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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-07-17 12:01 1 Turkish protesters rally against coup attempt in major cities

(2.05/3) Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to protest the coup attempt which killed at least 194 people and led to chaos in major cities in Turkey, Hurriyet News reported 2016-07-17 10:47 1KB www.mid-day.com 2 Military Coup In Turkey: Military Says It’s In Charge

(2.05/3) State says it’s in talks with Coup commanders for surrender. More liveblogging from on the ground from @The_Hindu... 2016-07-17 10:02 1KB spectator.org 3 Turkey coup attempt: Pictures from the aftermath of coup attempt (1.05/3) Images from the morning after a failed coup attempt in Turkey, which the government says has left more than 160 people dead and lead to the arrest of nearly 3,000 soldiers. 2016-07-17 08:51 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 4 Turkish Forces Try To Crush Remnants Of Coup (1.02/3) By David Dolan and Gulsen Solaker ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish authorities rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters on Saturday and ordered thousands of judges detained after thwart 2016-07-17 10:02 10KB dailycaller.com 5 Top Pakistani Model Murdered By Her Brother in Honor Killing

(1.02/3) Qandeel Baloch, a model considered Pakistan’s version of Kim Kardashian, was strangled in her sleep by her brother in an honor killing during... 2016-07-17 08:52 1KB spectator.org 6 Padres 7, Giants 6 San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Span cf 5 1 2 0 0.251 Pagan lf 5 1 3 2 0 1 .289 Belt 1b 4 0 1 1… 2016-07-17 12:00 1KB wtop.com (1.00/3) 7 When will the Labour leadership result be announced? When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters (0.30/3) All you need to know about the leadership contest. 2016-07-17 08:49 14KB www.newstatesman.com 8 JC Nel time-trials into Jock Tour lead ProTouch rider JC Nel made a flying start to the Bestmed Jock Tour when he took the honours in the stage one individual time- trial at Kaapsehoop outside Nelspruit‚ Mpumalanga‚ on Friday. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 9 Two AWB members arrested for unlicensed weapons Two AWB members – one of the them the organisation’s leader in the Vaal Triangle area - have been arrested after being found in possession of an assortment of firearms and ammunition‚ the Hawks have disclosed. 2016-07-17 12:00 926Bytes www.timeslive.co.za 10 Dramatic Turkey footage reveals horrifying violence of coup struggle (GRAPHIC VIDEO, IMAGES) — RT News Graphic images and videos emerging from Turkey after a night of unrest highlight the extremity of violence witnessed during the attempted overnight military coup that has left 265 people dead so far. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.rt.com 11 Cosafa Cup triumph not enough to boost Bafana's ranking on Fifa list Despite their winning run at the 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup‚ South Africa have moved up just a single place in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 12 Turkish rebels hold navy head, frigate – reports — RT News Turkish rebels held captive a frigate at the Golcuk naval base, along with the head of the Turkish navy, a Greek military source told local media. 2016-07-17 12:00 1KB www.rt.com 13 Four people in custody after Nice attack: judicial source Four men believed to be linked to the Tunisian man who killed 84 people when he drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice were arrested overnight Saturday, a judicial source said. 2016-07-17 12:00 5KB www.timeslive.co.za 14 UFC confirms Brock Lesnar has failed drug test — RT Sport The UFC has confirmed that American fighter Brock Lesnar has failed an out-of-competition drug test. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.rt.com

15 Stiff CAF Cup challenge looms for Mazembe Leaders TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo face their toughest CAF Confederation Cup Group A test when they tackle second-place Mouloudia Bejaia in Algeria this weekend. 2016-07-17 12:00 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 16 Controversy hits SA Olympic team Controversy hit the unveiling of the South African Olympic team on Thursday, with sprinter Akani Simbine kicked off the 200m and medal hope discus giant Victor Hogan failing a dope test. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 17 There's no place to hide in Sevens rugby There will not be a more tightly contested, open medal at those Games. 2016-07-17 12:00 4KB www.timeslive.co.za 18 Kaizer, Iron Duke show maturity Latest news from South Africa, World, Politics, Entertainment and Lifestyle. The home of The Times and Sunday Times newspaper. 2016-07-17 12:00 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 19 Presidency still mum on woman’s Zuma blessee claims The Presidency is yet to comment on pictures circulating on social media purporting to show President Jacob Zuma with a young women to whom he is more than just a “blesser”. 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 20 Pierce Transit approves $3 million in upgrades to transit centers, Park & Ride Pierce Transit is moving forward with a $3 million plan to spruce up three transit centers and one of its main Park & Rides, facilities that haven’t had a substantial overhaul in the decades since they were built. 2016-07-17 12:00 4KB www.thenewstribune.com 21 Davao quarantine officer sacked over alleged extortion DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The Duterte administration is on a roll, this time relieving a quarantine officer at the Sasa Port here for allegedly demanding grease money from banana 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 22 Turn ‘Hacienda Binay’ into drug rehab facility—Trillanes Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday asked the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to sequester the so-called “Hacienda Binay” in Batangas and convert it into a drug rehabilitation 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

23 Recto files bill extending passport validity to 10 years Senator Ralph Recto has filed a bill lengthening the validity period of the Philippine passport from five years to 10 years. In his proposed bill, Recto wants to amend Section 10 of 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 24 Sizing up Tinseltown’s most eligible bachelors WHAT would it take to get some of Tinseltown’s most eligible actors to leave their bachelor days behind? Here’s our Q&A with Coco Martin, Gerald Anderson, Dennis Trillo and Alden 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB entertainment.inquirer.net 25 Police: 5-Year-Old Boy Shot to Death in Cincinnati Home Police say a 5-year-old boy had died after being shot in the head in his Cincinnati home. The child was with his 11-year-old brother on the second floor when the incident happened just after noon on Saturday. Police tell The Cincinnati Enquirer (... 2016-07-17 12:00 1KB abcnews.go.com 26 Sheriff: 3 Dead, 1 Wounded in Washington State Shootings The Clark County Sheriff's Office says a 35-year-old man suspected of killing three people in a home near Woodland is in custody. Authorities said Brent Luyster was arrested without incident Saturday afternoon in the deaths of two men and a woman the night before. A... 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB abcnews.go.com 27 New flaw identified in the new fleet of Mumbai locals Small openings in the motor coach of new trains led to glitches during rains. They had to be sealed with masking tape 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.mid-day.com 28 14 people die after consuming spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh Fourteen people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Aliganj area here following which five government employees, including three of the Excise department, have been suspended, police said on Sunday 2016-07-17 12:00 2KB www.mid-day.com

29 Navi Mumbai: Real estate developers talk of living in the shadow of fear The real estate boom outside Mumbai may have made the rich, richer. But, those in the business are under constant threat from gangsters and rivals 2016-07-17 11:17 8KB www.mid-day.com 30 Raped and bludgeoned, minor girl dies in hospital A minor girl who was bludgeoned with a stone after being raped in Kidwai Nagar area of the city, died during treatment at a hospital here, police said today 2016-07-17 11:10 1KB www.mid-day.com 31 World’s super radio telescope releases first image of galaxies CARNARVON, South Africa — Even operating at a quarter of its eventual capacity, South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope showed off its phenomenal power Saturday, revealing 1,300 galaxies in 2016-07-17 11:04 3KB technology.inquirer.net 32 Donald Trump changes campaign logo after being mocked online The campaign of US Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump unveiled a new logo on Saturday, a day after an original logo was mocked widely on social media 2016-07-17 10:49 1KB www.mid-day.com 33 5.0 magnitude earthquake jolts Japan An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale, jolted Japan's Ibaraki prefecture on Sunday, officials said 2016-07-17 10:45 991Bytes www.mid-day.com 34 Sania Mirza: A lot of women thanked me for speaking on their behalf World No 1 doubles players grit and success on and off the court makes her the ideal Indian woman sporting icon. A new book offers fascinating insight into the gutsy Hyderabadi’s exploits against the odds 2016-07-17 10:43 4KB www.mid-day.com 35 26 patients on life support after Nice attack: French Health Ministry At least 26 people, including five children, who were injured in the truck attack in France's NIce on July 14, are currently on life support, French Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday 2016-07-17 10:15 1KB www.mid-day.com

36 How al-Qaeda inspired the Nice terror attack What would make Brexit negotiations better? Here are 8 simple suggestions The terror group recommended that jihadis use “a pickup truck as a mowing machine” in crowded locations. 2016-07-17 08:49 12KB www.newstatesman.com 37 Most Americans pessimistic about race relations — poll WASHINGTON, United States — An overwhelming majority of Americans think the next president should place "major" focus on improving US race relations, which most see as "generally 2016-07-17 10:15 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 38 Venezuela re-opens Colombian border Venezuela has opened its border with Colombia for the second time this month to allow people to cross over to shop for basic amenities 2016-07-17 10:13 1KB www.mid-day.com 39 Mary Kom, the perennial crowd-puller Five-time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medal- winning boxer MC Mary Kom may have failed to make it to the Rio Olympics, but she remains a crowd favourite nevertheless. 2016-07-17 10:07 3KB www.mid-day.com 40 Standing Tall on the Platform The Talmud (Yoma 22b-23a) poses a challenge to the man of virtue, fighting for noble causes, who is belittled by... 2016-07-17 10:02 4KB spectator.org 41 Nintendo To Release Mini NES With 30 Games Built In Nintendo will be releasing a miniature version of their classic video game system, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), with 30 pre-loaded games in November. The mini-NES is slated to be releas 2016-07-17 10:02 3KB dailycaller.com 42 The GOP’s Embarrassing Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots The news is stark and brutal. Yet again another attack from radical Islam... 2016-07-17 10:02 8KB spectator.org 43 Shannon Watts Blames NRA For Disarming Of Courthouse Security Officer On Monday, Michael Bloomberg surrogate Shannon Watts issued a tweet blaming NRA for a shooting at a courthouse in Berrigan, MI. “THIS,” she typed, “is outcome [sic] of @NRA’s dangerous agenda 2016-07-17 10:02 3KB dailycaller.com

44 Saudi Ambassador Connected To Al-Qaida, Documents Reveal The unclassified 28 pages of the 9/11 report reveal that the FBI and CIA had evidence connecting Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, nicknamed Bandar Bush, to al-Qaida and men close to the 9/11 hijackers. 2016-07-17 10:02 6KB dailycaller.com 45 Can Tesla Produce Elon Musk's Grand Vision? Tesla Motors’ recent financial problems are likely a result of the company’s inability to deliver on the lofty visions of its president and CEO, Elon Musk, according to the co-founder of one tech 2016-07-17 10:02 4KB dailycaller.com 46 Will Japan Become The Next Big Military Superpower? Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has long dreamed of cutting the constitutional amendment that prohibits Japan from waging war. “I am a patriot. I would think there are no politicians who are n 2016-07-17 10:02 7KB dailycaller.com 47 Silicon Valley Billionaires Blast Trump In Open Letter The hypocrisy is a bit thick in here. A list of 145 tech executives signed an open letter recently blasting the immigration policy of Republican nominee Donald Trump for not encouraging an "inclusi 2016-07-17 10:02 4KB dailycaller.com 48 DC Metro Is Still Ignoring Safety Standards New questions over the culture at D. C. Metro arose after federal inspectors overseeing the plagued system found more than 100 safety issues and violations of worker policy throughout the first two rou 2016-07-17 10:02 3KB dailycaller.com 49 Planned 'Day of Rage' protests fail to materialize, with some exceptions — RT America Police departments nationwide anticipated “Day of Rage” protests, following the announcement by an account claiming to represent the hacker group Anonymous. It called for 36 cities to participate in response to killings of civilians by police. 2016-07-17 10:01 2KB www.rt.com 50 Curfew continues for 10th day in Kashmir Strict curfew continued for the 10th day on Sunday in the Kashmir Valley, police said 2016-07-17 09:56 2KB www.mid-day.com 51 Turkey plotters killed ‘in name of God’ ISTANBUL, Turkey — It all started on Istanbul's iconic Bosphorus bridge, where camouflaged soldiers suddenly blocked the road, the first sign for residents something extraordinary was 2016-07-17 09:53 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 52 Kashmir on curfew: 1 killed in violence, newspapers seized One person was killed on Saturday in clashes between security personnel and protesters who attacked a police post in Kupwara as protests were held in some parts of the curfew-bound Valley where 39 persons have died and over 3,100 left injured in the violence since last week 2016-07-17 09:50 2KB www.mid-day.com 53 Appeal against Bofors order escalated Sonia-Rao friction: Margaret Alva The decision by then Narasimha Rao government to appeal against a Delhi High court order quashing the Bofors case linking Rajiv Gandhi had deepened Sonia Gandhi’s suspicion over Rao, escalating friction between the two, says veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva 2016-07-17 09:50 2KB www.mid-day.com 54 Dramatic events in Arunachal, new Congress leader chosen In a dramatic turnaround in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress party on Saturday replaced Chief Minister Nabam Tuki by choosing a new leader Pema Khandu, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents 2016-07-17 09:49 2KB www.mid-day.com 55 Soon, India will have a world champion: John Duggan WBO vice president Duggan says Vijender has been successful in pro segment and next big thing for the Olympics bronze medallist will be a World title 2016-07-17 09:48 2KB www.mid-day.com 56 Smriti Irani dropped from parliamentary affairs panel Irani’s successor as HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar, gets her spot 2016-07-17 09:46 1KB www.mid-day.com 57 Mumbai: Police arrest thief who stole for buy gifts for his transgender lover The Goregaon police have arrested a habitual housebreaker, who burgled in order to buy gifts for his transgender lover 2016-07-17 09:37 1KB www.mid-day.com 58 EX-MLA Pappu Kalani's aide booked for wife's suicide The police yesterday booked a 60-year-old aide of gangster- turned politician and former Ulhasnagar MLA, Pappu Kalani, for abetting his second wife's alleged suicide 2016-07-17 09:32 2KB www.mid-day.com 59 Now, an archaeological reason to save Aarey Colony A team of experts from the Centre for Extra Mural Studies of Mumbai University and the Department of Ancient India Culture, Sathaye College in Vile Parle, have found antiquities across various parts of the city, including Marol, adjacent to Aarey Milk Colony 2016-07-17 09:29 2KB www.mid-day.com 60 Mumbai: Shiv Sena win the trust of the BEST employees over NCP Shiv Sena has received a shot in the arm ahead of next year's BMC polls. In a first in 50 years, the party on Friday won the trust of the BEST employees in the elections of the Workers Coope- rative Credit Society 2016-07-17 09:27 3KB www.mid-day.com 61 Georgia Nicols horoscopes for July 17, 2016 Avoid shopping or big decisions from 3:45 a.m... 2016-07-17 09:25 3KB chicago.suntimes.com 62 Dear Abby: Date says she's 60 but she's really 67 The man, 58, believes lying on a matchmaking profile is like lying on a job application, and he bids the age fudger farewell after a few dates. 2016-07-17 09:25 2KB chicago.suntimes.com 63 Rift over US-based alleged coup leader, ‘muted’ response threaten to sour NATO-Turkey relations — RT News Washington has dismissed claims of US complicity in the Turkish coup attempt as “utterly false and harmful” after Ankara declared any state standing by US-based cleric Gulen an enemy, further straining the relations between the West and the key NATO ally. 2016-07-17 08:52 5KB www.rt.com 64 Islamic State claims responsibility for truck attack in Nice — RT News The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the truck attack in Nice, France, that left 84 people dead, according to ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency. 2016-07-17 08:52 2KB www.rt.com 65 Huge blast rocks arms factory near Aleppo as ISIS, Al-Nusra shell city & attack Syria troops (VIDEO) — RT News Terrorists shelled parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo with rockets, killing at least five and injuring another nine people on Saturday. Meanwhile, a massive explosion was seen at a military plant outside Aleppo, with blasts heard in a 100km radius from the site. 2016-07-17 08:52 2KB www.rt.com 66 Living in American Freedom So, I see there is wild turmoil in Turkey. There has been another mass killing by ISIS in France... 2016-07-17 08:52 3KB spectator.org 67 McCain: Obama Plan To Cooperate With Russia Is 'Delusional' Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham said Friday that Secretary of State John Kerry’s plan to cooperate with the Russians in Syria is little more than "groveling," and also called the pl 2016-07-17 08:51 3KB dailycaller.com 68 Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce 2016-07-17 09:15 5KB www.mid-day.com 69 The importance of the Trident decision MPs prepare to debate the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent but is there still a need for a British bomb? 2016-07-17 08:51 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 70 What did David Cameron merrily hum when walking back into No 10 after resigning? What the bookies know about horse-racing - and politics "Do doooo do dooo. Right. Good. " 2016-07-16 20:45 7KB www.newstatesman.com 71 Steyer And Union Join Forces To Stop Trump Mega-wealthy environmentalist Tom Steyer and a services union with deep pockets announced a $10 million joint effort on Friday to derail Donald Trump's GOP presidential candidacy. Steyer's polit 2016-07-17 08:51 3KB dailycaller.com

