courtesy of Oona Lonnstedt and Mark McCormick Video produced by Victoria Gill
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
72 Oops: Minor typo spotted in Texas Christian University commencement program You don't need to throw an amazing graduation to get everybody's attention - just make a simple typo and let the fireworks light themselves. Texas Christian University's 2016 commencement program had a typo on it: The school misspelled university " univeristy. " "Yes, there was an unfortunate typo in the commencement program, and we deeply regret that this has happened," TCU's Holly Elman said. "We have identified some places in our process that can be improved for the future. " Before that, students and wary internet spell- checkers pointed out the error on Instagram and other social media outlets. It's not like TCU is in bad company or anything. And by the way, did you know pointing out typos is a jerk move? Science says so! (h/t Fort Worth Star-Telegram )
2016-05-11 03:45 By John www.chron.com
73 ARTS & CULTURE For better or worse, the reality of globalization is everywhere apparent — except for our theater, which remains stubbornly parochial with borders even more impassable than Donald Trump’s fantasy wall. So it’s welcome news that the Theatre @ Boston Court is giving us the chance to become acquainted... Los Angeles Ballet’s new production of Frederick Ashton’s “Romeo and Juliet” is not only admirable. It’s news. Ashton ranks among the three or four greatest ballet choreographers of the 20th century, peerless at dance-narrative. However, his distinctively intimate and deeply poetic 1955 Shakespeare... Greece is making a renewed move for the Parthenon Marbles. The Museum of Modern Art is offering buyouts. A board member for L. A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art is going to work for Donald “Build the Wall” Trump. Plus, a gun sculpture is censored at a Texas university, gender in museums, Moscow’s... When the small painting with a slightly damaged surface and cracks in its wood backing materialized in September at an auction house in New Jersey, no one expected great things. First and foremost was its murky provenance: The artist was unknown, and so was the date of its creation. The auction... Fourteen recent paintings by Romanian artist Marius Bercea are filled with languorous beauty, negotiating a conflicted intersection between sincere, profound yearning and deep psychological distress. This is Bercea’s third solo show at Francois Ghebaly Gallery and his most impressively resolved.... As Thor Steingraber assesses the decision to build a 1,700-seat performing arts venue in Northridge, a word comes to mind: courageous. Filling all of those seats hasn’t always been easy since the Valley Performing Arts Center opened five years ago. “There was a honeymoon phase, for sure,” said... It's fitting that Derek DelGaudio's new show began as an empty pair of brackets in the Geffen Playhouse's season preview catalog. The production, since christened "In & of Itself," is all about defying labels. To categorize the 31-year-old performer as a "magician" would only validate his point.... It was late summer 1939. Winston Churchill, then a member of the British Parliament, and artist Paul Maze were leisurely painting at their easels by a babbling brook in the French countryside. Suddenly, a young messenger boy came running across the field, clutching a telegram. "Situation worsening,"... The Santa Monica Museum of Art, long known to its fans as SMMoA, will have some different letters in its new name. The 32-year-old institution, which closed its Bergamot Station location last year, will announce on Friday that it's moving to downtown L. A. and will be known as the Institute of Contemporary... An influential pioneer of assemblage. Intimate portraits of fighting men. And a show that captures odd clay sculptures in paint. Plus: Flower paintings in time for Mother's Day and a pair of piano performances — one of which features an ax. Here are seven shows to see this week (and next): Berman,... “When you talk about me to other people, could you call me ‘they’?” That comment carries the central point of “A Singular They,” which ended its Blank Theatre run last weekend — and will linger in the minds of many who saw it. Aliza Goldstein’s arresting serio-comic study of an intersex teen... Who is more capable of expressing authentic emotion: a trained actor or a lunatic? Some might argue it’s a trick question because there’s no difference between the two. And though there may be ample evidence to support that position, playwright David Bridel and Four Clowns theater company explore... Craig Wright's often-produced play "The Pavilion," now in a lovely revival at Malibu Playhouse, takes place in the early 2000s, in the fictional town of Pine City, Minn. (That's where Wright, who also has a long list of TV writing credits including "Six Feet Under," "Lost" and "Dirty Sexy Money,"... This week: A tip of the hat to a Depression-era songwriter, a double dose of Greek tragedy, and a remount of a site-specific exploration of the work-life balance. Don Juan in Hell Staged reading of George Bernard Shaw's fantastical drama about the human condition. Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312... David Hockney, who once proclaimed that “new technologies change the way artists see the world,” has been embracing change since the advent of fax machines and photocopiers. David Hockney "Untitled No. 13" from "The Yosemite Suite" 2010 iPad drawing printed on paper. (Richard Schmidt / David Hockney)... For a significant proportion of its 174-year history, America’s oldest orchestra has been its most important. That includes such obvious years as those when Mahler and Toscanini and Bernstein and Boulez were music director. But there has never been a time when the New York Philharmonic hasn’t mattered.... Nine new paintings by Ramiro Gomez continue his project of representing workers in Los Angeles — either invisible or merely taken for granted — whose labor is instrumental to making the city go. His focus now is “On Melrose.” In the basement room at Charlie James Gallery, Gomez’s 11-panel mural... The Granada was packed with cheering fans Monday night. Yuja the Kid had come to take on Murray the Pro. Who would hammer the “Hammerklavier” the hardest? Although the Pro has a 40-year career advantage, he has only lately begun tackling Beethoven’s ultimate monster piano sonata, to which he had... George Condo has always been besotted with pushing paint around canvas, ever since his first show in Los Angeles more than 30 years ago. The pleasure is infectious. The New York-based painter, now at Sprüth Magers Gallery for his first L. A. solo exhibition since 1999, is still smitten. Most of... From its humble start in a small theater space in downtown Los Angeles to its three Tony Award nominations on Tuesday, including a nod for musical revival, Deaf West's production of "Spring Awakening" qualifies as this Broadway season's little theater production that could. The innovative staging,... Just how tall do the record-breaking 16 Tony nominations racked up by "Hamilton" on Tuesday stand up in Broadway history? Here's a rundown of a dozen other productions with the most Tony nominations, according to the American Theatre Wing: Matthew Broderick, left and Nathan Lane in "The Producers"... Alan Mandell, the evergreen 88-year-old actor, confessed that he might be ready to bid farewell to the stage when I interviewed him last year on the occasion of his performance in the Mark Taper Forum revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Price.” Learning lines was becoming more challenging, even though... In a thoughtful, engaging exhibition at LAXArt, Karl Haendel and Tony Lewis explore the practice of drawing in its many modes and guises. The works include photo-realistic renderings, abstract mark-making, writing and other forms of notation. Together, they formulate an expansive vision of an activity... Choreographer Daniel Ezralow defined himself in a long-ago interview as an “art-lete,” a combination artist-athlete. Nearly 30 years on, that’s still an apt way to consider his populist approach to dance-making -- and a helpful crib note while watching his Los Angeles-based company, Ezralow Dance,... April may be the cruelest month for some, but not for piano lovers -- at least not at Walt Disney Concert Hall, in a month that has seen impressive performances by Stephen Hough, Alexandre Tharaud, Behzod Abduraimov, Murray Perahia and now Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Thibaudet gave an alternately lyrical... The Montagues and Capulets may be feuding once again, but in Los Angeles Ballet's forthcoming production of "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare's tragic love story is a happier family affair. The company, led by husband-wife team Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, concludes its 10th-anniversary... "The Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging" is the title of a new exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum, but who exactly is an Austronesian, you ask? "Technically it's a linguistic name of the second-largest language family in the world," said Roy Hamilton, senior curator of Asian... Springtime on Broadway is usually racked with strategy, stress and speculation. New shows vie for any possible edge to capture the Tony Awards' brass ring of best musical, on the (often correct) assumption the award means industry prestige and a box-office bounce. To paraphrase a certain hit show,... Want to clear your mind? Get a pickup truck, then spend a couple years driving across and around the continent — alone. That's the first lesson of the lovely retrospective of abstract paintings by Agnes Martin (1912-2004) newly opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show is divided... Ed Moses’ 90th birthday dinner, a private party for close friends and family at the William Turner Gallery on Thursday night, was a festive affair -- though one tinged with concern: Moses himself was missing. The artist fell in his living room a few days earlier and injured his leg. His son Andy,... Angelenos will get another dose of immersive theater beginning May 10 from the experimental company Wilderness, which will stage a six-week encore run of its performance piece "The Day Shall Declare It. " The show had its U. S. premiere here in March 2015, after a critically acclaimed run in London. "The... You might want to use the restroom before visiting Joel Kyack’s exhibition at François Ghebaly Gallery. The artist, known for his endurance performances and examinations of bodily processes, has turned his attention to the fountain as an aesthetic and mechanical form. The sound of running water... The nonprofit group Pershing Square Renew is holding public presentations Thursday evening of the four design finalists to remake the much-maligned park in downtown Los Angeles. The 5- acre square, bound by 5th, 6th, Hill and Olive streets, has existed as a public park in a variety of forms since... A Broadway history lesson is being delivered these days at the Music Box Theatre, and never has anything this educational been so sensationally staged. All credit to Professor George C. Wolfe, holder of a PhD in theatrical pizazz, for adapting and directing this homage to "Shuffle Along," the 1921... The discussion was intentionally vague on Wednesday night at NeueHouse Hollywood — “cryptic,” as Derek DelGaudio offered afterward. The magician and performance artist was attempting to “start the conversation” about his upcoming show, “In & Of Itself,” along with producer Glenn Kaino and director... It has been quite the rise to prominence — and influence — for Assemble, the London collective whose work hovers somewhere between art and architecture, between built space and cultural critique. Best known for designing projects like pop-up cinemas and other temporary spaces in close collaboration...
2016-05-11 03:50 Sharon Mizota www.latimes.com
74 Ethnic harmony on show in Malaysian street At the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in the historic Malaysian city of Malacca, worshipers light joss sticks and bow before gilded alters. The smell of incense and the sound of chanting monks fill the air. The temple was established in the early 18th Century for Chinese settlers who came to work in what was once one of East Asia's busiest ports. But the Chinese were not Malacca's only overseas inhabitants. Immigrants also came from South Asia, and on the same street as the Chinese temple there is another place of worship: for Hindus. Between these two temples stands a mosque, built for the city's Malay population, who are mostly Muslim. These three different places of worship - on a thoroughfare known as Harmony Street - reflect Malaysia's ethnic mix, and the good relations that has mostly existed between them. But many believe that peace is in danger of coming apart. Several ethnically charged protests and riots have revealed tension between the Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. A campaign to bring Malaysians together, launched by Prime Minister Najib Razak when he first came into office, has petered out. And some believe politicians are stoking ethnic tension. Little of this is on show in Malacca though. Inside the courtyard of the elegant, whitewashed Kampung Kling Mosque in Harmony Street all is peaceful. Water spurts gently from a fountain built next to a tiny graveyard and a mango tree. Inside the prayer room, ceiling fans whirl, offering the faithful a little relief from the heat of the day. One of the imams at the mosque said this part of Malacca was usually tranquil. "Along this street everyone practises their own religion," he said. "Even though the majority of people in Malacca are Muslims, there are still Chinese and Indian temples, and there are no disturbances between each other. " The imam is Malay, an ethnic group that makes up about 60% of the population in Malaysia, and one that has a number of advantages. Following deadly race riots in 1969, during which nearly 200 died, the government gave Malays privileges in sectors such as education, business and the civil service. They were intended to counter the dominance of the other two main ethnic groups, particularly the Chinese, who account for a quarter of the population. About 7% of Malaysians have a South Asian heritage. These affirmative action policies were supposed to be temporary, but many remain in place today. Publicly listed companies, for example, must still ensure that 30% of their shares are owned by Malays. When Mr Najib, a Malay who leads a party for Malays, came to power in 2009 he promised to end these policies, but that has not happened. He also launched a campaign called 1Malaysia, to encourage people to identify themselves as Malaysians rather than from the ethnic group they come from. Dr Oh Ei Sun, once the prime minister's political secretary, said that campaign soon hit problems. "Mr Najib immediately ran into resistance, not least from his own party members who wanted to preserve the economic and political status quo," he said. Some ordinary Malays also appear worried that the system they benefit from might change. Last September, the police had to stop a group of angry Malays marching through the centre of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown , in a show of force that appeared to be about reasserting their rights. Politically, it is also now more difficult for the prime minister to end affirmative action. His United Malays National Organisation won the 2013 general election, but saw its support dwindle. Some analysts believe Mr Najib has let the 1Malaysia campaign drift because he has to appeal to his core supporters to win future elections. "The carrot that the prime minister has to entice the poor Malay electorate, who see themselves are deeply marginalised, is affirmative action," said Terence Gomez, of the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. But perhaps Malaysians are coming together anyway. Mr Gomez made it clear that he does not like labelling people according to race. He believes many others share this opinion. "We've reached a point in Malaysia where people don't like to be asked whether they are Malay, Chinese or Indian," he said. And Mr Gomez thinks the country's leaders, including the prime minister, care less about race than they make out. He pointed out that many of Mr Najib's trusted advisers are from different ethnic groups. "I don't think they look at each other and say he's Malay, Chinese or Indian. They are looking to how they can serve each other's interests," he explained. On the university campus many students seemed to share the academic's viewpoint. "I feel that in Malaysia unity is very important," one woman said. "Although we are from different educational backgrounds, cultures and traditions, it's better to identify ourselves as Malaysian. " In some ways, Malaysia's different ethnic groups exist in different worlds. Many live apart. Most go to schools that match their ethnicity. But Harmony Street shows they have lived together harmoniously. If politicians do not inflame ethnic tensions, that could be the future too.
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
75 Car rolls into estuary in Wales after driver 'went to spend a penny' A man in Wales discovered what the use of a car's hand break is when his Seat Leon rolled into Pembroke Dock as he got out to go relieve himself on Tuesday morning. The green car started rolling down the slipway at Hobbs Point, in Pembrokeshire, the moment the driver got out. A second passenger had to jump out so he would not end up in the water himself. The duo failed to slow down the vehicle's descent and haplessly watched the car becoming fully submerged. Emergency services were called to the scene by a couple who spotted the almost fully submerged vehicle floating in the estuary. The incident appeared to be the result of not putting the hand break on. O nce the car was pulled out of the water it showed signs of serious water damage and its interiors were covered in mud. A spokeswoman for Mid and West Wales Fire Service said: "We were alerted to the incident by the police. "When we arrived at the scene just after 11.30am the vehicle was fully submerged in water . "There were no occupants in the car and everybody was safe. " T he incident comes as Tuesday saw heavy rain , with up to an inch of rain falling across southern England and Wales - and forecasters warning of thundery showers and flooding into Wednesday.
2016-05-11 01:02 Telegraph Reporters www.telegraph.co.uk
76 Nigeria Giwa barracks 'a place of death' says Amnesty Amnesty International says at least 149 detainees have died "in horrendous conditions" at a military detention centre in north-east Nigeria this year. In a report, Amnesty says 11 of those who died at the Giwa barracks were young children, including four babies. It called the centre "a place of death" and said it should be closed. The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar in Abuja says it is latest in a series of damning reports on the Nigerian military's treatment of suspects. The army has not commented on the latest report but has previously said it has set up a human rights department to check claims of abuse. The Giwa barracks detention centre in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, is in an area where the authorities are fighting the Boko Haram militant group. In its report, Amnesty says evidence gathered through interviews with former detainees and eyewitnesses, and supported by video and photographs, shows that many detainees may have died from disease, hunger, dehydration, and gunshot wounds. "The discovery that babies and young children have died in appalling conditions in military detention is both harrowing and horrifying," said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty's research and advocacy director for Africa. "We have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the high death rate of detainees in Giwa barracks but these findings show that, for both adults and children, it remains a place of death. " The report calls for the barracks to be closed immediately and all detainees released or transferred to civilian authorities. Amnesty says it believes that about 1,200 people are being held at Giwa, many of them arbitrarily rounded up during mass arrests. "Once inside the barracks, they are incarcerated without access to the outside world or trial. At least 120 of those detained are children," it says. Amnesty has previously accused the military of executing more than 640 detainees following a Boko Haram attack on the detention centre in March 2014. It has also said that, since 2011, more than 8,000 young men and boys have been either shot, starved, suffocated or tortured to death in Nigerian military custody and that no-one has been held responsible.