72 Nice attack: What we know about the Bastille Day killings What we know so far about the attack in Nice, in which a lorry struck a crowd, killing dozens people. 2016-07-17 08:51 7KB www.bbc.co.uk 73 RNC Staffer Publishes Diary Filled With Mindless Details AKRON, OHIO -- An embarrassingly stupid diary is already making the rounds at the Republican National Convention. Don't get me wrong -- a campaign diary is a solid undertaking if you've got dirty 2016-07-17 08:51 4KB dailycaller.com 74 Breaking News English Lesson English News Lessons: Free 26-Page lesson plan / 2-page mini- lesson - Pokemon Go - Handouts, online activities, speed reading, dictation, mp3... current events. 2016-07-17 08:51 1KB www.breakingnewsenglish.com 75 Spanish Civil War: The child refugees Britain didn't want The story of how nearly 4,000 child evacuees arrived after the UK government yielded to public opinion. 2016-07-17 08:51 7KB www.bbc.co.uk 76 Entertainment week in Pictures: 9 A look at some of the events in the world of entertainment and arts over the past week. 2016-07-17 08:51 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 77 Attack on Nice brings danger to France closer to home The attacker who killed 84 people in Nice proves that no longer do jihadists require careful planning and cash. The danger today is from minor offenders much closer to home. 2016-07-17 08:51 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 78 How Britain has been kept safe for a decade The lessons on intelligence-sharing learned after 7/7 may be one reason that the UK has been more fortunate than France in avoiding terror attacks, says the BBC's Peter Taylor. 2016-07-17 08:51 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 79 The link between Brexit and the death penalty Research suggests that a person's views on the death penalty and public whipping are a far better indicator of their views on Brexit than their social class and income. 2016-07-17 08:51 3KB www.bbc.co.uk

80 Your pictures: Posters Each week, we publish a gallery of readers' pictures on a set theme. This week, we asked for your pictures on the theme of "posters". 2016-07-17 08:51 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 81 Has streaming broken the UK singles chart? Fewer records than ever before are making the UK top 40 as fans keep streaming the same songs over and over again. But what does that mean for music and new artists in particular? 2016-07-17 08:51 6KB www.bbc.co.uk 82 'Britain's Pompeii' to be 'backfilled' A Bronze Age village dubbed "Britain's Pompeii" is poised to be backfilled and returned to quarry use, it emerges. 2016-07-17 08:51 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 83 Iran nuclear talks: The tempers and tweets which led to a deal One year since the historic signing of the Iranian nuclear deal, key negotiators tell BBC Persian about what went on behind the scenes. 2016-07-17 08:51 7KB www.bbc.co.uk 84 Trident renewal plans 'need more scrutiny', SNP says Prime Minister Theresa May is urged to delay Monday's vote on Trident renewal to allow "proper scrutiny". 2016-07-17 08:51 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 85 Kerry: US Didn't Help Overthrow Turkish Gov't Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Saturday evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and suggested any public reports of U. S. involvement in the failed coup attempt of the Turkish gov 2016-07-17 08:51 2KB dailycaller.com 86 Sexy Bruna Lima Pictures Several athletes and sports fans have said they won't go to the 2016 Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus in Brazil. However, there's no need worry because The Daily Caller has found t 2016-07-17 08:51 991Bytes dailycaller.com

87 10 things we didn't know last week Ducklings are capable of abstract thought, plus more news nuggets. 2016-07-17 08:51 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 88 Labour leadership: Owen Smith urges party unity Owen Smith is to launch his bid to be Labour leader, warning that the party risks "falling apart" if it does not act "like a proper team". 2016-07-17 08:51 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 89 WBTV First Alert Weather forecast for 07.15.16 WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for July 15, 2016. 2016-07-17 08:51 1KB www.charlotteobserver.com 90 Jeff Roe Lays Out What Swamped Cruz's Campaign [VIDEO] Listening to lessons learned from Sen. Ted Cruz's former presidential campaign manager is like listening to an expert fisherman who just navigated the storm of his life. Jeff Roe, who has worked w 2016-07-17 08:51 3KB dailycaller.com 91 VIDEO: Stop Killing Us rally on the Hilltop About 600 people attended "Stop Killing Us", a rally held in People's Park in Tacoma's Hilltop Neighborhood, July 16, 2016. It was organized by Alexandra Waller in response to the spate of police and bias killings around the country. 2016-07-17 08:52 2KB www.thenewstribune.com 92 Peaceful activists seek accountability, renewed trust from police The activist group, Concerned Black Men of the City of Rock Hill, delivered a letter with a list of demands to the police department Saturday afternoon. Organizers are hoping they can increase communication and understanding between the black community and law enforcement. 2016-07-17 08:47 3KB www.heraldonline.com 93 New Zealand kakapo sees bumper breeding season Population of the critically endangered parrot booms by 28% after a record-breaking breeding season. 2016-07-17 08:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 94 Chas Chandler: The man who discovered Jimi Hendrix His discovery of a young Jimi Hendrix in a New York coffee house would change the face of music. Twenty years on from Chas Chandler's death, those who knew him look back at his life. 2016-07-17 08:47 7KB www.bbc.co.uk

95 Man in New Zealand quits his job to play Pokemon Go full-time A man in New Zealand has quit his job to play Pokemon Go full- time. 2016-07-17 08:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 96 UK offered Brexit free trade deal with Australia Prime Minister Theresa May describes Australian calls for a free trade deal with Britain as "very encouraging", insisting it shows Brexit can work for the UK. 2016-07-17 08:47 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 97 One cheer for democracy, why I’m sceptical about Brexit’s hate crimes – and chaos at the pub Word of the week: Mayssacre Peter Wilby on bewildering political change and why he doubt Theresa May would call for a general election. 2016-07-17 08:49 7KB www.newstatesman.com 98 How Charlene James’ play Cuttin’ It is introducing audiences to the reality of FGM in Britain Anohni explores a complex relationship between the self, politics and pop Cuttin’ It is an honest piece of theatre that confronts the audience with the horrors of Female Genital Mutilation in the UK. 2016-07-17 08:49 12KB www.newstatesman.com 99 Yahoo Statement Regarding Starboard Announcement --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- today noted Starboard Value LP's announcement of its intention to nominate nine director candidates for election... 2016-07-17 08:52 3KB investor.yahoo.net 100 US benefit card misprint gives users chat line surprise An unsuspecting father in the US state of Maine got a shock when he tried to dial a number on the back of his electronic benefit transfer card. 2016-07-17 08:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk Articles

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-07-17 12:01

1 Turkish protesters rally against coup attempt in major cities (2.05/3) Ankara: Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to protest the coup attempt which killed at least 194 people and led to chaos in major cities in Turkey, Hurriyet News reported. Protesters waving flags gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday night. The group also staged a march toward the central Istiklal Avenue, Xinhua news agency reported. Thousands gathered at the central Kizilay Square of capital Ankara on late Saturday to protest the coup attempt, chanting anti-coup slogans. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was due to address the crowd but it was postponed later. The square was also closed to traffic. Protesters said they will stay until officials ask them to return to their homes. In the Aegean province of Izmir, protesters gathered in the central Konak Square and chanted anti-coup slogans. Following the coup attempt in the country on July 15, Turkish officials called on the nation to continue to protest the coup attempt. Defence Minister Fikri Isik said it was early to say that the coup danger was completely over, while urging caution in Turkey.

Over 2,800 arrested, 265 killed, 1,440 injured in Turkish coup attempt — RT News rt.com How Turkish media was raided during coup attempt bbc.co.uk 2016-07-17 10:47 By IANS www.mid-day.com

2 Military Coup In Turkey: Military Says It’s In Charge (2.05/3) State says it’s in talks with Coup commanders for surrender. More liveblogging from on the ground from @The_Hindu. 2.44 a.m.: Announcer on Turkey’s TRT says democratic and secular rule of law has been droded by current government 2.42 a.m.: Moscow calls on Turkey to avoid all ‘bloodshed’ 2.41 a.m.: Russia’s Lavrov says Russian nationals in Turkey should remain indoors, await further information 2.40 a.m.: Turkish State broadcaster TRT says curfew declared across country 2.35 a.m.: EU source says military coup attmpe underway in Turkey looks substantial, ‘Not just few colonels’. 2.32 a.m.: Access to Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc, and YouTube restricted in Turkey, says Internet Monitoring group. Turkey PM says 161 dead in coup bid, almost 3,000 held timeslive.co.za

Here's how the defiant Turks rose up against a military coup mid-day.com 2016-07-17 10:02 Melissa Clouthier spectator.org

3 Turkey coup attempt: Pictures from the aftermath of coup attempt (1.05/3) Tensions were extremely high in Turkey on Saturday - a day after an attempted coup. Overnight explosions and gunfire echoed in the biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, and a fire burned in the military police HQ in Ankara. Turkish police loyal to the government took over tanks that had been taken into city streets, and took some away to the police headquarters. Soldiers blocking a bridge across the Bosphorus surrendered, and the bridge re-opened. Supporters of the president attacked journalists near the country's military HQ, in Ankara. Turkey's parliament and presidential buildings in Ankara were attacked overnight, with lawmakers reportedly taking refuge in shelters in the building. The building was damaged after it was attacked at least three times. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called an extraordinary parliamentary session. Mr Yildirim said the situation was now "completely under control. " The special parliamentary session opened with a minute's silence in honour of those who lost their lives. More than 1,000 people also sustained injuries during the dramatic and chaotic night.

Turkey PM says 161 dead in coup bid, almost 3,000 held timeslive.co.za Turkey coup: Who was behind Turkey coup attempt? bbc.co.uk

In pictures: Attempted coup in Turkey bbc.co.uk 2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

4 Turkish Forces Try To Crush Remnants Of Coup (1.02/3) By David Dolan and Gulsen Solaker ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish authorities rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters on Saturday and ordered thousands of judges detained after thwarting a coup by rebels using tanks and attack helicopters to try to topple President Tayyip Erdogan. For several hours overnight on Friday violence shook Turkey’s two main cities, as the armed faction which tried to seize power blocked a bridge in Istanbul and strafed the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara. At least 265 people were killed. An official said 161 of them were mostly civilians and police officers, while the remaining 104 were coup supporters. But the coup attempt crumbled as Erdogan rushed back to Istanbul from a Mediterranean holiday and urged people to take to the streets to support his government against plotters he accused of trying to kill him. “They will pay a heavy price for this,” said Erdogan, launching a purge of the armed forces, which last used force to stage a successful coup more than 30 years ago. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.” Among those detained were top military commanders, including the head of the Second Army which protects the country’s borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran, state-run Anadolu news agency said. Hundreds of soldiers were held in Ankara for alleged involvement in the coup, leaving police stations overflowing. Some had to be taken under armed police escort in buses to a sports stadium. Reuters footage showed some of the detainees, handcuffed and stripped from the waist up, sitting on the floor of one of the buses. The government declared the situation under control, saying 2,839 people had been rounded up, from foot soldiers to senior officers, including those who formed “the backbone” of the rebellion. Authorities also began a major crackdown in the judiciary over suspected links to U. S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, removing from their posts and ordering the detention of nearly 3,000 prosecutors and judges, including from top courts. Erdogan has blamed the coup on supporters of Gulen, who he has frequently accused of trying to foment uprising in the military, media and judiciary. Ten members of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors and two members of the Constitutional Court have already been detained, officials said. OBAMA’S SUPPORT A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled the country of about 80 million people since 2003, would have marked another seismic shift in the Middle East, five years after the Arab uprisings erupted and plunged Turkey’s southern neighbor Syria into civil war. However, a failed coup attempt could still destabilize the NATO member and major U. S. ally that lies between the European Union and the chaos of Syria, with Islamic State bombers targeting Turkish cities and the government also at war with Kurdish separatists. U. S. President Barack Obama expressed support for Turkey’s government and urged parties on all sides of the crisis to avoid destabilizing the country and follow the rule of law. But his secretary of state, John Kerry, warned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that public suggestions of a U. S. role in the plot were “utterly false” and harmful to relations. Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and told thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport that the government remained at the helm. A polarizing figure whose Islamist-rooted ideology lies at odds with supporters of modern Turkey’s secular principles, Erdogan said the plotters had tried to attack him in the resort town of Marmaris. “They bombed places I had departed from right after I was gone,” he said. “They probably thought we were still there.” Erdogan’s AK Party has long had strained relations with the military, which has a history of mounting coups to defend secularism although it has not seized power directly since 1980. His conservative religious vision for Turkey’s future has also alienated many ordinary citizens who accuse him of authoritarianism. Police used heavy force in 2013 to suppress mass protests demanding more freedom. He commands the admiration and loyalty of millions of Turks, however, particularly for raising living standards and restoring order to an economy once beset by regular crises, which grew 4.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter. The violence is likely to hit a tourism industry already suffering from the bombings, and business confidence is also vulnerable. SMARTPHONE ADDRESS In a night that sometimes verged on the bizarre, Erdogan frequently took to social media, even though he is an avowed enemy of the technology when his opponents use it and frequently targets Twitter and Facebook. He addressed the nation via a video calling service, appearing on the smartphone of a CNN Turk reporter who held it up to a studio camera. He also urged Washington to deport Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States. The cleric, who once supported Erdogan but became a leading adversary, condemned the attempted coup and said he played no role in it. “As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations,” Gulen said in a statement. Kerry said the United States was willing to help Turkey as it tries to identify those involved in the coup attempt, but made clear it would only act if there was evidence against Gulen. SOLDIERS SURRENDER Gunfire and explosions had rocked both Istanbul and Ankara through the night after soldiers took up positions in both cities and ordered state television to read out a statement declaring they had taken power. However, by dawn the noise of fighting had died down considerably. About 50 soldiers involved in the coup surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul after dawn on Saturday, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air. Reuters witnesses saw government supporters attack the pro-coup soldiers who had surrendered. By Saturday afternoon, CNN Turk reported that security forces had completed an operation against coup plotters at the headquarters of the military general staff. Security sources also said police detained about 100 military officers at an air base in the southeast. Neighboring Greece arrested eight men aboard a Turkish military helicopter which landed in the northern city of Alexandroupolis on Saturday, the Greek police ministry said, adding that they had requested political asylum. At one stage military commanders were held hostage by the plotters and by Saturday evening — 24 hours after the coup was launched — some operations against rebels were continuing. Cavusoglu, the foreign minister, said soldiers at the Incirlik air base, used by the United States to launch air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, were involved in the attempt. He said Turkey would resume operations with the U. S.-led coalition once the anti-coup operations were completed. LAWMAKERS IN HIDING The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus, which separates Europe and Asia in Istanbul. Turkish maritime authorities reopened the Bosphorus to transiting tankers after shutting the major trade route from the Black Sea to the Aegean for several hours for security and safety reasons. In the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers hid in shelters inside the parliament building, which was fired on by tanks. An opposition deputy told Reuters that parliament was hit three times and people had been wounded. When parliament convened later in the day, the four main political parties – running the gamut from Erdogan’s right-wing Islamist-rooted AK Party to the left-of-center, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) – came together in a rare show of unity to condemn the attempted coup. A Turkish military commander also said fighter jets had shot down a helicopter used by the coup plotters over Ankara. Momentum turned against the coup plotters as the night wore on. Crowds defied orders to stay indoors, gathering at major squares in Istanbul and Ankara, waving flags and chanting. “We have a prime minister, we have a chief of command, we’re not going to leave this country to degenerates,” shouted one man, as groups of government supporters climbed onto a tank near Ataturk airport. Kerry said he had phoned the Turkish foreign minister and underlined “absolute support for Turkey’s democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions”. FLIGHTS RESUME Flag carrier Turkish Airlines resumed flights on Saturday, though some foreign carriers canceled weekend flights. At the height of the action, rebel soldiers took control of TRT state television, which announced a countrywide curfew and martial law. An announcer read a statement on the orders of the pro-coup faction that accused the government of eroding the democratic and secular rule of law. Turkey would be run by a “peace council” that would ensure the safety of the population, the statement said. Turkey is one of the main backers of opponents of President Bashar al- Assad in Syria’s civil war and hosts 2.7 million Syrian refugees. It was a departure point last year for the biggest influx of migrants to Europe since World War Two. Turkey has suffered numerous bombings and shootings this year, including an attack two weeks ago by Islamists at Ataturk airport that killed more than 40 people, as well as those staged by Kurdish militants. After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Humeyra Pamuk, Ayla Jean Yackley, Nick Tattersall, David Dolan, Akin Aytekin, Tulay Karadeniz, Can Sezer, Gulsen Solaker, Ece Toksabay, Murad Sezer, Ercan Gurses, Nevzat Devranoglu, Dasha Afanasieva, Birsen Altayli, Asli Kandemir; Additional reporting by Sue-Lin Wong, Ben Blanchard and Rozanna Latiff; Writing by David Stamp and Dominic Evans; Editing by Catherine Evans and Mary Milliken)