2016-05-11 03:43 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
77 NHS short of front-line staff after bad planning, say MPs Bad planning and cost-cutting have left the NHS in England short of vital front-line staff, MPs are warning. The Public Accounts Committee said the shortfall in doctors, nurses and midwives could even get worse if ministers did not get a "better grip". The group also warned there had been "no coherent attempt" to work out the staffing needed for a seven-day NHS. But the government defended its record, pointing to the extra money being invested in the NHS this Parliament. By 2020, the NHS budget is expected to have risen by just over £8bn once inflation has been taken into account. The cross-party group of MPs acknowledged this in its report, but cast doubt on how far that would stretch given that ministers are trying to increase the availability of staff and services at weekends. The report looks at clinical staff - those who provide care, including doctors, nurses, midwives and ambulance crews. These account for more than 800,000 jobs - two-thirds of the entire NHS workforce. It said working out the exact shortfall was difficult, but said estimates made two years ago suggested the NHS was short by about 50,000. The report was published as it emerged that emergency surgery at a Nottinghamshire hospital has been suspended because of a shortage of junior doctors. Surgical patients at Bassetlaw Hospital are now being transferred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary - almost 20 miles away. Managers at the hospital said there was a lack of overnight staff and the problem was affecting 10 to 14 patients a week. The MPs were scathing of the leadership provided by the government and national bodies, such as Health Education England, in recent years. It said NHS trusts had been given conflicting messages - being urged to cut overheads to save money, while investing in staff in the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal. This has created a situation whereby the NHS had reduced the number of training posts available for core groups such as nursing, while struggling to retain staff, despite increases in demand for services. The report said the high level of spending on agency staff seen in recent years was "largely the consequence" of this bad planning. While NHS leaders have been quick to blame "rip-off" fees, prompting them to introduce a cap on how much can be charged, the report pointed out that most of the rise was a result of the NHS needing locum staff to fill gaps. Committee chairman Labour's Meg Hillier said there were "serious flaws" in the approach of government. "Front-line staff are the lifeblood of the service yet the supply of these staff in England is not keeping pace with demand. "This poor workforce planning means patients face the possibility of longer waiting times and a greater cost to the public purse. " British Medical Association leader Dr Mark Porter said this is a "disastrous" situation. And Royal College of Nursing general secretary Janet Davies added: "What we have seen so far is how short-term decisions and budget cuts lead to nothing but lowered standards of care which could so easily have been avoided. " But a Department of Health spokesman said plans were in place to increase the number of staff in the NHS thanks to rises in spending. "By 2020, we expect to have 11,420 more doctors working in the NHS, coupled with 10,000 nursing, midwife and allied health professional training places through our reforms. " Read more from Nick Follow Nick on Twitter 2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
78 Under fives tooth decay 'improving' The number of five-year-olds with tooth decay has dropped to its lowest level in almost a decade, latest figures from Public Health England show. In 2008, nearly a third of five-year-olds in England - 177,423 in all - suffered tooth decay. By 2015, it had dropped to a quarter. But health experts say more steps must be taken to help youngsters look after their teeth. They recommend limiting sugary food and drink and regular trips to the dentist. And children should brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Currently, an estimated 166,467 five-year-olds - less than a quarter - suffer from tooth decay. But while there has been improvement nationally, experts say there is a great deal of regional variation. The highest rates of tooth decay were found among children living in the North West of England, and the lowest in the South East. Dr Sandra White, director of dental public health at Public Health England, said having healthy teeth was important for children, both for their health and their confidence. "Our faces are quite a mirror to us, and we you smile with a nice smile it makes a big difference when we start school. " How to brush your teeth properly She said the downward trend in tooth decay was welcome, and was probably down to parents and society being more aware of the impact of sugar on teeth. "Parents have a key role in this. They need to watch what their children are eating and particularly drinking. " She said children were consuming three times the amount of sugar that they should be having, and a lot of that is coming from sugary drinks. "It would be wonderful if everybody gave their children water and low fat milks. " But she accepted that, realistically, it might be quite difficult for parents to achieve. Follow Michelle on Twitter
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
79 Can the 'internet of moving things' end traffic jams? When you're stuck in a traffic jam wreathed in fumes or squeezed onto a sweltering commuter train, the promised future of a smart, efficient transport system may seem like a utopian dream. But optimistic technologists assure us relief from this gridlocked hell is closer than we think. And it's all down to the "internet of moving things" - cars, buses, bikes, trains, and planes laden with sensors beaming data to a big brain in the cloud. The better we know where everything is, the better we can manage traffic flows and optimise routes, avoiding congestion, accidents and natural hazards, the argument goes. "The internet of moving things is giving us whole new sets of data," says Shiva Shivakumar, chief executive of Urban Engines , a specialist in urban mobility data. "Delivery companies, taxis, travel cards, smartphones, and connected cars are all pushing movement data to the cloud which we can then mash up with real-world maps to create a space/time engine," he says. "Transport providers from Singapore to Sao Paulo can now analyse journeys trip by trip and understand why a bus was late, spot where there is unused capacity or see opportunities for new routes. " Mr Shivakumar, a former Google engineer, says his firm has been able to help delivery companies in San Francisco optimise their routes in real time, testing different scenarios based on current traffic flows and weather conditions. This type of analysis has led some companies to experiment with mobile delivery hubs, rather than having all goods stored in one warehouse and making all the journeys from there. Taxi firms now know where the most demand is at each point during the day, even the areas where customers tip the most. "Experience might tell you one thing, but the data might tell you something else," says Mr Shivakumar. And in the not-too-distant future, automated travel advisers on our smartphones with access to real-time data from all forms of transport will tell us the best way to reach our destinations, he believes. Mapping firm Here - recently acquired by German vehicle makers BMW, Audi and Daimler - is busy mapping the road networks of major cities around the world using laser technology, or lidar. It has a fleet of hi-tech camera cars much as Google does. This kind of technology can perceive road markings, lane widths, and concrete barriers, says vice-president Aaron Dannenbring, to create a "precise, reference index of the road system globally". "But we also need a dynamic map that reflects everything that's happening on the road. So by connecting other vehicles to our cloud platform we can capture how the traffic situation is changing. " And as more vehicles are fitted with sensors and cameras, the more accurate and useful these dynamic maps will be, he believes. "Say a number of cars sense black ice on the road, that data will go to the cloud and be analysed by our algorithms. If a pattern emerges a warning will be beamed down to other cars to inform them. "We think tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year as a result of these systems. " This internet of moving things will also be crucial to the success of driverless vehicles. Rail, too, is benefiting from this kind of movement data analysis. For example, indoor location start-up Pointr is tracking how people move around railway stations to offer navigation tips and live train updates. It is taking part in the Hacktrain innovation programme. Such data analysis could aid the design of stations and ticket offices, while the move to digital ticketing and the integration of rail data with other transport data is bringing closer that "magic carpet ride ideal - gently wafting through stations without any barriers or friction," says Ian Holt, chief executive of rail ticketing website, Trainline . More Cloud Computing features from Technology of Business All this data is also helping government agencies manage transport networks more efficiently. For example, in Los Angeles congestion improved by 10% after the authorities experimented with traffic light timings at busy times of the day. And in Seattle, the government has introduced toll-based charging to manage traffic flows. In time, says Bryan Mistele, chief executive of traffic intelligence specialist Inrix , this type of decision-making will become automated as computers learn traffic patterns and respond to changing conditions. Inrix collects real-time data from more than 275 million vehicles and devices in 60 countries, including anonymised population movement data gleaned from mobile phone masts. Of course, problems in one type of transport can affect the rest of the network. This is why the UK's Gatwick airport is using cloud analytics firm Splunk to predict how incidents could affect peak performance four hours ahead. For example, motorway pile-ups can lead to passengers being late for their planes, causing delays that then affect turnaround times and the number of slots for take-off and landing. Such early warnings could help airport managers decide on staffing levels to prevent huge queues and grumpy passengers. The fly in the ointment for this vision of a unified transport intelligence, however, is that it presupposes common data standards - all moving things accessing and understanding every piece of useful information. But rival manufacturers don't have a very good track record when it comes to openness and sharing. "We've proposed an open standard for data exchange so that any manufacturer could receive this type of data," says Mr Dannenbring. And it is significant that three automotive rivals banded together to buy Here, suggesting that the industry is realising co-operation would be to the benefit of all. But will a tech giant like Apple, rumoured to be developing its own car and known for creating its own closed ecosystems, be willing to share data so readily? There are other issues around data privacy and ownership: whose data is it and what guarantees do we have that speed data, for example, isn't being used to police us in a more draconian fashion? Such concerns aside, the tech utopians do paint an alluring picture of the connected future. "Once all this tech is integrated with your calendar, your car will automatically know where you're going and how long it's going to take," says Mr Mistele. "It will choose the optimal route, and if you're going to be late it will message the people you're meeting. " Dream of that next time you're in a jam. Follow Matthew Wall on Twitter @matthew_wall
2016-05-10 21:10 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