Why did Turkish coup plot fail? bbc.co.uk 2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

5 Top Pakistani Model Murdered By Her Brother in Honor Killing (1.02/3) Qandeel Baloch, a model considered Pakistan’s version of Kim Kardashian, was strangled in her sleep by her brother in an honor killing during a visit to her parents’ home. Baloch, whose given name was Fouzia Azeem, was 25. Her brother showed no remorse for his actions stating, “She was bringing disrepute to our family’s honour and I could not tolerate it any further. I killed her around 11.30pm on Friday night when everyone else had gone to bed.” Given Baloch’s status on social media, perhaps this will focus greater attention on Muslim honor killings. Between 2008 and 2013, it is estimated that 3,000 women were murdered by way of honor killing. This problem is not confined to Muslim majority countries. On average, two dozen women in this country are killed each year by way of honor killing. With the acceptance of Syrian refugees, this number is bound to go up in coming years. Unfortunately, I believe our media will be no more forthcoming in covering honor killings with any more candor than they did with the Orlando attack. In other words, the mainstream media won’t discuss honor killings unless they can find a way to blame Republicans and Christians for it.

Qandeel Baloch: Pakistan social media celebrity 'killed by brother' bbc.co.uk 2016-07-17 08:52 Aaron Goldstein spectator.org

6 Padres 7, Giants 6 (1.00/3) No outs when winning run scored. a-homered for Parker in the 6th. b-popped out for Samardzija in the 6th. c-grounded out for Villanueva in the 6th. d-grounded out for Schimpf in the 7th. e-flied out for Osich in the 8th. f-flied out for Buchter in the 8th. g-singled for Romo in the 10th. E_Posey (3), Pena (4). LOB_San Francisco 8, San Diego 9. 2B_Posey (20), Pena (5). 3B_Schimpf (1). HR_Pagan (5), off Perdomo; Williamson (4), off Villanueva; Pena (1), off Villanueva; Posey (12), off Quackenbush; Schimpf (5), off Samardzija; Kemp (17), off Samardzija. RBIs_Pagan 2 (32), Posey 2 (44), Pena (8), Williamson (9), Kemp (60), Solarte (37), Schimpf 2 (9), Rosales (19). SB_Blanco (5), Jankowski (16), Myers (16), Norris (5). CS_Jankowski (4). Runners left in scoring position_San Francisco 5 (Crawford 2, Pena 2, Samardzija); San Diego 5 (Myers, Solarte, Perdomo, Rosales 2). RISP_San Francisco 1 for 10; San Diego 2 for 9. Runners moved up_Gillaspie, Pagan, Posey, Jankowski, Kemp. GIDP_Posey, Amarista. DP_San Francisco 1 (Pena, Crawford, Belt); San Diego 1 (Ramirez, Schimpf, Myers). Inherited runners-scored_Osich 3-0, Baumann 1-0. IBB_off Samardzija (Ramirez), off Suarez (Dickerson). WP_Perdomo. PB_Norris (5). Umpires_Home, Dana DeMuth; First, Gabe Morales; Second, Ed Hickox; Third, Mike Estabrook. T_4:05. A_40,550 (42,302). Dozens of people died as a truck plowed into crowds gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, France.

Padres 7, Giants 6, 10 innings, wtop.com 2016-07-17 12:00 The Associated wtop.com

7 When will the Labour leadership result be announced? When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters (0.30/3) Jeremy Corbyn has been assured a spot on the ballot paper. And with Owen Smith now throwing his hat into the ring alongside Angela Eagle, the Labour leadership contest is gathering pace. Here's the timetable – and new rules – for the contest. Am I eligible to vote? Only Labour party members registered before 12 January 2016 will have an automatic vote. Members who have registered since that date can join an affiliated trade union or pay a fee of £25. Non-party members can sign up as registered supporters for £25. When will the official timetable be released? Thursday 14 July. What is the timetable of applications, nominations, voting, and results? Monday 18 July EPLP and PLP briefing, followed by EPLP and PLP hustings. Registered supporters applications open. 7pm: EPLP and PLP nominations open. Wednesday 20 July 5pm: EPLP and PLP nominations close and supporting nominations open. Last date to join as registered supporter. Thursday 21 July 12pm: Deadline for validly nominated candidates to consent to nomination. Friday 22 July Hustings period opens. Monday 8 August 12pm: Deadline for membership arrears to be paid in full. Final date for updated affiliated supporter lists to be received. Monday 15 August 12pm: Supporting nominations close. w/c Monday 22 August Ballot mailing dispatched Wednesday 14 September Last date for electronic ballot reissues Friday 16 September Hustings period closes Friday 21 September 12pm: Ballot closes Saturday 24 September Special conference to announce result (to be scheduled to ensure no clash with Women’s Conference). The Spanish Civil War holds a perennial fascination for a non-Spanish audience. Even if we cannot quite claim to have “Spain in our hearts”, histories of the conflict have kept alive the liberal conviction that the republican cause was just, while Franco’s emerging dictatorship was not. At least one veteran interviewed by Adam Hochschild in his absorbing study of the Americans who went to fight in Spain reflects simply: “I wish we’d won.” It is difficult after reading these three volumes not to echo that wistful response. In recent years there has been some attempt to rescue historically the nationalist cause, with its conservative defence of nation, church and family, and at the same time to highlight the atrocities perpetrated by the republican side. Indeed, the Western powers used the reputation of the left in Spain to explain their unwillingness to help the legitimate government formed by an alliance of republicans. Even-handedness, however, has its limits. Spain’s Second Republic represented the aspirations of millions of impoverished Spaniards to overturn long decades of extreme economic and social exploitation and to destroy the inherited power of the Catholic Church and the old landowners. The bitterness of the conflict came about not because the left was uniquely violent and unruly, but because the nationalists used terror and atrocity as their means to eradicate any vestige of the surviving democratic spirit in Spain. One American journalist, Hochschild writes, witnessed a nationalist officer pushing two young girls captured from the republican militia into a room of forty Moorish soldiers. When he protested, the officer merely shrugged and told him that the girls would be raped to death in a few hours. No amount of special pleading is ever going to turn Franco’s campaign into a decent defence of conservative values. For millions of Europeans and Americans this was evident from the start of the war in 1936. The young idealists who ventured out to Spain to volunteer on the side of the Republic, despite objections by their mealy-mouthed governments, went there as the vanguard of popular opposition to fascism and all it seemed to represent. Their ideals varied, and their motives, too, but they shared an embedded hostility to extreme nationalism, ruling-class power, capitalist self-interest and social intolerance. These were ideals powerfully held and powerfully expressed, captured in the wealth of contemporary literature – novels, poetry, short stories – that the conflict generated, and sustained in most of the literature on the war produced ever since. Writers were generally on the side of the angels. When various British authors were invited in 1937 by the heiress Nancy Cunard to say where they stood on the war, only two showed any sympathy for Franco. This bias is evident in the useful collection of writings on the civil war selected and edited by Pete Ayrton, who has also included many Spanish and Catalan authors in his anthology. Most of the pieces are fiction, although many are rooted in real experience. It is not easy to explain why images of the civil war are so evocative. In some cases very fine writers were involved directly, and not just Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell, but a host of others, too, Spanish and non- Spanish. Partly it is because Spain is near and far, a part of Europe yet a part cut off from the mainstream, with a culture and history that in the 1930s made it seem an exotic destination. Partly it is because of the geography, human and physical. The high sierras, the wide and arid plains, the miles of forested hillside, the architectural mix of the Arab and the Gothic, the great diversity of peoples and milieus, all helped to make Spain a writer’s dream, so different from life in Britain, France or even the United States. Spain generated in writers the same romantic attachment to place and people that can be found in literature on Russia: both at the extreme edge of Europe, both with an ancient history, both experiencing European modernisation in their own, distinct way. Why, then, did the Republic fail? There is plenty of contemporary judgement that idealism alone is not enough to confront a determined and savage enemy. This may be true in its way (though there was idealism of a different sort on the nationalist side, too) but the answer is evidently more complicated. All three of the books reviewed here, marking the 80th anniversary of the start of the conflict, make the point that the fault lines in the republican constituency were critical. The Spanish centre and left were divided between moderate socialists and democrats – for whom civil war was an uncongenial consequence of the political crisis – and communists, Trotskyists organised in the POUM, and Spanish anarchists, particularly strong in Catalonia. Despite Popular Front rhetoric, these various groups were scarcely reconcilable. Communist officials, under direct instructions from Moscow, murdered their anarchist and Trotskyist allies; anarchists murdered Trotskyists; democratic socialists were distrusted by all the more radical groups. When Orwell entered Spain he decided on a whim to join the POUM, and a few months later only just managed to escape across the frontier to avoid arrest and possible execution by the enemies of his chosen militia. Surprisingly, these conflicts did not stop the republican side from fighting the nationalists, though they certainly inhibited the centralisation of the war effort and a spirit of effective collaboration between the various elements. Given the growing disparity in arms and organisation between the two sides, it is remarkable that the Republic lasted as long as it did. Nevertheless, by the autumn of 1938 it was clear that the Republic had lost. Franco’s forces made heavy weather of the campaign, partly to ensure that the captured areas were savagely “pacified”, treating the Spanish people as if they were colonial rebels. An estimated 150,000 people died at the hands of the nationalists over the course of the civil war, some of them murdered in grotesque displays, some killed to satisfy a sadistic urge for vendetta. The question facing the embattled republican government, with no allies internationally (except for the dubious value of support from Moscow), was how to end the conflict in a way that would not bring on a final bloodbath of revenge. It is this awkward ending that supplies the subject matter of Paul Preston’s latest book on the war. He reconstructs in meticulous detail the death agonies of the regime, played out between three anti-heroes: Juan Negrín, the Republic’s last prime minister; Segismundo Casado, an ambitious colonel who chose to overthrow him at the last moment; and Julián Besteiro, an ageing political ally of Casado’s who hoped to broker terms with Franco. This unhappy trio shared the belief that it might be possible to find a way to end the war by agreement with the nationalists, perhaps even establish an honourable peace. Franco, not unnaturally, wanted unconditional surrender because he was in a position to insist on it. Preston is harsh on the latter two of his trio for undermining the possibility of Negrín brokering a settlement, and blames Besteiro, who in this account proves a brave and principled man in the face of defeat and arrest, for deluding himself that terms could be agreed that might protect the population. In this bleak time, he seems more honourable than that. Preston’s sympathies lie with those who argued that continued resistance was the only realistic option and who recognised that with Franco no compromise was possible. Yet surely this begs the question as to whether the Republic had any further power to resist. Continued resistance would have led to more deaths in the field and an even more remorseless repression once Franco had won. The indecisions and confusions of the final weeks of the war certainly made flight and possible safety difficult for the remnants of the republican army, but it is a daunting task to explain why Franco would ever have agreed to let his enemies go. This argument also sidesteps the problem that getting access to sanctuary in France, or anywhere else, was dangerous. A brave Welsh sea captain, Archibald Dickson, took one of the last boatloads of refugees through the nationalist blockade and out of Alicante, crammed so full that the vessel threatened to sink, but it had to remain afloat outside the French empire port of Oran in Algeria for a month, short of food and water, because the authorities would not allow the men among the people on board to disembark. Meanwhile, the hundreds of thousands who made it across the border to France were put in concentration camps, in appalling conditions, and used as virtual forced labour to help build French defences against the German threat. It was an insulting end to the ordeal that Spanish republicans had undergone fighting against Franco and his German ally, with no help forthcoming from the French government. For the foreign fighters, there were also paradoxes to confront. The American volunteers in Hochschild’s account were among those International Brigades sent home from Spain in November 1938 with the words of the republican heroine Dolores Ibárruri ringing in their ears: “You can go proudly. You are history. You are legend.” When the volunteers for the Brigades returned to the US they had their passports confiscated and found themselves the victims of official scrutiny for defending the “communist” republic. One volunteer was so anxious that he burned his own account of the war in case the FBI found it. That the ideals they had fought for in Spain were ideals also enshrined in their own political tradition made little difference. The few black members of the American Brigade were subjected to routine discrimination once they were back in democratic America. The messy aftermath of the conflict raises questions that have a powerful resonance for us. The present refugee crisis strongly echoes the crises that faced Spaniards as they struggled to find anywhere that would take them in. Syrian and Iraqi refugees today are also victims of a cruel civil war in which the West pays lip-service to humanitarian ideals but is cagey about the human consequences. On the other side are “international brigades” of Muslim fighters travelling to support Isis. The analogy is nevertheless a strained one. The Spanish war was recognisably a European ideological conflict and the refugees then were fleeing from a force that threatened to engulf the continent. If there is a contemporary resonance, it lies in the current European crisis, exemplified by the Brexit referendum, which has revived nationalism, social and racial intolerance, and the politics of exclusion. Across the continent there are profound divisions between those who espouse inclusion and internationalism and those who reject them. This is not the 1930s, but the net effect may be to push Europe back to an age of national self-interest and political polarisation from which the European Union was intended to rescue it. The fascination of the Spanish Civil War for a modern audience is precisely that the forces of progressive idealism lost, and today’s idealists, like Hochschild’s veteran, wish they had not. How to stop it happening again is a challenge to all who share something of that idealism. Richard Overy is a professor of history at the University of Exeter. His books include “The Morbid Age: Britain Between the Wars” (Penguin) ¡No Pasarán! Writings from the Spanish Civil War, edited by Pete Ayrton, is published by Serpent’s Tail (448pp, £20) Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) by Adam Hochschild is published by Macmillan (442pp, £25) The Last Days of the Spanish Republic by Paul Preston is published by William Collins (390pp, £25)