80 Car park orchestra wins classical award An orchestra that plays in a multi-storey car park in south London has won a top prize at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. The Multi-Story Orchestra was praised for its "ingenuity and impact in the local community" as it picked up the audience engagement prize. Sakari Oramo, leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, won best conductor. And the National Youth Orchestra took the ensemble award, as judges called it "a beacon of excellence for decades". They reserved particular praise for the orchestra's outreach campaign, which aimed "to engage hundreds more teenagers" at a "time when music has such a precarious place in the schools' curriculum". Pianist Clare Hammond, who appeared as a young Maggie Smith playing at the Proms in last year's Alan Bennett movie The Lady in the Van, won the award for young artists. The 32-year-old, whose recent album of piano etudes was praised in Gramophone magazine for its "unfaltering bravura and conviction", is currently taking a break from performances to have a baby. The jury praised her "commitment to new repertoire" and "compelling presence as a performer". Russian virtuoso pianist Daniil Trifonov won the instrumentalist award and was commended by the jury for his "technical brilliance, deep musicality and fearless sense of adventure". The musician, who is only 25, has been called a "superstar" and a "phenomenon". He gave his first concert aged eight, apparently losing one of his baby teeth mid-performance. Internationally renowned opera director Graham Vick was presented with honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS), joining the likes of Brahms (1882), Clara Schumann (1887), Stravinsky (1921), Aaron Copland (1970) and Evelyn Glennie (2015). Vick, who is currently artistic director of Birmingham Opera Company, has spent his career bringing opera to new audiences. In his early 20s, he founded a small touring group with funds from a government job creation scheme to take productions to remote communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Later, in the 1980s, he worked with a group of 300 unemployed young people on Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story in an abandoned mill in Yorkshire. In its citation, the RPS said: "Graham Vick has single-handedly changed the way we think about opera. Everything he does stems from a passionate belief that opera that has excellence and accessibility at its core, speaks to everyone. "He has taken opera out of the opera house and revitalised the repertoire, creating productions that engage both operatic newcomers and the most hardened devotees. " The ceremony, held at The Brewery in London, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 19:30 BST on Wednesday, 11 May. The full list of winners was as follows:
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
81 The mysterious woman who inspired a bestselling novel A romantic novel written more than half a century ago is so popular in Turkey that it has topped the country's bestseller list for the past three years. Young people today seem to relate to the author, who was repeatedly censored, jailed and ultimately shot in mysterious circumstances. Now, for the first time, Madonna in a Fur Coat is being published in English. The young receptionist at my hotel is laughing as I approach her desk to hand in my key. She's just finished a phone call with my next interviewee who has given her strict instructions about helping me to find her address in Istanbul. "That was one impressive, feisty lady! " says the young woman, hitching up her ripped skinny jeans as we wait for the taxi. I ask her if she knows she was speaking to Sabahattin Ali's daughter Filiz and she chokes on her chewing gum and clutches at my shoulder. "But he's my hero! " she exclaims, putting her hand over her heart. "His books are my life! " She pulls out her mobile phone and starts texting with trembling fingers. Her eyes are pooling with tears. "I have to tell my friends! " When I arrive at Filiz's apartment and recount this tale to her, Filiz becomes very emotional too. For years she had to deny she was Ali's daughter - it was too dangerous in the 1940s to be associated with his outspoken socialist views. If anyone asked who her father was, her mother told her she must politely change the subject. Sabahattin Ali had started two newspapers, both of which were destroyed almost as soon as they appeared. And his very popular weekly satirical newspaper Marco Pasha, which he edited and owned, became a target of government censorship because of its political editorials. He was twice imprisoned for his writing. But today everyone wants to talk about Sabahattin Ali, especially the young for whom he's become a resistance icon, a man who dared stand up to the heavy hand of the state. "Nothing has changed in Turkey," Filiz says bitterly. "The heavy censorship of the press, the imprisonment of journalists… now it's maybe even worse. " We drink tea from china cups and leaf through the family black and white photo albums. "He was my dearest friend," smiles Filiz showing me a picture of her father climbing a tree in a rather eccentric bow tie. She laughs. Filiz is always laughing. "He was a joker and wonderfully childish too," she says. "And he taught me everything I know - before I even started school I knew the flags of all the different countries because we used to take long walks together in Ankara in the streets where the embassies are and he'd test me. He taught me history, how to swim, to fish…" She brightens as another memory floats to the surface. "He was also taking my temperature and making sure I ate properly," she smiles. "He was terrified in case I should get tuberculosis. " She trails off. "I had a wonderful childhood," she says, "until it was brutally interrupted. " In 1948, when Filiz was 11, her father - who was desperately trying to escape the oppressive government in Turkey - was shot and killed on the Bulgarian border, allegedly by the Turkish secret services. His writing survived him however, most notably his little novel Madonna in a Fur Coat which was translated into the languages of several countries that were then behind the Iron Curtain - it remains a set text in Bulgarian high schools to this day. Maureen Freely, who has just translated the novel into English, believes that one of the main reasons this author is enjoying such a comeback in Turkey is because he reminds readers that there has always been dissent, that there have always been writers and satirists who challenge the authorities with great courage. "His spirit is alive with the young," she explains. "We see it in the students of the Gezi Park protests in 2013. It was Sabahattin Ali who gave them courage and he reminds them to protest without losing their sense of the surreal or forgetting how to love. " On the face of it, Madonna In A Fur Coat is just a largely unrequited love story set in the crowded streets and seedy cabarets of 1920's Berlin. Protagonist Raif, who is no Heathcliff - he's often described as being more of a girl than a man - has been bewitched by the feisty feminist artist Maria, alias the Madonna in a Fur Coat, and they embark upon an intense, platonic love affair. It doesn't sound very 21st Century - yet for the past three years the book has topped the bestseller lists. And its readers are Turkey's youth. When Filiz goes into schools and talks about the book to teenagers she sees the boys, as well as the girls, cry. "They realise there's something missing in their own lives, something they search for but cannot find in this now, now, now generation. " She shakes her head and hands me a small photograph of a coquettish, stylish woman standing in a tree-lined avenue a chaste distance apart from a man who is watching her admiringly, his hands in his pockets. "We discovered some time ago that Maria, the Madonna, was a real woman," she tells me. "My father wrote to a female friend when he was in prison and recounted the whole tale of his passion for this German lady to her. " I tell her I wish I had a magnifying glass to study the image of Maria more closely. I see a bigger photograph of an exquisite woman and hold it out to Filiz questioningly. "No, no! " she giggles "That's my mother! My father was always surrounded by dazzling women! He met Maria the German Madonna when he lived in Berlin for a year as a young bachelor in the 1920s. " She picks up a book of the letters he wrote about Maria and begins to translate one. "We had wonderful long walks together and occasionally she would let me hold her hand… Sometimes she would turn her head with a meaningful smile that said she understood I was stupid! " And Filiz is laughing again. "Maria is the kind of woman we all want to be," she says. "With the feminist movement, we have all become a little bit Maria, fighting our battles. " I watch this white-haired, still beautiful lady sorting through her piles of old photographs. Maybe it's Maria's spirit, maybe it's her father's but something in Filiz has been driving her forward with her 60-year battle to get Sabahattin Ali's book translated into English. And now that she's won, I ask her if it is a political or historical message that she hopes the book will convey to Anglophone readers. She looks up quickly. "The message of my father's book is about sincerity in love," she corrects me. "Loving without expecting anything back. Love for love's sake. " We study a picture of her standing close to her father, his arm protectively around her shoulder. "Love for love's sake," she repeats. "This is what keeps you going on living. " Family pictures all provided and owned by Filiz Ali Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
82 Newspaper headlines: Corruption remarks, and terror drill apology The same story leads the Times, which reports one 85-year-old woman with dementia was sent home alone late at night and left without food, water, bedding or the ability to go to the toilet. The picture lead is Harry Potter star Emma Watson. The paper reports she bought a house through an offshore company, which is not illegal and can be used to guarantee anonymity. Her spokesman says she wished to protect her privacy.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
83 Lakeshore promotes Greg Battistella to head baseball coach It didn’t take long for Lakeshore to realize they had the right man to replace outgoing baseball coach Andrew Ravaglia with someone already on staff. One of the top metro-area coaches over the past couple of decades, Greg Battistella, was officially promoted Tuesday by Principal Christian Monson and the St. Tammany Parish school board from assistant baseball coach to the top job. The move comes exactly one week after Ravaglia decided to resign for personal reasons. “I’m honored and extremely excited about this opportunity,” said Battistella, 45, Tuesday afternoon. “I’m taking over a program that is well stocked.” Administration at Lakeshore just happened to be in the right place at the right time last summer when Battistella stepped down at Holy Cross . Over 10 seasons leading the Tigers, he was 218-135, including seven 20-win seasons and three with 25 or more wins. Holy Cross made the playoffs all 10 years under his tutelage, and the program made the Class 4A state title game in 2012 and the Class 3A semifinals the previous season. Including his four-year stint at Pope John Paul II in the early 2000s, Battistella’s overall record is 303-169 with 14 consecutive postseason appearances. After serving as the athletic director and baseball coach from 2004 to 2011, Holy Cross administration told him he could remain as either AD or baseball coach , but not both. After Battistella chose baseball, the school hired Mike Bujol as AD. However, that didn’t last long, as in April 2014, Barry Wilson gave up his position as longtime football coach to replace an outgoing Bujol. The following spring, Battistella, who lives on the North Shore, resigned and was hired two weeks later to become an assistant for Ravaglia, another Holy Cross alum, at Lakeshore. In three seasons under Ravaglia at Lakeshore, the Titans were 43-44 overall (15-11 in district play) and made the playoffs each year with a first-round win against St. Martinville in 2015. In addition to coaching baseball, Battistella will remain assisting Coach Craig Jones in football. ***************** Jim Derry can be reached at [email protected] or 504.232.9944. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JimDerryJr . See More Sports News »