David Cameron’s epic failure When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com

Former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith MP denies Labour leadership bid When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com How Jeremy Corbyn can realistically abolish student tuition fees When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com

Who wants to be Angela Eagle? Why the leadership challenger has the worst job in politics When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com Leader: Can Theresa May save the UK? When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com

Watch: the moment Angela Eagle finds out Boris Johnson is Foreign secretary When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com This heartfelt pro-Corbyn rally exposed some hard truths about Labour When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com

After a long, close battle, Malcolm Turnbull retains power in Australia – how it happened When idealists go to battle: why the Spanish Civil War still matters newstatesman.com 2016-07-17 08:49 Owen Jones www.newstatesman.com

8 JC Nel time-trials into Jock Tour lead The 24-year-old Nel‚ from Honeydew in Johannesburg‚ edged top tour title contenders Nico Bell‚ who was second‚ and defending champion Willie Smit for the top place on the podium in perfect conditions. Nel said he was “really happy” with the result‚ having targeted the yellow jersey on the opening day of one of South Africa’s most challenging road stage races‚ which is presented by Rudy Project. “The idea going into the time-trial was to take the yellow jersey‚ but having the idea and actually doing it are sometimes two different things‚” said Nel. “It always creates a bit of pressure‚ but the conditions were perfect and it was a really fast time-trial. I think we were about three-and-a-half minutes quicker than last year.” At one stage Nel wondered whether he had set out too fast‚ but added that recent training camps in Nelspruit when they had tested the 27km route‚ which is mostly uphill‚ had helped him. “After about 20 to 25 minutes I wondered if I had not gone out too hard‚ but then I was nervous to slow down too much so I just kept going. “I knew there was a hard climb with about seven to eight kilometres to go so I did not overdo it there and that allowed me to pick up the pace on the last stretch which was fairly flat.” Having achieved his objective‚ Nel is looking forward to the rest of the race but knows there is much work to be done. “I have a strong team with me‚ although the guys are young and do not have much experience. But what they do have is big hearts and real fighting spirit. “We know we will have to work hard but we are ready for the next challenge.” Saturday’s second stage‚ which starts and finishes in Nelspruit‚ is over 140km and the route‚ via White River and Sabie‚ includes climbs such as Spitskop and Long Tom Pass. The traditional one-day Bestmed Jock Classique‚ which consists of three stages totalling 154km with 2 900m of climbing‚ takes place tomorrow alongside the feature event.

2016-07-17 12:00 TMG Digital www.timeslive.co.za

9 9 Two AWB members arrested for unlicensed weapons Ursula Grobler, an old schoolmate of veteran swimmer Roland Schoeman who failed to qualify for his fifth Olympics this year, is headed to her first Games at the ripe old age of 36.

2016-07-17 12:00 TMG Digital www.timeslive.co.za

10 Dramatic Turkey footage reveals horrifying violence of coup struggle (GRAPHIC VIDEO, IMAGES) — RT News READ MORE: Over 2,800 arrested, 265 killed, 1,440 injured in Turkish coup attempt The unrest began when news of the coup and a curfew prompted supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take to the streets. Tanks attempted to block key streets in Ankara and Istanbul, including the latter’s Bosphorus Bridge connecting Europe to Asia. [WARNING: The following videos and photographs contain graphic images] Images and video show protesters attempting to block the tanks, which had come to a standstill. Turkish flags were hoisted onto some of the tanks. Long queues were reported at the country’s ATMs, as people rushed to withdraw money. The value of the Turkish lira dropped five percent against the US dollar when news of the coup attempt was reported. The unrest grew as protesters continued to block military vehicles and shots were fired by Erdogan’s opponents. One image shows a dead protester draped in a Turkish flag. Forces loyal to Erdogan fired on tanks involved in the coup from helicopters. Graphic video shows the moment military vehicles driven by coup participants sped through protesters, leaving a trail of human destruction in their wake. The remains of several people who were struck by a tank can be seen. As the coup continued into the morning, there were reports that an F-16 had dropped two bombs on the Presidential Palace in Ankara and that an explosion had taken place at the Parliament building. As news that the coup had failed spread, crowds were seen celebrating in Istanbul at the Bosphorus Bridge, which had been blocked throughout the night by forces opposing Erdogan. Video also captured the moments soldiers involved in the coup surrendered.

2016-07-17 12:00 www.rt.com

11 Cosafa Cup triumph not enough to boost Bafana's ranking on Fifa list Bafana Bafana have edged into number 67 on the global list and are now the 13th best side in Africa‚ according to the rankings. They have jumped above Congo and Nigeria on the continental list‚ with the Super Eagles in free-fall at number 70‚ their lowest position in 17 years. Two of South Africa’s opponents in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers all held their positions. Senegal stayed at 41 on the global list and fourth in Africa‚ while Burkina Faso remain at number 73. But Cape Verde saw a massive slump as they dropped 13 places to number 62 on the global list and‚ having topped the African rankings earlier this year‚ are now the 11th best team on the continent according to FIFA. Mauritania‚ who South Africa host in their final African Nations Cup qualifier in September‚ rose two places to 119 in the world. New Zealand were the biggest movers up the table with their victory at the Oceania Nations Cup seeing them jump a massive 54 places to number 93‚ reason enough for the SuperSport United duo of Jeremy Brockie and Michael Boxall to celebrate. New European champions Portugal climbed just two places to number six in the world on the back of their success‚ while beaten finalists France jumped 10 places to seventh. Argentina remain the best side in the world‚ followed by Belgium‚ Colombia‚ Germany and Chile in the top five. Algeria remain the best of the African teams‚ ahead of Ivory Coast‚ Ghana‚ Senegal and Egypt.

2016-07-17 12:00 Nick Said www.timeslive.co.za

12 Turkish rebels hold navy head, frigate – reports — RT News The TCG Yavuz, a frigate, was taken from the base by the rebels, but later returned, DHA news agency reported. LIVE UPDATES: Arrests after coup attempt in Turkey Admiral Bülent Bostanoğlu is one of several senior figures in the Turkish military reportedly caught in the ongoing coup attempt, which has taken the nation and the world by surprise. He has been heading the Turkish navy since August 2013. Hurriyet newspaper reported later that General Abidin Ünal, commander of the Turkish Air Force, was captured by the plotters as well. Ünal was attending a wedding ceremony of a daughter of one of his fellow officers when he was abducted. General Hulusi Akar, who heads Turkey’s armed forces, was rescued earlier on Saturday from captivity, when government loyalists seized the army HQ from the rebels. A faction of the Turkish military attempted to stage a military coup on Friday night, but appear to have failed in the bid. The violence has claimed almost 200 lives and led to numerous arrests of soldiers and officers allegedly involved. The coup attempt involved rebels using tanks and attack helicopters to attack governmental buildings. Forces loyal to the Turkish government shot down at least two helicopter gunships.

2016-07-17 12:00 www.rt.com

13 Four people in custody after Nice attack: judicial source One of the men being held was arrested Friday and three others on Saturday morning, the source added. The driver's estranged wife is also still being held by police. Here is what we know so far about what French President Francois Hollande has declared an "undeniable" terrorist attack. A 30,000-strong crowd had gathered on the glitzy beachfront avenue, the Promenade des Anglais, to watch a firework show for France's national day. The truck ploughed two kilometres (1.3 miles) through the crowd, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters. Anti-terror prosecutor Francois Molins said the driver fired "several times" on three police officers as they tried to bring the truck to a halt, and eventually shot him dead. Molins named the driver as a 31-year-old Tunisian, Mohamed Lahouaiej- Bouhlel, who lived in Nice, and was described by neighbours as a loner who never responded to their greetings. His identity papers were found in the truck, along with a pistol and ammunition and a number of fake weapons including two replica assault rifles. His body was found on the passenger seat, said the prosecutor. Molins said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had had various brushes with the law since 2010 for making threats, theft and violence, including a conviction in March this year for which he was given a six-month suspended sentence. But he was "totally unknown" to the intelligence services, said Molins. Detectives and forensics experts entered his apartment in a working-class district of Nice with an armed police unit in support around 9:30 am and brought out bags of material later. His ex-wife was held for questioning. Four other men believed to be linked to him have also been detained, a judicial source said Saturday. The attacker's father, who lives in Msaken, eastern Tunisia, said his son had suffered from depression and had "no links" to religion. The attack has not been claimed by any group, but Hollande said in an address to the nation that the attack was of an "undeniable terrorist nature". Prosecutors say the probe will be handled by anti-terrorism investigators. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the attacker probably had links to radical Islam, but Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve cautioned it was too early to make the connection. The attack comes with France under a state of emergency following the Islamic State attacks in Paris in November that left 130 people dead. Hollande announced that the state of emergency -- which he had said only the day before would end on July 26 -- will be extended by three months. Army reservists will be called up to boost security. He also said France would strengthen its role in Iraq and Syria, where it is part of the international coalition fighting IS jihadists. He chaired a meeting of top military and security officials later Friday to decide on possible further steps. In December 2014, two men ploughed their vehicles into pedestrians in two days -- separate incidents that left France reeling. The first driver shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as he drove into people in the eastern city of Dijon, injuring 13. The 40-year-old had a long history of mental illness, and no ties to jihadist groups, the government said. A day later, a man rammed a white van into a Christmas market in the western city of Nantes, killing one person and injuring nine others. He then stabbed himself several times. Prosecutors said a notebook was found in his vehicle in which he spoke of his "hatred for society" and said he feared "being killed by secret agents". The man committed suicide in his prison cell in 2016 while awaiting trial. Eighty-four people were killed and 202 injured, including 52 critically, 25 of whom were in intensive care, Molins said. He said the dead included 10 children or adolescents. Hollande said "many foreigners and young children" were among those killed or injured. Two US citizens were confirmed dead by the State Department. A Texas newspaper identified them as 51-year-old Sean Copeland and his 11-year- old son Brodie. A German teacher died with two of her students, as well as a French father protecting his pregnant wife. The Swiss foreign ministry announced the death of a Swiss woman and a child. The mayor of the Swiss town of Agno named the woman was 54-year-old customs agent Linda Casanova Siccardi, who was on holiday with her French husband. He survived.

2016-07-17 12:00 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

14 UFC confirms Brock Lesnar has failed drug test — RT Sport The 39-year-old beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision on July 9 at UFC 200 in a cameo return to the sport. READ MORE: Brock Lesnar beats Mark Hunt in UFC 200 return Before last week’s appearance, Lesnar had not contested a bout in the UFC since December 2011. He is currently contracted to the WWE. The UFC’s regulations state that any retired athlete that returns to competition must be tested over a four-month period prior to fighting. However, given the special nature of Lesnar’s return, the UFC waived the four-month period for the first time. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion submitted eight tests to the United States Anti-Doping Agency in his lead up to the bout with Hunt, but a test administered on June 28 is said to have flagged a violation. As yet, it has not been revealed what exactly Lesnar tested positive for, but the fighter has pledged to “get to the bottom of this.” The veteran bruiser cashed in on a $2.5 million purse in his bout with Hunt, who has reacted angrily to the news of Lesnar’s alleged violation. The defeated fighter says he feels he is now entitled to half of Lesnar’s earnings and has threatened to walk away from the UFC if a resolution to his liking is not reached. “The cheaters get a slap on the wrist and walk off,” Hunt said. “What penalty or deterrent is there to make them think twice? Nothing. And the [Nevada Athletic Commission], why should these [expletive] get anything? They are not the ones who had to fight with Lesnar or lose [to him]. I lost.” Nevada State Athletic Commission executive officer Bob Bennett confirmed that Lesnar could be stripped of his earnings from the fight. “We can fine and suspend,” he said. “I'm not saying his whole paycheck will be taken away, but he could be suspended and fined upon his case being heard and all the facts being presented.” Lesnar has not failed any drug tests in the past, but Hunt stated ahead of the fight that he thought his opponent was “juiced to the gills.”

2016-07-17 12:00 www.rt.com

15 Stiff CAF Cup challenge looms for Mazembe Both are unbeaten after two match-days in the second-tier African club competition with Mazembe winning at home to Medeama of Ghana and away to Young Africans of Tanzania. Bejaia defeated Young Africans at home and drew away to Medeama, leaving them two points behind the pacesetters. The top two after a double round advance to the semi-finals. "This promises to be our most difficult group match," admitted France-born Mazembe coach Hubert Velud before the Lubumbashi Ravens flew to Algeria. "The players want to continue what they have been doing lately," he said, referring to successive victories after a disappointing start to their 2016 CAF campaign. Title-holders Mazembe were eliminated from the CAF Champions League in the final qualifying round and demoted to the Confederation Cup -- a fate that also befell Bejaia. Having relied on an away goal to oust Stade Gabesien of Tunisia in a play- off, Mazembe finally clicked to beat Medeama 3-1 with Zambia winger Rainford Kalaba bagging a brace. Kalaba missed the victory over Young Africans through injury, but is fit to face Bejaia. Although the Algerians lack the stars and the pedigree of their rivals, coach Nacer Sandjak has his sights set on maximum points and top spot. "This match offers a great opportunity to maintain our unbeaten group record, collect three points and replace Mazembe as leaders," he told the Algerian media. Only Yacine Salhi has scored for the Bejaia Crabs in the group stage, but the club competing in Africa for the first time this season have kept two clean sheets. Bottom side Young Africans host third-place Medeama in a must-win match for two clubs who have reached the Confederation Cup group stage for the first time. Scoring has been a problem for both with the Tanzanians firing two blanks and Medeama going 179 minutes without a goal after Malik Akowuah gave them a first-minute lead away to Mazembe. There is also a top-of-the-table showdown in Group B with leaders Kawkab Marrakech hosting fellow Moroccans FUS Rabat, who are two points behind. Both have experienced African glory with Kawkab winning the now defunct CAF Cup in 1996 and FUS lifting the Confederation Cup against the odds six years ago. The goals of Mohamed El Fakih and Abdelilah Amimi have helped Kawkab win all five CAF home games this year while FUS held title-holders Etoile Sahel in Tunisia last month. Etoile have secured only one point and need a home win over bottom-of- the-table Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya to remain title contenders.

2016-07-17 12:00 AFP www.timeslive.co.za

16 Controversy hits SA Olympic team The team of 137 competitors for the Rio Games from August 6-21 is the country's biggest ever, surpassing 2008's contingent by two. It would have been 138 had Hogan not tested positive for stimulant methylhexaneamine, which is common in fat-burning supplements. He was officially banned for two years effective from Wednesday after he did not dispute the positive results of his A and B samples, SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport CEO Khalid Galant said. Hogan had, however, requested a supplement to be tested, and, depending on the outcome, his suspension could be reduced. He was tested after throwing a 67.62m personal best in Stellenbosch in April. The loss of Hogan, ranked fifth in the world, is a second blow after the men's 4x100m relay team failed to qualify. Athletics SA pulled Simbine out of the 200m, replacing him with Gift Leotlela, 18. Five local sprinters beat the 200m 20.50sec qualifying time, and the three fastest were Anaso Jobodwana (19.87), Wayde van Niekerk (19.94) and Simbine (20.23). With Van Niekerk focusing on the 400m, Clarence Munyai, also 18, moved into the third spot with his 20.33 effort. With only three berths open to each country in each athletics event, Leotlela seemed sure to sit Rio out with last month's 20.47. The qualifying time was 20.50. Simbine had intended to run both the 100m and 200m at the Olympics, as he did at the world championships last year. "We don't know where that came from," Simbine's agent, Peet van Zyl, said. An ASA official said Leotlela had proved his form in the 200m recently, and Simbine had not. Simbine went 20.29 in his last 200m in March, but was unable to run the event again after injuring his hamstring in April. He is scheduled to do the 200m in Budapest on Monday. Should Simbine force his way back into the 200m, Leotlela will be out of the team, because he has not qualified in any other race. ASA's reasoning doesn't make sense. Jobodwana, third in the 200m at last year's world championships, was included despite not having competed since last year. Also failing to repeat their performances of 2015 were Rocco van Rooyen (javelin), Justine Palframan (200m, 400m) and Rynardt van Rensburg (800m). Another is long-jumper Zarck Visser, who was left out for US-based Stefan Brits.