2016-05-11 03:45 Julie Boudwin highschoolsports.nola.com
84 Can Cameron deliver on anti-corruption pledge? David Cameron has been praised for taking on the issues of corruption and tax transparency but pressure groups are warning he must put his own house in order first, writes Naomi Grimley. The prime minister has ensured his anti- corruption summit this week has already started generating headlines following his apparently unguarded remarks to the Queen that the leaders of some "fantastically corrupt" countries - Nigeria and Afghanistan - will be attending. Leaving aside the inevitable questions about his diplomatic skills, this is perhaps a good moment to take a look at a subject that has become close to his heart since he took office. Indeed, if it had not been for the inconvenient fact that details of his late father's business affairs appeared in the cache of documents leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca, David Cameron could have taken some satisfaction at the revelations in the so-called Panama Papers last month. After all, it was a good 10 months ago that he got to his feet in Singapore to argue that the more secretive parts of the world's financial system needed to be reformed. He told his audience about his own fears that ill-gotten gains were being stashed away in London without proper scrutiny. "With £122bn of property in England and Wales owned by offshore companies, we know that some high-value properties - particularly in London - are being bought by people overseas through anonymous shell companies, some of them with plundered or laundered cash," he admitted. Thursday's summit is the first of its kind for years. Guests will include US Secretary of State John Kerry and the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. On Thursday, 12 May, David Cameron will host an international anti-corruption summit - the first of its kind. Political leaders, businesses, sporting organisations and charities will meet at Lancaster House. The government says the summit aims to agree a package of practical steps to: Cameron pledges to tackle corruption Should the corrupt be banned from first-class travel? It has been in the pipeline for a while, which is why Dame Margaret Hodge was one of the opposition MPs who praised the prime minister's "leadership" on the issue in a special Commons debate last week. But she, like many transparency campaigners, is worried whether anything concrete will come out of this gathering. The prime minister was converted to the cause of tackling corruption by the man he calls his global "guru", Prof Paul Collier from Oxford University. Prof Collier has long insisted that a lack of transparency holds back developing countries by stunting their tax base and repelling new business. He's used the rather colourful analogy of anonymous shell companies - set up in tax havens - being like "getaway cars" for the world's criminal and corrupt. Next month, Britain itself will bring in a new public register of beneficial ownership - meaning that anybody will soon be able to see who really owns each company in the UK. David Cameron argues only about three other countries in the world have bothered to do this and he is proud of the achievement. The big problem for the prime minister is that the British overseas territories are not going as far as he would like in their transparency. Crucially, their registers will not be public ones - rather, they will be private and only available to law enforcement agencies in the UK. The Panama Papers scandal has thrown the issue into sharp relief because more than half of the offshore companies featured in the released documents were, in fact, registered in UK overseas territories like the British Virgin Islands. Transparency International calls it the "Achilles heel" in the prime minister's crusade. Last month, the Premier of the Cayman Islands, Alden McLaughlin, argued that any register in his jurisdiction "certainly will not be available publicly or available directly by any UK or non- Cayman Islands agency". Jeremy Corbyn has questioned whether the prime minister can declare his anti-corruption plans a success if the Cayman Islands are "celebrating" in this way. Already, the heat is being turned up on Mr Cameron from other quarters too. A group of 300 economists this week demanded that the "veil of secrecy" surrounding tax havens should be lifted. A collection of Nigerian civil society groups has also sent a pointed letter to Number 10. It read: "It is ironic that the countries that pride themselves on their own lack of corruption are the very ones providing most of the corruption services to our corrupt officials. " Sarah Chayes, author of a book on global corruption called Thieves of State, still insists Mr Cameron has shown courage for holding the conference at all. "There was no way he could have convened a summit about the issue of corruption in London without the particular role of the London property market, the City, and British overseas territories in servicing this type of corruption being highlighted. That way, you were guaranteed to put yourself under the spotlight," she told me. But compliments about his courage could turn into accusations of hypocrisy if David Cameron is not able to persuade the overseas territories to do more on transparency. Many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) believe that when David Cameron leaves office he will make this issue a major theme of his post-premiership years. A lot could ride, then, on whether this summit can deliver the change the prime minister himself wants to see. 2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
85 Gordon Brown says quitting EU would not be British It would not be British to quit the EU and retreat to the periphery, ex-prime minister Gordon Brown has warned. In his first major intervention in the EU referendum, he said the UK must stop being "reluctant Europeans" and shape the continent's responses to terrorism, immigration and climate change. Claims the UK was "losing its identity" must be challenged, he told the Mirror . Leave campaigners said Mr Brown's arguments "rang hollow" as he had a "disastrous record" while in office. The British public will decide in a referendum on 23 June whether to remain in the EU or to leave. In other EU referendum developments on Wednesday: Arguments for and against the UK's continued membership have, in recent days, focused on the issues of defence, security, immigration and the economy with senior Conservatives on both sides of the argument making their cases. Ahead of a speech backing Remain at the London School of Economics, Mr Brown used articles in the Mirror and the Guardian to argue that Britain must be at the heart of European policy making. Mr Brown, who rejected calls to join the euro when he was chancellor in the 1990s, told the Mirror Britain's relationship with the EU had "always been about the benefits we can achieve in jobs, security and quality of life and how these benefits outweigh any disadvantages". "We must surely start from our needs and aspirations as British people rather than from the supposed virtues of the European Union and its institutions," he wrote. He said the UK had had a tendency to "downplay" its role in Europe since World War Two choosing instead to "cling to" the special relationship with the US. "Let's face it. Across half a century we have become reluctant Europeans. We didn't understand there was a new world in the making where influence mattered. "Surely in a world that is getting smaller, being in Europe enables us to play a part in shaping something bigger than ourselves. " He said the UK must be at the forefront at efforts to reform the single market, bring peace and prosperity to the Middle East, curb illegal immigration, step up the fight against terrorism and push for greater co-ordination of energy policy to better exploit natural resources. "I think most people would agree that it's not British or in tune with the Churchillian spirit to simply disengage when Ukraine is in turmoil. It is not British to retreat to Europe's sidelines when there is a common fight against illegal immigration and terrorism. "It is certainly not British... to allow ourselves to be on the periphery when important defence and security decisions are made, not only in Nato but in the European Union. " In a separate article for the Guardian , Mr Brown urges the EU to use its clout to take concerted action tax havens. In response, a Vote Leave spokesman said: "Gordon Brown was in a government that gave away part of our rebate and opened our borders across the EU. Lessons on the patriotic case for the EU will ring hollow from a prime minister with such a disastrous record in Europe. " Boris Johnson will kick start a UK-wide bus tour in Cornwall, a part of the country that has historically been eurosceptic. Mr Johnson and other leading Leave campaigners have been seeking to highlight what they say is the paucity of David Cameron's EU renegotiation, with former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith arguing the EU is harming the low paid widening inequality.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
86 Disney disappoints despite box office success Walt Disney has fallen short of Wall Street expectations for the first time in five years, despite several box office successes. The entertainment giant said second quarter net income rose to $2.1bn with earnings per share up 6% to $1.30, below forecasts of $1.40 a share. Films like "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Zootopia" helped drive up revenue but cable subscribers fell. Disney's shares fell 6% in after hours trading. The declining membership to Disney's sports channel -ESPN- has worried investors over the past year. Revenue from the company's cable television network fell 2% to $3.9bn as advertising income dropped. Disney, like other traditional media companies, has been hurt as more consumers move from television to streaming services. The studio division continued to generate strong profits. The animated movie "Zootopia" brought in $73.7m in its opening weekend. Revenue for the studio unit rose to $2.1bn from $1.68 last year. "Our studio's unprecedented winning streak at the box office underscores the incredible appeal of our branded content, which we continue to leverage across the entire company to drive significant value," said chief executive officer Bob Iger. Disney is struggling to layout a succession plan for Mr Iger. His expected replacement Tom Staggs, officially stepped down last week. Mr Iger has said he plans to leave in 2018.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
87 Sadiq Khan dismisses Donald Trump's Muslim ban 'exception' Sadiq Khan has rejected US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's offer to make the new London mayor an "exception" to a ban on Muslims travelling to the US. "This isn't just about me. It's about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world," he said. Mr Khan also warned that Mr Trump's "ignorant" views of Islam "could make both our countries less safe". Mr Trump said he was "happy" that Mr Khan would be leading London. "If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing," he added. Mr Khan told the BBC he was supporting Hillary Clinton - who is vying for the Democrat nomination - in her bid for the White House, adding: "I hope she trounces him. " Last year, Mr Trump, the Republican presidential hopeful, called for a temporary halt to all Muslims entering the US in the wake of the deadly terror attack in San Bernardino, California. He said many Muslims nursed a "hatred" towards America and a ban should be in force "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on". How Trump defied all predictions Trump v Republican elite - the split explained What will Clinton v Trump look like? Who will be Trump's running mate? Mr Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants and now London's first Muslim mayor, expressed concern during his election campaign that he would not be able to visit the US, if Mr Trump were elected, because of his faith. Asked by the New York Times how the ban would apply to Mr Khan, Mr Trump said: "There will always be exceptions. " But in response, the new London mayor said: "This isn't just about me - it's about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world. " He added: "Donald Trump's ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe - it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays in to the hands of the extremists. "Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam - London has proved him wrong. " Mr Khan officially took office on Saturday following Thursday's election, which saw him defeat his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614 - giving him a larger personal mandate than either of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone. Mr Khan accused the Conservatives of using tactics "straight out of the Donald Trump playbook" in their campaign against him during the mayoral race, saying: "They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other. " But senior Conservatives including Chancellor George Osborne and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon have defended the tone of the Tory campaign, saying it was part of the "rough and tumble" of an election.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