2016-07-17 12:00 DAVID ISAACSON www.timeslive.co.za

17 There's no place to hide in Sevens rugby Five teams have strong hopes of winning the gold medal, and five others could beat them in any match. It will be, in my admittedly biased opinion, the highlight of the Games because the sport is so "volatile", the result so uncertain, often until the very final act of the match. I remember being concerned that Sevens' Olympic inclusion might actually undermine it. I was fortunate enough to work with Paul Treu during the maturation phase of our Sevens strategy from 2008 to 2012, and Rio 2016 was a variable we considered both a threat and an opportunity. The appeal of an Olympic medal meant that superstars from the major rugby nations might have swept in for the week of the Olympics, soaked up the spotlight, and then left again, leaving behind a version of the sport that was, by the arithmetic of casual observers, "lessened" by their transient appearance in it. Were that to happen, it would undermine the efforts made by Sevens teams in the intervening four years - it would be analogous to pulling your luxury sports car out of the garage for a weekend once every four years, then locking it away and hoping your four-door family sedan turned heads the same way. The only way to prevent this, we knew back then, was for Sevens to evolve enough that it became so specialised that the addition of even the best players from XVs would do little to the performance of teams. Sevens had to be too distinct to allow "rugby-hopping" to occur. My strong impression is that this has, in fact, happened. Or is happening. Yes, certain teams, including South Africa, have strengthened their squads with the targeted addition of international players, but anyone who thought they could throw XVs superstars onto a field of Sevens players and dominate has been exposed. The Blitzboks under Neil Powell formulated a calendar that gave them access to certain players in certain "windows" so they could adapt to the speed and technical nuances of the game. But even this process has "failed" more than it succeeded, and of the 10 or so players who came into the Blitzbok training environment, one, perhaps two, will make the final cut. Quade Cooper couldn't make the switch for Australia, and Sonny Bill Williams has been patchy for New Zealand, who have also added the Ioane brothers, and Liam Messam, but still rely heavily on their historical Sevens specialists. I'm now confident that Sevens requires a set of skills specific enough that any team that suddenly picks players, however stellar their reputation in XVs rugby, would be worse off. The transition is so difficult because Sevens is not simply a version of rugby lacking forward packs. Decision-making at rucks is at a premium because so much more space has to be covered per player. Agility and lateral mobility are more forensically examined (something that has affected Williams in particular), as are basic skills like passing to both sides and one-on-one tackling. The lack of space in XVs allows players with limitations to "hide", whereas such inadequacies are exposed in Sevens. This doesn't even consider the physical demands of Sevens - the ratio of sprints and fast running to rest is completely different, and few XVs players can handle it without a period of some adaptation. None of this is to say that Sevens is the finished article - no doubt the best XVs internationals would make exceptional Sevens players, given sufficient cross-over time. But the specialisation of Sevens is an encouraging sign, and the respect and recognition given to the Sevens specialists is growing, rightly, in proportion to the technical and tactical evolution of the sport. That this coincides with the commercial growth of Sevens, the expansion of the Series to 10 tournaments, means that Rio will be a leap forward, and the only threat now, at least to a South African observer, is that the sport evolves so quickly it leaves us behind.

2016-07-17 12:00 Prof Ross www.timeslive.co.za

18 Kaizer, Iron Duke show maturity He was addressing the unrest among United fans, the privileged millions who have little idea of what it is to have "a couple of years on the quiet side of success" (the last piece of silverware was the 2013 season- opening Community Shield). What a shot in the arm, then, for incumbent Louis van Gaal (who was tasked with righting Moyes' wrongs), to have Fergie, a demigod in European football and the man who was at the helm for 26-and-a-half years; the man who brought unprecedented success to the club, earning himself post-retirement statues, a stand at Old Trafford named after him and a series of business masterclasses at Harvard University, to fight in his corner. There aren't too many right now. It has been particularly refreshing, then, to see that our two biggest clubs - Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates - who have been overshadowed by Mamelodi Sundowns this season, take a more mature view of their current struggles than their restless followers. Kaizer Motaung could have listened to the outcry over Chiefs' two cup final defeats under coach Steve Komphela - and early exits from the CAF Champions League and the Nedbank Cup at the hands of Orlando Pirates - and axed Komphela less than 10 months into the job. With a lack of obvious candidates strong enough to assume the massive role of head coach at Naturena, Motaung would presumably have turned to club icon Doctor Khumalo to see out the rest of the season; like Ryan Giggs after Moyes' sacking. Giggs had the benefit of learning under Ferguson (who has mentioned that Giggs would have been his successor had he retired earlier) and carried on the philosophy the club has been known for for decades. Khumalo wouldn't have enjoyed a similar education, even though he has worked with Championship-winning Stuart Baxter. Motaung's statements this week were the absolute antithesis of the modern- day rhetoric about sacking coaches at the earliest possible opportunity. "Our supporters take it too far, instead of giving the coach time. In fact, when the team is not doing well that's when you want the supporters rallying behind them. "If you are a chairman of a club, you must act like a leader. A leader must not be lost with the crowd, otherwise the whole thing collapses," argued the boss. Of course the same stance does not apply to the country's prevailing political climate; ahem, Mr Gwede Mantashe. Nor did it apply to the impasse at Chelsea during the first third of the English Premier League, when Jose Mourinho seemed to be burning bridges with all and sundry at Stamford Bridge. Situations vary. Motaung acknowledged that Amakhosi will have to be content with playing bridesmaid this time around, and that the squad needs sprucing up, with a few of the players on the wrong side of 30. That's leadership. And as clueless as Van Gaal and United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward seem to be when it comes to recruitment policy, look at how the introduction of youngsters such as Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard et al, have brought some feel-good back to Old Trafford. The Iron Duke at Orlando Pirates appears to be taking a similar approach to the Kaizer, trusting Eric Tinkler to lay foundations for future success. One hopes this is a sign that people are finally using their brains rather than bowing to the howling of the fans.

2016-07-17 12:00 Andile Ndlovu www.timeslive.co.za

19 Presidency still mum on woman’s Zuma blessee claims “Okay cool?” asked Floyd Shivambu. “What kind of Grand Fathers and Fathers kiss their Grand Daughters & Daughters like this? Perverts??” That was the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president’s response to the series of selfies that circulated on social media on Tuesday and Wednesday‚ posted by a 19-year-old “Lindokuhle Dlamini”. Shivambu also seemed to suggest that more revelations were to follow. The Facebook page on which the selfies purporting to show the pair kissing were posted – with with a caption reading that Zuma “is not just a blesser‚ we are inlove” - was reportedly deleted. Some media outlets like the Citizen said they had been contacted by readers to say the woman is actually Zuma’s daughter. That prompted Shivambu’s question about the nature of the kissing. He later referenced the sexual harassment case against African National Congress leader in the Western Cape Marius Fransman‚ when he quoted Scapegoat @AndiMakinana’s tweet: “WC ANCYL to Fransman: Being between the sheets with a 20 year old lady while married is not ... ideal values ANC would like to project. " Shivambu said: “Well‚ they do it all the time and one‚ whom they all learn from‚ will be exposed very soon. Watch the space!” The Presidency indicated on Wednesday that it would investigate the claims before commenting‚ and calls on Thursday morning went unanswered.

2016-07-17 12:00 TMG Digital www.timeslive.co.za

20 Pierce Transit approves $3 million in upgrades to transit centers, Park & Ride Pierce Transit is moving forward with a $3 million plan to spruce up three transit centers and one of its main Park & Rides, facilities that haven’t had a substantial overhaul in the decades since they were built. The agency’s board voted this week to authorize initial work on the projects, and Pierce Transit officials hope to employ consultants with expertise in electrical systems and architecture by the end of the year to begin designing improvements. Work probably will not start until spring 2017 and continue through that summer, said Clint Steele, a senior project manager with Pierce Transit. Targeted facilities are the transit centers at 72nd Street and Portland Avenue, Tacoma Community College and the Tacoma Mall. The agency’s Park & Ride at state Route 512 and South Tacoma Way is on the list for improvements as well. “We have a number of transit centers and Park & Rides,” Steele said. “These floated to the top as being in the worst shape.” Steele rattled off a litany of troubles: ▪ Deteriorating wood beams holding up the roofs of passenger shelters. ▪ Missing or damaged pull-down seats in shelters. ▪ Rutted and cracked concrete and asphalt on bus approaches and parking areas. ▪ Antiquated fluorescent lighting in many fixtures. ▪ Faded and peeling paint throughout the facilities. Bad lighting was a particular complaint among riders who participated in a recent survey, Steele said. Many of the fluorescent fixtures are stained or damaged, he said. “We’re not getting quite the lighting from them as we did when they were new,” Steele said. And they were new a long time ago. The 72nd Street and Portland Avenue transit center was built in 1995, the Tacoma Mall center in 1985, the Tacoma Community College Center in 1984 and the state Route 512 Park & Ride in 1988. Agency spokeswoman Rebecca Japhet said that while the facilities have been routinely maintained, there have been no major renovations since their construction, and they’ve begun to show their ages. That’s become a problem, according to a report on the projects submitted to the board before its vote. “Through recent customer satisfaction surveys, Pierce Transit has become aware that the state of the transit centers has and is impacting (customer) satisfaction and sense of safety,” the report states. “When people do not feel safe or they view a facility as run down, trashed, ugly or unmaintained, their trust in the rest of the organization soon follows. The same is true for the surrounding community and businesses who want to encourage their employees and customers to use public transportation.” Steele said the work will wait until next year to take advantage of the better bidding climate inherent at the beginning of the year and a complete spring- summer construction season. The agency is developing plans for opening temporary facilities for riders while the work is underway, he said. The Pierce Transit board decided earlier this year, with staff members’ input, to tap the agency’s swollen reserve account to start fixing up what’s called “outward facing” facilities, Japhet said. Improvements to the transit centers and Park & Ride are the first major item on the list. The agency also intends to repair or refurbish hundreds of bus shelters on its routes. “During the economic downturn, the decision was made to keep as much money on the streets in the form of service as possible,” Japhet said. “A lot of maintenance was deferred. Now, we want to do this refresh.” Agency accountants told the board in April that Pierce Transit had built up about $110 million in reserves, thanks in part to increasing sales tax revenue generated by the recovering economy. The $3 million for the transit centers and Park & Ride will come from that. The agency also is embarking on a plan to use some of that money to restore 59,000 service hours cut during the Great Recession. A plan for doing that is expected later this year after a consultant finishes a “comprehensive service analysis.”

2016-07-17 12:00 By Adam www.thenewstribune.com

21 Davao quarantine officer sacked over alleged extortion DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The Duterte administration is on a roll, this time relieving a quarantine officer at the Sasa Port here for allegedly demanding grease money from banana exporters. Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol on Sunday said that he received complaints from small exporters that Andres Alemania, quarantine officer of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) , and his men demand cash for every transaction. “I immediately directed BPI Acting Director Vivencio Mamaril to issue a relief order,” Piñol said in a statement. “On Monday, July 18, I will issue another directive to Director Mamaril to relieve the whole BPI Quarantine Service staff in Sasa Port down to the janitor and replace them with a fresh group of Quarantine Officers,” he added. Piñol, however, explained that due process will be observed including a careful investigation of the allegations. “This week, I will dispatch graft investigators belonging to a new unit I organized in the Department of Agriculture to proceed to the Sasa Port in Davao City to validate the charges,” Piñol said. He said the investigating team would cross check the accusations with about 200 exporters of Cavendish banana. “The going rate, according to sources I talked with, is P8,000 per container or P40,000 per exporter per transaction,” Piñol said. He said the scheme might be extensive and the government’s response would include lifestyle checks and an official investigation from the Office of the Ombudsman. “Considering that there are over 200 exporters, not to mention the huge players like Dole Philippines, Sumifru, Tadeco, Uni-Frutti and others, I can just imagine how much these people, granting that the charges are true, have been raking in all these years,” Piñol said. He said this would serve as an example for all erring government employees. “President Duterte’s vow to rid government of corrupt officials is not just cheap talk. It will be done. Learn, adapt, adjust or get fired,” Piñol said.

2016-07-17 12:00 Karlos Manlupig newsinfo.inquirer.net

22 Turn ‘Hacienda Binay’ into drug rehab facility —Trillanes Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday asked the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to sequester the so-called “Hacienda Binay” in Batangas and convert it into a drug rehabilitation and treatment facility. Trillanes said that the 350- hectare farm, which is supposedly owned by former Vice President Jejomar Binay and was acquired through businessman Antonio Tiu, is conducive for treatment and rehabilitation due to its “vast area and serene environment.” READ: ‘Binay farm 350-ha estate’ “During the hearings conducted by the Senate on the anomalies involving then VP Binay, it was raised that the 350-hectare farm, allegedly owned by VP Binay, was illegally acquired and violated the agrarian reform law. The current administration must immediately act to sequester this land and put it into good use by converting it into a treatment and rehabilitation facility,” Trillanes said in a statement. The senator, who led the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearings on the alleged corruption in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II, said that converting the property into a rehabilitation facility will support the Duterte government’s war against drugs. “There are thousands of self-confessed drug dependents who have surrendered to the authorities, but, aside from monitoring, the government has yet to implement a concrete program to ensure that these drug users will not return to their old ways. We do not have a concrete plan, as well as facilities, to rehabilitate them,” he said. “Any serious anti-illegal drug drive should include a rehabilitation program for drug users. We must treat and rehabilitate them, and prepare them for social reintegration,” the senator added. Last Thursday, the Office of the Ombudsman formally slapped Binay with charges of malversation, graft, and falsification of public documents for the allegedly rigged procurement for construction of the P2.28-billion Makati Parking Building II. READ: Citizen Binay faces graft, malversation, falsification raps over Makati parking building Binay has posted a P376,000 bail for his temporary liberty. JE/rga

2016-07-17 12:00 Aries Joseph newsinfo.inquirer.net

23 Recto files bill extending passport validity to 10 years Senator Ralph Recto has filed a bill lengthening the validity period of the Philippine passport from five years to 10 years. In his proposed bill, Recto wants to amend Section 10 of Republic Act 8239, or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, so that the validity period of the passport can be lengthened to 10 years. The reelected senator enumerated in the bill’s explanatory note the inconveniences that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) face in obtaining a passport. “Most OFWs are allowed to return to the Philippines from two weeks to a month while the processing of applications and renewal of passports can take from ten to fifteen days—not including the waiting period for an appointment, “ Recto said. “This might be too short a time for OFWs to secure new passports. Many spend their entire vacation in queues for multiple government-issued permits needed for their employment,” he added. He clarified that the extension of the validity period of the passport will not cover minors in accordance with international conventions which state that they should be given passports that are valid for five years. Recto’s bill also gives power to the Department of Foreign Affairs to limit the validity of a person’s passport to less than 10 years if the applicant is deemed to be a threat to national security or public safety or if the applicant does not have adequate supporting documents. Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo filed House Bill 487 in the House of Representatives which also pushes to extend passport validity to 10 years. Days before he assumed the presidency, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay to streamline the passport application process. “Once [the requirements are] complied with, do not ask for more or less… You go to the computer and you make a projection,” he said during his last flag-raising ceremony in Davao City last June 27. /rga

2016-07-17 12:00 Aries Joseph newsinfo.inquirer.net

24 Sizing up Tinseltown’s most eligible bachelors WHAT would it take to get some of Tinseltown’s most eligible actors to leave their bachelor days behind? Here’s our Q&A with Coco Martin, Gerald Anderson, Dennis Trillo and Alden Richards. Take note, ladies! *** What qualities do you find attractive in women? Coco: Simplicity attracts me. I like women who dote on their families. And smart women who are good conversationalists, who can discuss different topics with me. Gerald: She should be down to-earth and fun to spend time with. I want someone who’ll keep you company anywhere. Dennis: I’m attracted to women with a good sense of humor, have a positive outlook, and are beautiful inside and out. Alden: To get my attention, she has to be caring, understanding,hardworking and, most especially, God-fearing. What would make you decide to finally settle down? Coco: I’m ready any time (laughs), because I’m not getting any younger—34 na ako. Gerald: I will know when I meet her. Dennis: When the moment comes that I feel complete. Alden: When the Lord gives me the go signal. What turns you on about the women you meet? Coco: She has to make sense. I want to learn from and experience different things with her. Gerald: I like a woman with a sexy smile. Dennis: She must captivate me with her positive attitude, and we must share the same values. Alden: A good sense of humor turns me on. And she also has to be a good listener. What turns you off? Coco: I get turned off by self centered women… ’yung sarili lang ang iniisip. Gerald: When she thinks she’s better than everyone else. Dennis: I don’t like liars and hypocrites. Alden: Bad hygiene. /rga

2016-07-17 12:00 Mary Ann entertainment.inquirer.net

25 Police: 5-Year-Old Boy Shot to Death in Cincinnati Home Police say a 5-year-old boy had died after being shot in the head in his Cincinnati home. The child was with his 11-year-old brother on the second floor when the incident happened just after noon on Saturday. Police tell The Cincinnati Enquirer ( http://cin.ci/29F7LWb ) the older brother brought the boy downstairs to his mother, who called 911. The child was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name hasn't been released. An investigation is continuing. The shooting happened in the city's Madisonville neighborhood and was the second this week involving a young child. Police say a man and a 2-year-old child were shot and wounded as the man was placing the child in a vehicle Wednesday night. Thirty-five-year-old Ernest Cephas has been arrested on charges of felonious assault. ——— Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

2016-07-17 12:00 By abcnews.go.com

26 Sheriff: 3 Dead, 1 Wounded in Washington State Shootings The Clark County Sheriff's Office says a 35-year-old man suspected of killing three people in a home near Woodland is in custody. Authorities said Brent Luyster was arrested without incident Saturday afternoon in the deaths of two men and a woman the night before. A second woman is hospitalized with a gunshot wound. The Columbian newspaper reports ( http://goo.gl/6ULSn6 ) that Luyster was scheduled for trial Monday in Cowlitz County Superior Court on allegations that he pistol-whipped his ex-girlfriend at his Longview home. He pleaded not guilty in May to charges of assault, harassment and illegal firearm possession. Sheriff's Sgt. Fred Neiman says a woman who was shot in the face drove to a convenience store in Woodland around 10:30 p.m. Friday and told deputies she had been shot at a home near Woodland. Neiman says she remains hospitalized. Members of the sheriff's office and a regional SWAT team went to the home and found two men dead outside the home and a woman dead inside. The Oregonian/Oregonlive reports ( http://bit.ly/29Yb0Lb ) that Luyster pleaded guilty in October 2014 for rioting with a weapon after he was accused of making racially motivated threats at a Vancouver, Washington , tavern in March 2013. He allegedly threatened to kill an interracial couple cuddling at the tavern and threatened another black man with a pistol outside the bar. He received a sentence of 90 days in jail. The Anti-Defamation League , which fights anti-Semitism and other bigotry, has identified Luyster and his brother as white supremacists. ——— Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com

2016-07-17 12:00 By abcnews.go.com

27 New flaw identified in the new fleet of Mumbai locals Commuters travelling in Mumbai's local trains would have experienced water leaking from the compartment roof every monsoon. With the introduction of new trains, manufactured in Chennai, this problem has finally come to an end. But, it may be too soon to cheer, as railway officials have identified a fresh flaw in the new fleet. The taped entrance to the Bombardier rakes These trains, that have machines of Bombardier make (a Canadian transportation company) have a defect that might look negligible to the naked eye. There are small openings in the motor coach on the sides of the train through which water can easily seep in. A motor coach has electric transformers, circuits, electrics and other software controls. A 12-car train has four motor coaches. Senior officials from Western Railway (WR) said they identified the leakage only after the first rains. “There are small gaps through which moisture gets in, and can put these electric equipment and circuits at risk,” said a WR official on condition of anonymity. Earlier in June, six of these Bombardier trains suffered technical failures with the onset of rain. This is when the WR authorities jumped into action and began looking for flaws. They new trains were then taken to their carsheds for repair. They fixed it by soldering the gaps and pasting thick cello-tape at the doors of the motor coaches. “These are teething troubles. Over a period, we have improved the ventilation, furnishings, seating and other parameters to smoothen the operation,” said Ravindra Bhakar, chief PRO, Western Railway. At present, out of the 84 trains that ply on the western line every day, 44 are of Bombardier make. The railways have to get 72 more for Western Railway before March 2017.

2016-07-17 12:00 By Shashank www.mid-day.com

28 14 people die after consuming spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh Etah: Fourteen people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Aliganj area following which five government employees, including three of the Excise department, have been suspended, police said today. Several people from Luhari Darwaja and adjacent Laukhera village consumed the liquor late last evening which led to the death of Netrapal (35), Ramesh Shakya (36), Sarvesh (25), Ateeq (31) and Ram Autar, police said. Charan Singh, Sobaran Singh (60) and Chini (30) died at the district hospital this afternoon, while Vipin (40) died at Agra Medical College. DIG (Range) Govind Agarwal has confirmed the toll. Five more persons, namely Dharmpal, Pramod Yadav, Mahipal and Ram Singh died at different hospitals in the area, District Magistrate Ajay Yadav said. Additional Superintendent of Police Visarjan Sigh Yadav said the number of persons taken ill was being investigated. SSP Ajay Shanker Rai said the main accused Shripal has been arrested. Locals claimed that 12 other persons were also taken ill after drinking the hooch, out of which six lost their eyesight. A group of agitated locals also blocked the Etah-Farrukhabad route and kept the bodies of Ateeq and Ramesh on the road. District Magistrate Ajay Yadav said an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each would be given to the families of the deceased. In Lucknow, Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal apprised Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of the incident. He directed Principal Secretary (Excise) and Principal Secretary (Home) to take stern action against officials found guilty of dereliction of duty. Singhal directed senior officers to reach the spot and ensure proper treatment of those taken ill. "Taking serious note of the incident, district excise officer, excise inspector and an excise personnel have been suspended with immediate effect," Principal Secretary (Excise) Kishan Singh Atoria said. Principal Secretary (Home) Debashish Panda said Circle Officer Aliganj Asaram Ahirwar and Station House Officer Mukesh Kumar have been suspended on charges of dereliction of duty. He has directed the officers to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

2016-07-17 12:00 By PTI www.mid-day.com

29 Navi Mumbai: Real estate developers talk of living in the shadow of fear Three years after tragedy first struck outside the building of S K Brothers Builders & Developers at Sector 28 in Vashi, a nervous energy still prevails within its walls. When we enter the reception area, an armed cop relaxing on a sofa, is suddenly alarmed. He sizes us up, but is assured by the receptionist. We are then led into the spacious chamber of 28-year-old Sandeep Kumar Lahoria aka Sunny. "No cameras, please," he insists. "I am wary of getting photographed," he says. But, the fear Sandeep reveals is in glaring contradiction to the battle he has been fighting since February 2013, when his developer father, Sunil Kumar Lahoria (51), was killed by a spray of bullets. In November 2014, the Thane Crime Branch filed a chargesheet, claiming that gangster Abu Salem's right-hand man Mehendi Hassan had reportedly taken a contract to kill Sandeep Kumar Lahoria. Sandeep's father, Sunil, had been gunned down outside his Vashi office in February 2013. Pics/Sneha Kharabe Over an hour's drive away from here, in Ulhasnagar, Thane district, contractor Sumit Sunil Chakraborthy's 23-year-old son Aakash is still reeling from the aftershocks of the June 11 firing at his father's office. He narrowly missed being the target of notorious goon Suresh Pujari's shooters by five minutes. While nobody was injured, Sumit is yet to come to terms with Pujari's sudden decision to act on the threat calls, which he has been receiving for the last three years. "He is a local goonda," Sumit says, "There was never any reason to take him seriously. " That the empty threats translated into something more sinister, called for a reality check. A couple of days after the incident, he got his son to register for an arms licence and got police security for his office. On July 11, two motorcycle-borne shooters, allegedly associated with underworld gangster Suresh Pujari, opened fire at (right) builder Sumit Chakraborthy's office in Ulhasnagar. Chakraborthy's son Aakash (left), who had been receiving extortion calls seeking R2 crore, had left the premises just five minutes before In the realty business, a booming industry outside of Mumbai, somebody is a new target every day. We sat down for a chat with the ones who have reasons to be afraid of their own shadows. Lahoria's office at Sector 28 in Vashi Q. What kind of struggles do you face in your business? Sandeep: As a developer, my father (the late Sunil Lahoria) and I have been constantly harassed and bullied by government and police officials. Because we deal with buying and selling of land, we are often targeted by a section of builders who involve villagers or locals, who occupy land purchased by us, and demand that we give an NOC at a certain price. If we don't, they threaten us with an FIR. The cops go ahead and file the FIR because the builders offer them a cut too. It's a tight nexus here and there's no room for honesty. Sumit: Ulhasnagar's biggest and only problem is Suresh Pujari. As a contractor, I have never faced any harassment from either government officials or the cops. To be honest, even if I have rivals, we would never stoop to the lengths of involving the underworld or goons. For the last three to four years, Pujari has been making extortion calls to many businessmen in the area, without even bothering to check if they have the capacity to pay up. But, we never believed him, until he shot dead a local cablewala in October last year. Chakraborthy's office in Ulhasnagar. Last year, one of Pujari's shooters killed cable operator Sachanand Karia when he refused to pay extortion money of Rs 5 crore Q. When did the extortion calls first begin? Sandeep: My father got the first call five years ago. This has to do with his need to do business honestly. He never indulged in any malpractice, and did not believe in taking or giving bribes. In 2011, he filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court after the police refused to file an FIR against builder Anurag Garg, who had violated FSI rules, while constructing towers on Palm Beach Road. When the HC directed the police to file an FIR against Garg, top police officials advised him against it. My father refused, and before he knew it, he had started receiving calls from Garg's accomplice Suresh Bijlani, who has strong connections with the underworld. Again, my father did not give in to threats. It cost him his life. Sumit: The call came some three years ago. At the time, I did not even know Pujari. He simply asked me to pay up R2 crore. I did not have that kind of money, so I laughed it off. But, after that day, for the next eight days, he kept harassing me with 20 to 30 calls every day. I then went and filed a complaint with the Thane police. While I was assured that action would be taken, nothing changed. The calls kept coming and with time they had become sporadic. However, after the murder of Sachu cablewala, he also started harassing my son Aakash with phone calls. Q. How cooperative were the authorities? Sandeep: My father wouldn't have died had the police officials been half as cooperative. In fact, they were hand-in-glove with the builders and one of the senior-most officers was also aware of the plans to kill him. On the day of the murder, former Navi Mumbai CP Ashok Kumar was in constant touch with Bijlani and Garg. Still, nothing was done about it. I cannot stand the Navi Mumbai police. They are all dogs. This is why I sought for the inquiry to be handed over to the Mumbai crime branch. Sumit: I have visited the CP, joint CP and DCP of Thane on several occasions. What I have been given is only assurance, and nothing else. When Pujari started harassing my son, I applied for police protection for him. In return they slap a Rs 80,000 bill every month for their services, when they shouldn't be charging anything and instead, should try and focus their energies on tracking the goon. Are they waiting for him to become a big ganglord before they cut him to size? Q. How is it that people in the real estate are mostly targets of the underworld? Isn't it because of the kind of money, especially black money, that's pumped into the industry? Sandeep: Let me lay it to you straight…it is only honest people, who are usually targeted by the underworld. If my father had agreed to pay the money that had been demanded, he would have been sitting in this office today. My father had sensed something fishy in the trade here, and hence, started new businesses in Dubai and Australia by 2002. In fact, I was handling all our business abroad, but after my father's death I decided that I would not move from here, until I get the guilty behind bars. The good thing is that Garg and Bijlani are now in jail, but I have had to spend crores of rupees to ensure that they remain there. Sumit: No, it is not true. Pujari has threatened more than 50 people in Ulhasnagar, and they include politicians, small-time shopkeepers, and businessmen like me. Nobody has been spared of his idiocy. Q. What's it like to live under constant fear? Sandeep: I carry a licensed gun with me everywhere I go. I have been given police security, but ask the official how to handle the gun, and he will have no clue. Because of this, I have become my own watchdog. Every now and then, I get a threat call, saying that if I don't stop pursuing the case, I will meet my father's fate. I am not married, and have no family. If I had one, I would never keep them here. My mother doesn't know what kind of problems I face, and I don't discuss it with her because she would ask me to put an end to this. But, I am not a quitter. The one thing I learned from my father is to be brave. Sumit: I don't fear Pujari and that's one reason, I haven't got any personal security for myself. Yes, I have put in additional safety measures in place, like having CCTV cameras at home and work, but that is for my family. If I cow down to his demands and agree to pay up a few lakh rupees, it will only encourage him to threaten other people. I don't want to set a wrong trend or bad example. Most importantly, I don't want to give unnecessary mileage to the goon.

2016-07-17 11:17 By Jane www.mid-day.com

30 Raped and bludgeoned, minor girl dies in hospital Muzaffarnagar: A minor girl who was bludgeoned with a stone after being raped in Kidwai Nagar area of the city, died during treatment at a hospital here, police said today. The 8-year-old victim was playing outside her house when she was kidnapped and raped on July 15. The accused, Tanzim, then allegedly bludgeoned her with a stone, leaving her with serious head injuries. The accused, who was caught by locals, has been sent to jail by police and a case was registered against him. Meanwhile, with tension prevailing over the incident, police was deployed in the area and also posted in the residence of the accused as a precautionary measure.