88 Donald Trump's road to the nomination - In Photos: Donald Trump's Road To The GOP Nomination The 2016 presidential race began with 17 candidates on the Republican side. Now, Donald Trump is the last man standing--and t he presumptive GOP nominee. Here's a look at how he got there. Photo: AP Photo/Steve Helber
2016-05-11 03:46 Frances Bridges www.forbes.com
89 MPs 'pay relatives £5,600 more than other staff', watchdog reveals Family members employed by MPs are paid on average £5,600 more than other staff, a watchdog has revealed. Pay of such "connected parties" has also risen at twice the rate of other staff, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) found. The group called for a review of whether MPs should be allowed to employ relatives in the future, arguing jobs must not be "personal benefits". In total, 139 MPs employ family members at a public annual cost of about £4.5m. The review will only apply to future staffing as the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said it would be "unfair and legally challengeable" to investigate existing contractual arrangements. The watchdog, which is responsible for determining MPs' pay and expenses, said there was a lingering "perception of risk" about whether the taxpayer was getting value for money in terms of the number of family members and close business associates working for MPs. After reviewing the matter in 2010, Ipsa decided against prohibiting the employment of family members, saying it did not believe the system was being abused and family members played a "valuable role" in assisting MPs - while limiting their numbers to one per MP. The watchdog said it was still happy with the majority of contractual arrangements but believed that controls preventing the misuse of funds were "limited". Since relatives generally occupied more senior roles it found they were paid "significantly more" than other staff. "Public concern about the employment of connected parties has remained," it said. "In order to determine whether these constitute any grounds for concern, Ipsa would need to undertake intrusive and potentially disproportionate work to investigate the employment practices in MPs' offices. "But, given that there remains a perception of risk to taxpayers' money, we are obliged to address it. Therefore we are consulting again on the practice, but only in respect of the employment by MPs of any new staff. " The issue will be considered as part of a wider review of business costs and expenses payable to MPs - with any change to the rules likely to take effect either next year or after the next election, scheduled for 2020. Ipsa is also looking into the £4.4m cost of paying off staff who worked for the 182 MPs who retired at the last election or lost their seats. While all the sums were within the rules, it expressed concern that £975,000 was paid to 125 staff who were taken on by newly elected MPs within the subsequent 10 weeks - "sometimes in the same constituency and in the same role". As MPs are all separately self-employed, it said the election represented a "legal break" in the staffers' employment but it noted that in other areas of the public sector the rules had been changed to prevent staff from getting pay-offs if they are soon taken on in a similar field.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
90 Ombudsman: Patients sent home afraid and with little support NHS patients in England are being sent home from hospital afraid and with little support, an ombudsman report reveals. The independent arbitrator investigated 211 such complaints in a year. Among them is the case of a 80-year-old woman, repeatedly sent home in a confused state to an empty house, only to be readmitted to hospital when neighbours raised the alarm. The NHS says the findings will be taken seriously and improvement is under way. The report shows that some of the most vulnerable patients, including frail and elderly people, are enduring harrowing ordeals when they leave hospital. And that poor planning, co-ordination and communication between hospital staff and between health and social care services are failing patients, compromising their safety and dignity. One patient, a woman in her late 90s, died in her granddaughter's arms shortly after being sent home from hospital in an ambulance, without a proper examination. And a hospital transferred a distressed elderly woman to a nursing home in "a dishevelled state" with a tube (cannula) still in her arm. One complaint to the ombudsman was from a family whose mother had been left in her home with no food, drink or bedding, unable to care for herself or get to the toilet. Another was from a daughter whose frail mother, Pam, spent months in and out of hospital before her death. Pam, born Alma Waller, was 80 when she died. In the months leading up to her death in 2012, she was sent home from hospital several times. She lived alone and had Parkinson's disease and dementia. She was frail and unstable on her feet. After initially being admitted to hospital following a fall, she was discharged and readmitted three times over a three-month period. Her daughter, Angela Little, from Stevenage, says she still has nightmares about the poor care her mum received. "She was an infirm old lady and the hospital still sent her home. The ambulance driver had to carry her in because she was so weak. "I drove from my house, which is 40 minutes away, and I found this little old lady hunched in a chair shaking. She was absolutely terrified. " Angela says her mother had contemplated ending her own life because she was so distraught. Pam was admitted to another hospital where she stayed until her death three weeks later. Angela says: "I still can't believe what happened. Things need to change. " Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) Julie Mellor said: "Health and social care leaders must work harder to uncover why 10 years of guidance to prevent unsafe discharge is not being followed, causing misery and distress for patients, families and carers. " The body that produces guidelines - the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - said its recommendations were clear and should be followed. The Department of Health said the failings were unacceptable and it would ensure "lessons are learnt". The PHSO report outlines four main issues: The PHSO investigated 221 complaints - an increase of over a third in the previous year. Over half of these were upheld or partly upheld. A spokesman from NHS Improvement said patients should never be discharged from hospital without the appropriate safeguards in place. But he said neither should patients remain stuck in hospital. "Rather than frail elderly people staying in hospital longer than they need to, it is better to get patients home as quickly as possible and to assess them in their own homes rather than in a hospital - but this must be done with the right help and support in place. " Phil McCarvill from the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS providers and commissioners, said: "The experiences of the people in this report were unacceptable and we know that everyone in the NHS will take the findings seriously. " The charity Independent Age said: "The individual cases highlighted by this report are tragic in their own right, but they are also a sign of a health service under severe strain. " The Royal College of Nursing said it was hard for staff to consistently provide high quality, safe patient care without the right resources. Follow Michelle on Twitter
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
91 Ancient trade routes written in camel genes A study of one of the world's most important domesticated animals - the dromedary camel - has revealed how its genetic diversity has been shaped by ancient trade routes. Scientists examined DNA samples from more than 1,000 one-humped camels. Despite populations being hundreds of miles apart, they were genetically very similar. Scientists explained that centuries of cross-continental trade had led to this "blurring" of genetics. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . One of the team, Prof Olivier Hanotte, from Nottingham University, explained that what made the dromedary so biologically fascinating was its close link to human history. "They have moved with people, through trading," he told BBC News. "So by analysing dromedaries, we can find a signature of our own past. " In search of this signature, the researchers compared samples of DNA - the carrier of genetic information - from populations across the camels' range. "Our international collaboration meant we were able to get samples from West Africa, Pakistan, Oman and even Syria," Prof Hanotte explained. The domesticated dromedary was adopted as a beast of burden around 3,000 years ago and, well into the 20th Century, trade caravans that sometimes consisted of thousands of animals, would transport goods across the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Prof Hanotte explained: "People would travel hundreds of miles with their camels carrying all their precious goods. And when they reached the Mediterranean, the animals would be exhausted. "So they would leave those animals to recover and take new animals for their return journey. " This caused centuries of genetic "shuffling", making dromedaries that are separated by entire continents remarkably similar. Crucially, this has also ensured that the animals maintained their genetic diversity - constantly mixing up the population. This means that dromedaries are likely to be much more adaptable in the face of a changing environment. "Climate change, for example, is characterised by rising temperatures, more extreme weather patterns and more areas becoming less suitable for livestock," said Prof Hanotte. " "The dromedary will be our better option for livestock production - of meat and milk. "It could replace cattle and even sheep and goats that are less well-adapted. " Follow Victoria on Twitter
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
92 Footage shows bottles being thrown at Man Utd bus Bottles were thrown and windows smashed after Manchester United's coach was attacked on the way to Upton Park. The team were due to play West Ham's last game at the stadium. The match had been due to start at 19:45 BST but was pushed back to 20:30.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
93 Australian mum reveals quintuplets in photo shoot An Australian mother who gave birth to quintuplets in January has released a photo shoot of her unlikely new arrivals. Perth resident Kim Tucci, 26, took just two minutes to give birth to her four daughters and one son, who were conceived naturally. A team of 50 doctors and nurses assisted with the planned caesarean and all of the children were born healthy. The chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is about one in 55 million. Mrs Tucci's story gained prominence through her Facebook page, Surprised by Five, where she recorded the details of her pregnancy. Local business Erin Elizabeth Photography, which helped document Mrs Tucci's pregnancy, organised the quintuplets' photo shoot. "50 fingers 50 toes, 6 hearts beating at once. My body fought the toughest of battles to get five babies here safely," Mrs Tucci, 26, wrote when she posted the photos. "Everything I did I did for them. " In an interview with Australian current affairs program 60 Minutes in April, Mrs Tucci said she felt like her body was "shutting down" during the pregnancy. She said that doctors originally offered her the choice of saving two of the babies while terminating the others, due to serious health risks to both her and the unborn children. "No-one thought I could do it, and I did, I showed everyone in my life," Mrs Tucci told 60 Minutes. Mrs Tucci and her husband Vaughn already have a nine-year-old son and daughters aged two and four. The Tuccis are attempting to raise money for a van that is big enough to fit their entire family.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
94 Do you inherit your parent's mental illness? In the battle to find what causes mental illness, scientists are increasingly looking at genetic factors. For James Longman - whose father killed himself after suffering from schizophrenia - it's a very personal question. I'm often told I look like my dad, that I have his mannerisms and some of his habits. It's something I take pride in. But it's also something that worries me because he had schizophrenia, and when I was nine, he took his own life. After a particularly bad two-week episode, he set fire to his flat in London, and threw himself out of a window. Some of the details of his life and death have only become clear while looking into this story. Multiple suicide attempts; walking around London in just a bathrobe; hearing voices. They are details that contrast so strongly with the man I remember from when he was well - happy, creative and funny. Twenty years earlier, his own father - my grandfather - had shot himself after finding out he had cancer. I also have other family with mental health issues. Now in my twenties I sometimes struggle with depression. So I naturally think - is this something that runs in my family? Find out more James Longman's film is on the Victoria Derbyshire programme. Watch the programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. For a lot of people, mental health is a difficult thing to talk about. But those who deal with these issues can often point to family members with similar problems. Do I get depressed because of the trauma of losing my father in such tragic circumstances? Or is it written into my DNA? At King's College London (KCL), researchers have been looking into the genetics of mental health. Studies into twins and family histories have proved that mental health illnesses have a genetic contribution. But it's only in the past few years scientists have been able to fully identify the genetic changes that might be causing that increase in risk. Prof Cathryn Lewis, a researcher from the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre explains: "It's really hard to identify the genetics for mental health disorders. We learn at school about simple Mendelian [relating to the laws of Gregor Mendel] diseases - like Huntington's or cystic fibrosis - where there is the gene, a single gene that contributes to it. "Mental health disorders are not about a single gene but about a collection of genes. We need to start thinking about this as a cumulative loading of genetics. " The work at KCL is still in its early stages. But it has been found there are 108 genes with changes in people with schizophrenia. Now, nine genes have been found across those with depression, and 20 in people who have bipolar disorder. There are almost certainly many more still to find and scientists say many of these genes will be shared across the different conditions. Making sense of my genetic legacy is important, because it allows me to break away from the feelings of inevitability that depression gives you. Is this meant to happen? Am I meant to get over this? Is this bigger than me? "Evidence from the last few years also suggests that many mental disorders share common genetic risk factors - for instance, genetic variation associated with schizophrenia overlaps with both depression and bipolar disorder," says Lewis. My father's schizophrenia has not been passed down to me - as I haven't experienced any of the symptoms I would have had by now - but perhaps some of the genetic coding we share has caused me to experience depression. Siblings can have very different outcomes. Twins Lucy and Jonny have a bipolar mother. Jonny has also suffered from the condition, while Lucy has not. "When I have a bad episode I'm not able to drag myself out of bed," says Jonny. "Or if I do, maybe next level, I'm able to drag myself out of bed but I can't understand things. I literally can't understand how things fit together. There's cloudiness in my brain. So there are lots of physical aspects of feeling what people are calling mentally unwell. " I asked him how he felt when he was diagnosed with his mother's illness. "Oh my God. So many different emotions and intellectual responses that you go through. I cried with relief. " But he continued: "I'm my mother's child. But I feel like my own condition is unique. Because every mental health condition is unique to that person. " If you have a depressed parent, you're twice as likely to experience depression. With bipolar, you're four times more at risk. And in schizophrenia - which my dad had - it's eight times. But these are relative risks - overall risk remains very low. And, as ever, there's a certain amount of chance involved in picking up genetic traits. Our upbringings and what we experience as children and adults has a huge influence on whether or not we develop mental illness. My father's death has had a huge impact on my life and on my relationship with my mother. She too has depression - brought on perhaps by my father's death. So it was vital that I spoke to her, to understand a little more of what she went through - and what worries she had about me. The sense of failure she felt in not being able to stop his death was clear. So too were her concerns about me developing a psychotic illness like my dad. She describes the day he died. She came into my school to tell me, and remembers my nine- year-old face looking up at her from her lap, my legs swinging between hers. I'd cry at night, she told me, calling out for my dad. I remember none of this. But her fears about me inheriting a serious condition like schizophrenia are behind her. "He would be very proud of you now," she says. "Very, very proud you're doing all the things he would never be able to achieve. In his heart, he would feel: 'Oh wow, what a great young man - we made him.'" Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
95 Claims against cops who stuffed man in mental hospital advance Contact WND A federal appeals court has reinstated a constitutional violations damage lawsuit against several police officers who handcuffed a Waynesboro, Virginia, man and locked him up in a mental health facility for nearly week for having a chronic disease similar to multiple sclerosis. They believed he was hallucinating, and, according to the newest ruling in the case, from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, didn’t bother with the facts. “The facts as alleged in the complaint ⦠provided no reasonable basis for the officers to have concluded that [Gordon] Goines was a danger to himself or others. Goines alleged that he went to the police ‘because he did not know how the neighbor would react’ to a confrontation with Goines and ‘he did not want to ‘get in a fight’ with the neighbor,” the 4th Circuit panel’s opinion said Tuesday. “Goines, though having speech and other physical difficulties, exhibited no signs of mental illness and made no threats to harm himself or others, but instead sought the help of the police to avoid confrontation and potential fight with a neighbor who had spliced into Goines’ cable line. It’s time for “Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare is Becoming our Reality,” by Cheryl Chumley, who chronicles how America has arrived at the point of being a de facto police state. “Under these facts, the officers lacked probable cause for an emergency mental-health detention, and Goines’ complaint therefore alleges a constitutional violation.” Officials with the Rutherford Institute, who have been fighting on behalf of Gordon Goines, a 37- year-old man who suffers from a neurological condition that leaves him with slurred speech and an unsteady walk, said the ruling will allow them to pursue the lawsuit against the police officers to whom Goines went for help. He ended up strip searched, handcuffed to a table and diagnosed with “mental health issues,” even though that was not the case. “Goines’ complaint tells the story of police who assumed from Goines’ physical difficulties that he was mentally ill and never actually listened to what Goines was telling them,” the appeals court found. “By giving government officials the power to declare individuals mentally ill and detain them against their will without first ensuring that they are actually trained to identify such illness, the government has opened the door to a system in which involuntary detentions can be used to make people disappear,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Indeed, government officials in the Cold War-era Soviet Union often used psychiatric hospitals as prisons in order to isolate political prisoners from the rest of society, discredit their ideas, and break them physically and mentally.” WND reported earlier Goines’ affliction is cerebellar ataxia, and as a result he “has difficulty at times with his balance, causing him to walk unsteadily, speaks slowly and with a slur and has problems with fine motor skills.” But he has no cognitive impairment and is of above-average intelligence, the report from Rutherford noted. Police officers “wrongfully arrested, strip searched, handcuffed to a table” Goines. Then he was locked up for five days in a mental health hospital against his will â and with no access to family and friends, Rutherford reported. The Fourth Amendment lawsuit explained that it was on May 15, 2014, when Goines had difficulty with his cable service. He called the company, and a technician told him a neighbor had spliced into his service, suggesting Goines call police. It’s time for “Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare is Becoming our Reality,” by Cheryl Chumley, who chronicles how America has arrived at the point of being a de facto police state. He walked across the street to the Waynesboro Police Department to report the theft, and one responding officer said Goines was having “mental-health issues.” The officers asked him if he wanted to talk to someone, and Goines, thinking they meant about the cable theft, agreed. Instead of addressing the theft, the officers handcuffed him and took him to the Augusta County Medical Center, where he was interviewed by a screener who was not a licensed medical professional, clinical psychologist or social worker. He then was taken to the Crossroads Mental Health Center, where he was held until a later hearing found he had no mental illness. Mental health screener Jenna Rhodes of the Valley Community Services Board was dismissed from the lawsuit, in part because her information for making a decision was based on the officers’ contention that Goines was suffering from mental health issues. But the officers had no excuse, said the ruling, which now will allow the damages complaint to continue in district court. “Goines alleged that he has no mental illness, and the facts he described in the complaint â noises in the television line and signal disruption caused by a neighbor splicing into Goines’ cable line and a desire not to fight with the thieving neighbor â provide no basis for the officers to have reasonably concluded otherwise,” the ruling continued. “Because Goines’ complaint plausibly alleges facts that no reasonable officer would have found sufficient to justify an emergency mental-health detention, the complaint states a constitutional violation by the officers for which they would not be entitled to qualified immunity.” The opinion said the officers “simply assumed a threat without exploring whether the situation reflected some misunderstanding, a bizarre but non-dangerous incident, or something more problematic.”