2016-07-17 11:10 By PTI www.mid-day.com

31 World’s super radio telescope releases first image of galaxies CARNARVON, South Africa — Even operating at a quarter of its eventual capacity, South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope showed off its phenomenal power Saturday, revealing 1,300 galaxies in a tiny corner of the universe where only 70 were known before. The image released Saturday was the first from MeerKAT, where 16 dishes were formally commissioned the same day. MeerKAT’s full contingent of 64 receptors will be integrated next year into a multi-nation Square Kilometer Array (SKA) which is is set to become the world’s most powerful radio telescope. The images produced by MeerKAT “are far better that we could have expected,” the chief scientist of the SKA in South Africa, Fernando Camilo said at the site of the dishes near the small town of Carnarvon, 600 kilometres north of Cape Town. This “means that this telescope as is today, only one quarter of the way down (to its full contingent) is already the best radio telescope in the southern hemisphere,” Camilo told AFP. When fully up and running in the 2020s, the SKA will comprise a forest of 3,000 dishes spread over an area of a square kilometre (0.4 square miles) across remote terrain around several countries allow astronomers to peer deeper into space in unparallelled detail. It will have a discovery potential 10,000 times greater than the most advanced modern instruments and will explore exploding stars, black holes, dark energy and traces of the universe’s origins some 14 billion years ago. MeerKAT is being built in the remote and arid southwest of the Karoo region of South Africa that offers prime conditions for astronomers. It will serve as one of the two main clusters of SKA. The other will be in Australia. Some 200 scientists, engineers and technicians working in collaboration with industry, local and foreign universities have developed the technologies, hardware and software systems for MeerKAT. ‘Profoundly powerful instrument’ South African Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor told AFP that “this the first time that an African group of countries will host global science infrastructure of this character.” “It’s a first for us as Africa and also it’s a first for the world because the world hasn’t done this in Africa,” said the Minister. “We are building a global infrastructure for the world.” “We can now expect when the 64 dishes are in place next year, it will be the best telescope, not only in the southern hemisphere but in the world,” said Pandor. More than 20 countries are members of the SKA, including Britain which hosts the headquarters of the project. Despite its slowing economy, South Africa, which hosts the bulk of the SKA project, has so far invested three billion rands ($205 million) into the telescope project, funded mainly from the public purse and science research partners. Already some 500 scientific groups from 45 countries have booked slots to use the MeerKAT array between next year and 2022. “What this will do is bring to South African and world astronomers, the most astonishing and profoundly powerful instrument ever used before in radio astronomy,” SKA South Africa project director Rob Adam told AFP. /rga

2016-07-17 11:04 Agence France technology.inquirer.net

32 Donald Trump changes campaign logo after being mocked online Washington: The campaign of US Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump unveiled a new logo on Saturday, a day after an original logo was mocked widely on social media. Donald Trump Pic/AFP The campaign released a new logo on Friday after Trump announced that he had chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. The campaign replaced it with another one on Saturday after the original logo was mocked widely online for appearing to be suggestive, Xinhua news agency reported. According to a fundraising email sent by the Trump campaign on Friday, part of the original logo featured an intertwined blue "T" and "P" with the letter "T" penetrating the loop of "P". On Saturday however, a new logo appeared on the campaign's website, which only shows both Trump and Pence's family names above the slogan "Make America Great Again".

2016-07-17 10:49 By IANS www.mid-day.com

33 5.0 magnitude earthquake jolts Japan Tokyo: An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale, jolted Japan's Ibaraki prefecture on Sunday, officials said. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor was centred in Ibaraki, which borders the Pacific Ocean and is to the northeast of Tokyo, Xinhua news agency reported. The jolt could be felt in central Tokyo, but there were no immediate reports of damage or issuing of a tsunami warning, the agency added. 2016-07-17 10:45 By IANS www.mid-day.com

34 Sania Mirza: A lot of women thanked me for speaking on their behalf Q. In 2010, there was a time when you wanted to retire. How did you get out of that phase? A. I was badly hurt. I couldn’t pick up my phone, or comb my hair. I had slipped into depression and wasn’t speaking to anyone. In a few months’ time I snapped out of it, and accepted the fact that tennis wasn’t going to a part of me anymore. After five-six months, my wrist started feeling better with rehab. I began to use it, and started hitting a few tennis balls for fun. I built on this, my mental strength improved, and before I knew it, I had won medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. The phase brought me back to life. India’s tennis queen Sania Mirza with husband and Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik on the sets of a television show in Mumbai on April 14, 2012. They got married in 2010. PIC/AFP Q. Off court, controversy trails you often. Do your fighting instincts and exploits on court help you trump it each time? A. I’d say it’s the other way around. I have a fighting spirit. I have a very high threshold of pain, be it at a physical or mental level. In sport, you win or lose, and get over it. This has helped me off the field and made me stronger. Q. Recently, social media hailed your reply to the question by a TV journalist about “settling down”. Do you face such questions all the time – and across the globe? A. I face it everywhere, not just in India. I’ve known Rajdeep (Sardesai) for years. I wasn’t angry at his question. All credit to him to apologise on national TV. I don’t need a child to validate that I have settled down. I’m pretty sure that girls in the early, mid and late 20s are being asked this all the time. Kids are not the be all and end all of this idea. Yet, I must add that I would love to start a family but that choice is mine. The point did go across. I received loads of mail from women thanking me for speaking on their behalf. They felt better, and that even a Sania Mirza could be questioned on this. However, the one question I find too private is – ‘It’s been six years since you are married; how come you haven’t had a kid?’ Aren’t we allowed to take that call? Q. Sport lays a lot of emphasis on appearances. What’s your take? A. Who doesn’t like to look nice? I am not just a tennis player, but also a celebrity. In this age, where social media is everywhere, you’re supposed to look great even in an airport. It comes with the territory. Having said that, I am fond of fashion and follow it off court. On court, I feel I look my worst! Q. Since you were 16, you’ve been associated with causes for the Indian girl child. How do you juggle it? A. When you support a cause that’s close to your heart, it doesn’t feel like work. In fact, the title of my book (Ace Against Odds) is testimony to this; aren’t we (women) fighting it all the time? Our lives are a bit more difficult. Be it a tennis player or you, as a journalist. Questions are always asked about our choices if they don’t fit a stereotype. I want to fight this. Even if a small group of people engage in a conversation about it after reading this interview, I feel I’ve done a bit to help push towards equality. Q. Shoaib’s (Malik) and your schedules are extremely demanding. How do you make it work? A. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Both of us are emotionally charged professions. We try to not bring work home. Our phone companies have benefitted from all of this (chuckles). Q. What’s the mood like before Rio 2016? A. It’s been upbeat. It will be my third Olympics. Unlike other sports, with tennis one is always preparing. So, I’ll be in Canada, then head to Rio and afterwards, in Cincinnati. Winning an Olympic medal would be big. We’ll do our best. Q. After you’ve peaked at No.1 in a sport, how do you stay motivated? What’s your mantra? A. For me, it was a lifelong goal to reach No. 1. My other goal would be to stay there, and finish my career at No. 1. It is tougher to do that when you’re at the top. The journey has been amazing so far and I hope to continue being focused and win many more Grand Slams and honours for India. Ace Against Odds, Sania Mirza with Imran Mirza and Shivani Gupta. HarperCollins India

2016-07-17 10:43 By Fiona www.mid-day.com

35 26 patients on life support after Nice attack: French Health Ministry Paris: At least 26 people, including five children, who were injured in the truck attack in France's NIce on July 14, are currently on life support, French Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday. After a 31-year-old Tunisian man drove a truck ramming into crowds of people celebrating the French national day and killed at least 84 people, a total of 303 people have been sent to different hospitals in Nice and five cities nearby, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying. According to the ministry, 121 patients wounded in the attack, including 30 children, are still being treated in hospital. 26 of these 121 wounded people are currently on life support.

2016-07-17 10:15 By IANS www.mid-day.com

36 How al-Qaeda inspired the Nice terror attack What would make Brexit negotiations better? Here are 8 simple suggestions The most notable aspect of the terror attack on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice at 10.10 pm on Thursday night , which left 84 people dead and 18 seriously injured, was its simplicity. Terrorists have long used cars and lorries as mechanisms to deliver explosives into crowded areas, but this is a notable shift towards the vehicle being the weapon itself. Using a vehicle to run down individuals – the Nice attacker, a French- Tunisian named locally as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a refrigerated truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day – has been a common tactic for years in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it was al-Qaeda that first promoted it as a method of attack to supporters of the global jihad movement through its online magazine Inspire , in 2010. The magazine recommended using “a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass, but mow down the enemies of Allah.” It also recommends choosing “the most crowded locations. Narrower spots are also better because it gives less chance for people to run away.” A similar message was echoed by Islamic State’s spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani just a few weeks ago, when he called on those “behind enemy lines” to carry out attacks at home. That is particularly significant because it represents a shift in emphasis for IS, which has previously called on all Muslims to migrate to their territory in Syria and Iraq. In that respect, telling supporters in the West not to travel could be a sign of increasing desperation within the group after it has suffered territorial losses in recent months. It is too soon to know whether this attack was carried out on behalf of any particular group, but chat forums associated with both al-Qaeda and IS have been celebrating it. For them, it is another blow to France which has suffered 10 major terrorist incidents since January 2015 – about one every two months – while continuing to warn of more. What would it take to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU? Below is an 8-point plan. 1. Put our best, world-renowned diplomats and negotiators at the helm. Yes, the negotiating team needs trade experts, but at its helm it needs a chief negotiator with excellent international standing, whose reputation will precede him or her in the corridors of the European Commission. The chief negotiator should have a track record for successfully and skilfully negotiating the most intractable international challenges the UK has faced in the past two decades. Northern Ireland? Iran’s nuclear deal? They should have formidable diplomatic skills, political nous, and a sharp intelligence that enables them to absorb and process technical details rapidly. Surround them with the best international trade lawyers we can lay our hands on (those with substantial experience in drafting actual negotiating texts) drawing on UK nationals in the European Commission, the World Trade Organisation, universities and law firms. Bolster the team with trade- related policy experts that cover the wide range of issues covered in contemporary trade deals - from competition policy, to intellectual property, financial services, and government procurement. Bring in the top policy analysts from the UK’s line ministries and agencies (agriculture, business innovation and skills, the intellectual property office etc), entice home UK nationals providing expert advice in the European Commission, and let the team work together with the private sector and others to identify the UK’s national interests. There is talk of bringing in civil servants from other countries. While we do need expertise, keep an eye on the long game: don’t bring in negotiators from countries we want to negotiate with in the foreseeable future – there’s nothing worse than the other negotiating parties knowing all your weak spots. 2. Bring businesses and workers close, but not too close, to the negotiating team. UK businesses, large and small, trade unions, and consumers have a lot of skin in the game when it comes to the EU negotiations. Moreover, civil servants can’t possibly know what precise provisions a specific firm or industry will need in a deal if the UK economy is to flourish. Harness the interest of these groups to do as much of the analysis as possible. Appoint specific industry liaisons within the negotiating team, preferably with expert knowledge on the industry, to work closely with firms and representative organisations. Request the stakeholders to analyse and evaluate how their industry or sector would fare under different trade scenarios and to provide really specific and detailed submissions to the UK government on the provisions they would like to see in the final EU deal. Avoid the UK national position being ‘captured’ by the largest and most powerful firms by supporting smaller industry players, consumer groups, trade unions and civil society organisations to develop informed positions. Keep close contact with business throughout the negotiations, but don’t inform them of the UK negotiating position or let them in the negotiating room, so that trade-offs and compromises can be made more easily. Work as a negotiating team to mould the disparate inputs into a national negotiating position, prioritising interests of specific groups in light of the UK’s wider national economic development strategy. 3. Forget national UK politics at our peril. Trade deals can be concluded after years of arduous talks only to be derailed by political opposition at home (ask the negotiators of the TPP, which may never see the light of day). Identify all the key players in the UK and, as far as possible, keep them on board and confident in the negotiating team. Work closely with political parties from UK regions that voted strongly ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’, make sure these regions are represented on the negotiating team, form close links with their MPs, and hold regular regional consultations. There will undoubtedly be losers in any final deal - look for other ways to ensure their interests are met so that the deal is widely accepted at home. 4. Gather intelligence on the EU position and manoeuvre to soften it. Use the excellent intelligence network of the UK’s diplomatic missions across the EU to understand the position of EU national governments, the European Commission, and powerful sub-national stakeholders (larges businesses, opposition political parties). Identify the fault-lines behind the EU’s current hard-line stance and work to open them up. Specific interests in the EU will lose if there is no deal with the UK, including German car manufacturers, French cheese and wine producers. Work behind the scenes to ensure that each European producer that stands to be damaged from the UK leaving the EU knows about it and lobbies their respective governments to compromise in order to reach a deal. Now is the time to do this. Crucial decisions will be made by the EU member states as they negotiate among themselves and forge a detailed EU-wide negotiating position. There is a window of opportunity to influence and soften the EU negotiating mandate before it is taken to the European Council and agreed across all 27 member-states, at which point it will be hard to make major changes. 5. Work up credible outside alternatives, signal to the EU, but don’t reveal them. The UK is negotiating from a position of weakness (the costs to the UK of having to access the EU market on WTO terms are greater than the costs faced by the EU of accessing the UK market on WTO terms). We need first to understand in precise terms the costs to both sides of falling back on the WTO option. Then we need to strengthen our outside options. These need to be credible alternatives for the specific export firms that will be hurt by a failure to agree a deal with the EU. This is perhaps the most important move we should make to increase our leverage in the negotiations. (In any asymmetric negotiation, the larger party has little hold if the smaller party can walk away from the deal relatively unscathed.) Our negotiating team should identify the UK exporters that stand to lose most if we don’t reach a deal with the EU and have to access the EU market on WTO terms. Working with these firms, we should identify the alternative export markets they can sell to most readily and open talks with those governments. This might be joining the TPP, it might be a deal with China, or it might simply be trade promotion of specific UK goods and services in targeted markets. The negotiating team should leak news of regular talks to the media, intimate positive progress, without divulging any details. All this said, we need to recognise we have relatively few seasoned negotiators. Care should be taken to focus our scarce resources. While it is worth initiating serious talks with those trade partners that provide a credible alternative, we should be careful not to embark on a myriad of new initiatives. 6. Reframe the public and the private debate and drop the Brexit term. Negotiations don’t only happen at the negotiating table. They happen in the wider public imagination and in the minds of individual negotiators. It’s important that we move quickly to drop the Brexit label for any post-EU trade negotiations. We should reframe to a positive vision of a confident UK reaching out and engaging with the world, including Europe. That makes a UK a more attractive proposition to the EU and will psychologically strengthen our own negotiators, particularly if they would prefer we hadn’t decided to ‘leave’ the EU in the first place. Avoiding the ‘Brexit’ term also helps keep more options in play, strengthening the UK’s hand: while ‘Brexit’ signals that the UK has irrevocably left the EU, in practice the UK is likely to want to maintain very close relations. Any trade negotiations need a new and positive label: EU-UK Economic Partnership Negotiations? 7. Develop a detailed negotiating position and strategy but keep it close to our chest. While it is vital that there is widespread buy-in across the UK in the agenda that the negotiating team pursues, it is equally important that the EU’s negotiators don’t know the details of our negotiating position or the tactical moves we intend to make to get there. The moment they know our red lines and how far we will really move if we are pushed, the negotiation is over. The EU negotiators will have every incentive to push us to the edge. Some trade negotiating teams are so concerned about the national negotiating position being leaked that only the chief negotiator and deputy know the full details, with other team members having information on a need-to-know basis. Others take their own encrypted IT servers to each round of negotiations. 8. Identify allies to champion a reformed EU. This final point may be pie in the sky. The UK’s ideal scenario is probably to stay a member of a reformed and more flexible EU. To this end, it is worth pursuing a two-track strategy, identifying and strategizing with reformist political groups in Europe in tandem with embarking on our own post-EU trade negotiations. Were it possible to form a critical and credible alliance it may be possible to champion reform within Europe, providing a viable EU-based alternative. No harm in trying! Emily Jones is Associate Professor in Public Policy (Global Economic Governance) at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

2016-07-17 08:49 Owen Jones www.newstatesman.com

37 Most Americans pessimistic about race relations — poll WASHINGTON, United States — An overwhelming majority of Americans think the next president should place “major” focus on improving US race relations, which most see as “generally bad.” The Washington Post/ABC News poll released Saturday was taken shortly after the mass shooting of white police officers by a black sniper that followed two high-profile shooting deaths of black men at the hands of police. Out of 1,003 adults surveyed, 83 percent said the next president, who will be chosen by voters in November, should place an “especially major” focus on achieving better race relations, with nearly half of respondents saying it’s an “extremely” important issue. Only 12 percent said they don’t want the next president to place major emphasis on the issue. The national concern over race may benefit presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in her bid for the White House. Some 58 percent of respondents said they trust her to handle the issue, versus 26 percent who have confidence in her Republican rival Donald Trump, who has gained a reputation for racially divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail. The poll also found that 63 percent of adults say race relations are generally bad, while 55 percent say they are worsening. Just a third of respondents said relations are good, and only one in 10 said they were improving. In light of the recent spate of violence, President Barack Obama has made repeated calls for racial unity. “The deepest fault lines of our democracy have suddenly been exposed, perhaps even widened,” the president said at a Dallas, Texas memorial for the slain policeman. “I’m here to say we must reject such despair. I’m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem.” /rga

2016-07-17 10:15 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

38 Venezuela re-opens Colombian border Caracas: Venezuela has opened its border with Colombia for the second time this month to allow people to cross over to shop for basic amenities. Last week, 35,000 crossed over for the first time since the border was closed in August 2015 by President Nicolas Maduro after former Colombian paramilitaries attacked a Venezuelan military patrol and injured three soldiers, BBC reported. The border across a pedestrian bridge connecting Tachira in Venezuela and Cucuta in Colombia opened on Saturday, a day earlier than authorities from both countries had previously announced. Officials said the border was expected to remain open for about 12 hours. Venezuela has suffered severe shortages for months as a result of the falling price of oil which is the country's prime source of income, the BBC added. Last week, the government reopened the border for up to 72 hours and as many as 10,000 Venezuelans from different cities passed through, Xinhua news agency quoted Tachira state Citizen Security Secretary Ramon Cabez as saying on Saturday. The Foreign Affairs ministers of Venezuela and Colombia are slated to meet to discuss reopening of the border on August 4.