2016-05-11 01:00 Bob Unruh www.wnd.com
96 Facebook Moments facial-recognition app launches in Europe Facebook has launched its facial-recognition- powered photo-sharing app in the EU and Canada. The program - Moments - was released in some countries in 2015, but withheld elsewhere because of local data privacy rules. The company has created a different version of the software to get around these restrictions. But it acknowledged the new edition required "a little bit of work" for users to get the most out of it. Moment's core features are that it automatically groups together photos featuring the same friend or friends, and then makes it easy to share the pictures with them if they have installed the same app. In the original version, the snaps are automatically tagged with people's names, because Facebook is able to match them to other photos in its wider database. But data protection watchdogs in the EU and Canada had expressed concern their citizens would have no way to opt out of the process. To address this, the adapted app now links together photos of similar-looking faces but requires the user to identify who they are. Moments is not the only app to use facial recognition to sort images. Google Photos is the most popular alternative to do so. But the search giant has yet to extend the facility to Europe, to avoid falling foul of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. Facebook has not disclosed how many people have signed up to Moments since its release on the US's iOS and Android stores 11 months ago. However, the company has said more than 600 million pictures have been shared via the app so far. "Our primary purpose is to solve a problem that we know that people have, where they never get the photos that their friends take of them," the app's product manager Will Ruben told the BBC. "We view that as a pretty different type of sharing than might happen on Facebook, where people share photos more broadly with a large group of friends or even publicly. "Moments is closer to the type of sharing that might happen these days on Whatsapp or other [private] messaging apps - but it places the photos together into a collection. " Users decide which photos are shared with the people labelled in them, and can withdraw access at a later point. They can also use the app to turn selected photos into slideshows that can be shared to their Facebook wall and elsewhere. The technique - which Facebook refers to as "facial clustering" - still relies on some processing being done beyond the user's handset, but Facebook said it had taken great lengths to comply with the EU and Canada's privacy rules. "A cropped low-resolution of the photo is uploaded [to the cloud] so that your phone gets a numerical representation of that face," Mr Ruben said. "But that number is not stored anywhere on our servers, and it is only used to compare against the other photos on your phone. "No comparison is being done on the server. " Copies of the images are, however, stored at Facebook's data centres as soon as they are shared with someone else. "Facebook has notified this office of the Moments app and advised us that within the EU version of the Moments app they do not control or initiate the use of any feature recognition technology," said a spokeswoman for the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. "Consideration of this development is ongoing and we will more closely look at the technical details of the app following its release. " Mr Ruben said Facebook believed the original version of Moments remained the "best version" but the new edition was still "easy to use. "You don't need to label all the faces on your phone," he said. "The idea is to share with the people closest to you, so usually it's just the top 10 people or so. " One industry-watcher said the lack of auto-tagging might slow the app's adoption. "Any additional effort that people have to put into a service creates a barrier," said Ben Wood, from the tech consultancy CCS Insight. "The seamless experience in other markets is therefore more compelling. "However, once people invest a little time, they will see the benefits, and it could catch on, on that basis. " Facebook's use of facial recognition has, however, caused controversy in the US. Last week, a US judge refused to block a class action case in which it is claimed the technology violates Illinois's Biometric Privacy Act. The law states biology-based identifiers - including facial maps and fingerprints - cannot be collected without their owners' explicit consent. Google is also being sued over the matter.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
97 Buried without a name More than 1,250 unnamed men, women and children have been buried in unmarked graves in 70 sites in Turkey, Greece and Italy since 2014, a BBC investigation has found. The majority died trying to cross the Mediterranean to seek a new life in Europe. But who cares for these dead? Where are they buried? And how can desperate relatives many miles away discover if their missing loved ones are among the drowned? Tap here to read their story.
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
98 Reality Check: Do EU migrants take jobs from UK- born workers? The claim: The number of migrant workers coming to the UK makes it more difficult for UK- born workers to find jobs - for every 100 migrants who get a job, 23 UK-born workers are displaced. Reality Check verdict: This figure does not show the impact of EU migrants. It refers to non-EU migrants and there are further important caveats - those who stay for more than five years do not displace British-born workers, the impact is significant in times of economic downturn only, and it is not considered permanent. Iain Duncan Smith has been talking about the effect of migration on workers in the construction industry. He said: "The government's own Migration Advisory Committee reported that for every 100 migrants employed 23 UK-born workers would have been displaced. " The figure does appear in a 2012 report by the government's independent committee. But what Mr Duncan Smith doesn't mention is that the figure referred to is the impact of migrants from outside the EU coming to the UK between 1995 and 2010. No statistically significant effects were found for EU migrants coming to the UK. There are also a few important caveats to the findings. Firstly, those migrants who had been in the UK for five years or more were not found to displace British-born workers. Secondly, the impact of migration on native employment was only significant in times of economic downturn, not in buoyant economic times. Thirdly, the displacement found should not be considered permanent. Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate
2016-05-11 03:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
99 Panama Papers: Emma Watson named in latest offshore data release E mma Watson used an offshore company leaked by the Panama Papers to purchase a multi- million pound property. The actress, currently taking a break from acting to campaign for feminism, bought a London home in 2013 a month after setting up an entity called Falling Leaves in the British Virgin Islands. But Watson denied any suggestion of tax avoidance, saying the account was set up for the sole purpose of “protecting her anonymity and safety”. A spokesman for the 26-year-old Harry Potter star said: “Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever, only privacy.” The spokesman was unavailable for comment last night relating specifically to the property deal. Her account came to light after data collated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) was published online for the first time. More than 200,000 offshore account details from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, are now available. “UK companies are required to publicly publish details of their shareholders and therefore do not give her the necessary anonymity required to protect her personal safety, which has been jeopardised in the past owing to such information being publicly available,” Watson’s spokesman said. “Offshore companies do not publish these shareholder details.” Other famous names listed in the papers include the Duchess of York, The X Factor’s Simon Cowell and Paul Burrell, the former butler to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. W atson, who is worth £35 million, according to The Sunday Times, appears in two films this year, alongside Tom Hanks in The Circle, and in a new Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. But the actress, who played Hermione Granger in the Potter films, said in February that she wanted to spend a year reading literature and developing HeForShe, a UN initiative for gender equality. Yesterday she was among signatures on an open letter on The Telegraph website urging Sadiq Khan, the new London Mayor, to erect a statue of the suffragettes in Parliament Square. In other Panama Papers revelations yesterday, it emerged that BP signed a multimillion-dollar contract for work in Iraq in 2014 with Unaoil, a firm that had been linked to corruption allegations there. BP confirmed it had hired Unaoil for engineering services. Other figures who have previously come under scrutiny include David Cameron, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Lionel Messi the footballer. Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson resigned after being named in the papers.
2016-05-11 00:58 Tom Morgan www.telegraph.co.uk
100 Nasa's official count of exoplanets more than doubles The Milky Way just got a lot more crowded - with planets. Nasa has announced 1,284 new planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, called exoplanets - on top of about 1,000 previously authenticated exoplanets detected by the Kepler Space Telescope since its launch in 2009. It is the biggest planetary collection to be verified in a single swoop. "One of the great questions of all time, and one of Nasa's science objectives in our journey to the solar system and beyond, is whether we are alone in the universe," said Paul Hertz, director of astrophysics for Nasa. "The first step in answering this question is to detect and understand the population of planets around other stars. " According to Nasa, more than 3,200 exoplanets have been confirmed, out of nearly 5,000 candidates discovered to date from all sources, including ground observatories. Kepler has accounted for the vast majority. The old process for confirming planets among the Kepler-identified candidates involved slow and laborious follow-up observations by ground telescopes. This new batch of planets comes from a statistical analysis led by Princeton University researcher Timothy Morton, and there are sure to be more - possibly as many as 1,327 - from among the Kepler-detected candidates listed in the telescope catalogue as of last July. "This is the most exoplanets that have ever been announced at one time," Mr Morton told reporters. The research was published by Astrophysical Journal. Princeton's method - using a fast automated software system called Vespa - puts the likelihood of true planethood for each confirmed planet at more than 99%. Vespa relies on thousands of incoming signals from Kepler's candidate planets. A periodic dip in a star's brightness is the telescope's tip-off of a potential planet. The Princeton technique verified 984 previously confirmed planets spotted by Kepler, which spent four years peering continuously at 150,000 stars in a particular area of the sky. This new method also concluded that just over 700 other candidate planets detected by Kepler are probably impostors, possibly small companion stars. Of the 1,284 newly verified planets, nearly 550 are thought to be Earth or super Earth-sized and possibly rocky, according to Nasa. This includes more than 100 new planets estimated to be 1.2 times the radius of Earth or smaller. Nine of these close-to-Earth-sized planets appear to orbit in the habitable zone of their stars. The tally for the "Goldilocks zone" of not too hot and not too cold, allowing for liquid water, stands at 21 exoplanets after the announcement. Natalie Batalha, Kepler mission scientist at Nasa's Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California, called this exclusive list the "hall of fame". Kepler is by far the keenest spy when it comes to exoplanets. It had a close call last month when it went into emergency mode, 75 million miles away, but flight controllers managed to resuscitate the craft. Mission manager Charlie Sobeck assured reporters that the problem, while still unidentified, appears to have been transient and the telescope is performing just as well as before the episode. It is on an extended mission, having completed its primary objectives in 2012. Nasa plans to launch another planet hunter next year. Scientists said the Princeton method will be directly applicable to future missions as well.
2016-05-11 00:56 www.independent.ie
Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-05-11 06:02