2016-07-17 10:13 By IANS www.mid-day.com

39 Mary Kom, the perennial crowd-puller Five-time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer MC Mary Kom may have failed to make it to the Rio Olympics, but she remains a crowd favourite nevertheless. Indian pugilist MC Mary Kom Yesterday, when she stepped into the ring as a guest along with India cricketer Suresh Raina, the boxing champion drew a louder cheer from the packed Thyagaraj Sports Complex crowd than Raina. “Thank you for cheering boxing. The popularity of boxing is rising only because of you dear fans,” she said even as the crowd cheered while she spoke. And as for not being able to qualify for Rio, the humble Manipuri issued a public apology quite literally. “India will be sending its largest ever contingent to the Olympics in Rio and I wish each and every athlete the best of luck. “Unfortunately I could not make it to Rio and I’m sorry for not being able to do so,” she said, once again drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. Drought during title bout IOS Promotions and Queensberry Promotions, the organisers of yesterday’s Vijender Singh against Kerry Hope World Boxing Organisation WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight championship event at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex here left a lot to be desired for both fans and media. While the public toilets at the first floor did not have flowing water raising quite a stink, the media contingent ringside was also left thirsty throughout the five-hour fight night, while the organisers were busy catering to the whims and fancies of the VIP guests comprising politicians, sportsmen and Bollywood actors. The sense of humour of the mediamen present there, however wasn’t lost, with one saying: “In the ring, it’s a title bout and outside, it’s an unfortunate drought.” Modi wave sweeps Thyagaraj Stadium India Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have been present in person for yesterday’s fight night at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, but the presence of his rival party leader, Rahul Gandhi, prompted the crowd to yell “Modi, Modi”. Rahul, dressed in a casual grey t-shirt and jeans walked passed the railings leading to ringside, waving and shaking hands with fans, but within minutes the cheers turned to jeers of “boo, boo” and “Modi, Modi” leaving the Congress leader to quietly walk up to his seat, where he remained put for the remainder of the evening.

2016-07-17 10:07 By Ashwin www.mid-day.com

40 Standing Tall on the Platform The Talmud (Yoma 22b-23a) poses a challenge to the man of virtue, fighting for noble causes, who is belittled by obstructionist forces. On the one hand, if he does not avenge the honor of his mission “like a snake,” he will be trodden underfoot, unworthy of serious consideration as a visionary. On the other hand, the Bible does not permit acts specifically motivated by personal revenge. How to solve this dilemma? Two conditions are imposed. One, he should let his surrogates prosecute the grievance, rather than doing it himself. Two, the method employed should not be vicious or hurtful. It becomes clear upon closer examination that the most valid form of avenging the honor of the cause is by promoting that very honor in a way that shows up the pettiness of that sullying skeptic. Indeed the Hasidic tradition sees the roots of this notion in the phrase (Psalms 94:1): “God of Vengeance, appear!” The founder of Hasidism, Israel Baal-Shemtov, explained that God’s ideal form of vengeance for His honor is not through punishment but through revelation, by “appearing,” demonstrating His honor until the one who doubted Him is ashamed. This week we witnessed this approach artfully practiced by Donald J. Trump against AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee), the powerful lobby ostensibly dedicated to supporting the State of Israel. When Trump spoke at AIPAC’s annual gathering in Washington, D. C. earlier this year, his message backing Israel and condemning Palestinian incitement roused the crowd of sixteen thousand to their feet. He concluded by proudly announcing that his third “beautiful” Jewish grandchild was expected any day. So what’s not to like? Nope, the AIPAC machers were miffed. Trump had included a throwaway line to the effect that it was a relief for Israel that Obama would soon be out of office — “Yay!” — eliciting lusty applause from the crowd. Intolerable! So the very next day AIPAC repudiated its own guest and disavowed Trump’s remarks. The organization apologized to Obama for providing a platform for such effrontery. Fortunately Trump came by plane so their attempt to throw him under the bus failed. But much as we try to ignore stupidity, it still smarts. Fast forward to this week in Cleveland, where Republicans have hied to crown Donald Trump. The main activities for delegates are to spot LeBron James and to avoid John Kasich. While awaiting the main event next week, they are hammering together the planks of the party’s platform. The last two elections the platforms were fitted with trap doors to turn them into gallows, but this time there is an effort afoot to review some of those stands and see if we can build a reviewing stand instead. Mister Trump took an especial interest in the plank about Israel. He sent his two closest advisers on Israel, attorneys Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman. They were determined to avoid the weasely language AIPAC had foisted on the hapless 2012 team, calling for a “two-state solution.” After all, the first Republican to accept the two-state solution was George W. Bush on June 24, 2002, and he had predicated his stance on several preconditions which he outlined in a letter. Fourteen years later we have none of the above. So Trump’s people teamed up with the great Republican lovers of Israel, and instituted language crafted in consultation with Iron Dome Coalition, headed by Jeffrey Ballabon, a contributor to The American Spectator. Gone is any mention of a two-state solution. The BDS movement is identified as anti-Semitic. Support for Israel is deemed an expression of Americanism. As Ballabon points out, this was a large dose of truth, so naturally politicians will not enjoy swallowing it down. But this is what distinguishes the Trump candidacy. Politics is becoming more reality, less show. AIPAC prefers to maintain the fiction that Democrats are as supportive of Israel as Republicans. This creates a perverse incentive to hold back the Republicans less they show a greater enthusiasm than Democrats. But we all know that the left wing around the world has feted the Palestinians while roasting the Israelis, and American Democrats will never stray too far from the leftist herd. It is time to force Democrats to meet a higher bar rather than engage in the unseemly exercise of Jews trying to cool the Republican ardor for Israel. And so Trump has his revenge, in exactly the appropriate manner. No blustery putdowns, no petulant pejoratives. He took revenge on AIPAC by showing Israel that it will be safer relying on the grandfather of Theodore James Kushner.

2016-07-17 10:02 Jay D spectator.org

41 Nintendo To Release Mini NES With 30 Games Built In Nintendo will be releasing a miniature version of their classic video game system, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), with 30 pre- loaded games in November. The mini-NES is slated to be released on November 11, come with 30 games and will cost nostalgic gamers $59.99. Some of the games included are classic titles like Castlevania, Excitebike, Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda and even Punch Out. Nintendo is also probably looking to increase its stock value following the release of their highly successful augmented reality app Pokemon Go. The app sent Nintendo’s stock value up 25 percent, according to Variety. The NES was released nationwide in the U. S. in 1986 and was discontinued globally in 1995, but not before the gaming system had sold more than 60 million consoles worldwide, according to Nintendo’s own data. The system proved so popular that when Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988 — which comes in the mini NES — the game sold 18 million copies, generated $500 million in revenue and even has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling video game not sold with the system, according to Foo Yuk . Escapist Magazine reported The Mario Bros. franchise was so successful that it holds the title of best-selling video game franchise of all time, with more than 200 million sold. There is even better news for NES fans: the mini NES will allow you to save your progress. Which means no more leaving the system running all night to save your hard-earned gains. “Each game has multiple suspend points, so you can start where you left off at a later time,” reports Hot Hardware . PC Mag put together a list of the 10 best video game consoles of all time, the NES came in second place behind Sega’s Dreamcast . Speaking of Sega, if your NES-laden nostalgia can’t wait the four months until Nintendo releases the mini system, there is already a mini Sega Genesis for sale on Amazon, The Verge reports. The system, made by AtGames , comes with 80 built-in games to satiate your classic gaming desires. Although, The Verge notes that since Sega isn’t the one who made the system, some of the games are “cheap clones.” Nintendo’s move comes amid a huge 80’s nostalgia movement sweeping the country. A movement CNN has even picked up on and is currently airing a series of shows about the decade aptly titled ‘ The Eighties ‘. Rehashes of 80’s movies are popular now too. A reboot of the Ghostbusters was recently released, along with The Karate Kid, Footloose and Friday the 13th. Follow Craig Boudreau on Twitter . Send tips to craig@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. 2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

42 The GOP’s Embarrassing Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots The news is stark and brutal. Yet again another attack from radical Islam. This time in the lovely precincts of the South of France, on a seaside boulevard in Nice during a fireworks celebration of Bastille Day. The cost in lives: 84 and possibly counting, with 200- plus wounded. Among the dead an American Dad from Texas and his 11- year old son. The images are horrific, with dead bodies littering the Promenade des Anglais. The New York Times reported it this way in part: NICE, France — The toll of a terrorist attack on a Bastille Day fireworks celebration in the southern French city of Nice rose on Friday to 84 dead and 202 injured, as the government identified the attacker as a 31-year-old native of Tunisia, extended a national state of emergency and absorbed the shock of a third major terrorist attack in 19 months. The Paris prosecutor, François Molins, identified the attacker as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, a delivery-truck driver who was born on Jan. 3, 1985, and raised in Msaken, a town in northeastern Tunisia. The police searched two locations in Nice on Friday, including a home with Mr. Bouhlel’s name outside it. No organized group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although online accounts associated with the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have cheered it. Meanwhile, an ocean and half-a-continent away, the Republican National Convention gathers to nominate Donald Trump for president and Indiana Governor Mike Pence for vice president. In the aftermath of a tough primary, the so-called #NeverTrump faction has tried to derail Trump and failed. Rebuffed by the RNC’s Rules Committee, unable to persuade their colleagues that a prospective nominee chosen by the largest numbers in GOP primary history should somehow be rejected, they face the end of their Trump-won’t-be-nominated fantasy. But there’s something that needs to be said here. People are dead in the streets — literally — of Nice. As they have been murdered outright in Paris, Brussels, Istanbul, Boston, San Bernardino, Orlando, London, Madrid, New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Hello? We — the United States of America and the entire Western World — are at war here. Facing a relentlessly ruthless enemy that wants to kill us all. Yet as the Republican Party gathers in Cleveland, some of the most prominent Republicans in the land are busy — busy pouting. They lost to Trump or they supported somebody who lost to Trump. They don’t like this, and they don’t like that. Yes, they took a pledge but they really don’t care about not keeping their word. So, with all the dignity of a pouting two-year old they will not deign to grace the rest of us with their presence in Cleveland. Think about that for a second. It’s as if, after the tumultuous 1860 nomination battle that produced a victory for a one-term Illinois congressman over a slew of better known and better credentialed rivals, those rivals saw the Union coming apart and decided to sit on their hands and do nothing for Abraham Lincoln. It’s as if, on the morning of December 8, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt’s political rivals surveyed the wreckage of Pearl Harbor and the Nazi occupation of Europe and decided FDR was on his own. What are these people thinking? Do people like Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush really think their reputations will be burnished by fleeing the GOP Convention and the GOP nominee when it is crystal clear we are now at war? And that like Trump or hate Trump — as people once upon a time hated Lincoln and FDR — he is in fact the only one standing between more mass murder and even more horrific attacks on Western Civilization? In fact, both Lincoln and FDR moved quickly to bring in their defeated rivals as the reality dawned of the life-threatening crises that faced America. Lincoln had what historian Doris Kearns Goodwin famously called his Team of Rivals, noting that his GOP rivals for the presidency were “dismayed and angry” at their defeats at Lincoln’s hands. Yet as it became plain that the Union was at stake, each man rallied to Lincoln’s side, willing, as Kearns Goodwin put it, to “marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.” Even before Pearl Harbor, FDR’s 1940 GOP opponent Wendell Willkie, alarmed at the rapid string of Hitler’s victories, had voluntarily stepped forward to support FDR’s then-controversial Lend Lease program. He was attacked for doing so. “Willkie couldn’t dig up ten friends if his life depended on it,” sniffed a former RNC chair of the day. Yet that changed after Pearl Harbor, as Americans rallied, with Willkie becoming an FDR envoy in a world tour to meet with world leaders. The GOP’s 1936 nominee for vice president, Frank Knox, similarly concerned about Hitler and the Japanese Empire, took on the assignment as FDR’s Secretary of the Navy. Yet today — with, it can’t be said enough — people literally dead in the streets yet again, various Republican elites are behaving like pompous, self-serving jackasses whose egos just can’t seem to take a political defeat. Donald Trump aside, acting in this fashion suddenly says to a lot of people that Americans, not to mention Republicans, should be relieved that men with this kind of vanity did in fact not reach the Oval Office. Then there’s this story in the New York Times, headlined: The story says in part: With all those bodies of dead Westerners — including an American father and his 11-year-old son — literally still lying on a French street, Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has made it known that instead of hiking himself to Cleveland and coming to his country’s aid in war time he will be “mowing my lawn.” Senator Steve Daines of Montana will be “fly fishing.” Others are offering up excuses that range from campaigning for re-election to “listening” to constituents. They are, of course, perfectly free to support the woman who was responsible for the Benghazi disaster. She the candidate who can’t bring herself to say “radical Islam” and who, when questioned by CNN’s Anderson Cooper the night of the attack in Nice, was reduced to a word-salad about an “intelligence surge.” She is certainly there to be supported if they truly believe she has shown herself to be even minimally competent in the conduct of this war of civilizations. In fact, some Republicans have gone there. Which says everything about them and more still about the network of elites who have gotten us all to these dismal failures in American and European foreign policy. But Republicans should take note. America is under attack, to borrow a fateful phrase from 9/11. The Western world is under attack. This is no time to be playing out the drama of petty personal political snits. Donald Trump has selected Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate. I was a Newt backer. But Newt Gingrich himself took to the air waves as the sights and sounds of the latest attack were still coming in, telling Sean Hannity not only that he would strongly support Pence but adding this: “Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war.” The Trump-Pence ticket is now in place. It’s time for Republicans to rally not just to Trump and Pence but to America and the larger Western World beyond our shores. Thomas Paine put it famously and well: These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Jeff Flake and others have made it clear that they are the “summer soldier and the sunshine patriot” who “will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.” Shameful. Embarrassing. But so be it. So while they pout and mow the lawn, for the rest of us it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get on with the task at hand. Now. Right now.

2016-07-17 10:02 Jeffrey Lord spectator.org

43 Shannon Watts Blames NRA For Disarming Of Courthouse Security Officer On Monday, Michael Bloomberg surrogate Shannon Watts issued a tweet blaming NRA for a shooting at a courthouse in Berrigan, MI. “THIS,” she typed, “is outcome [sic] of @NRA’s dangerous agenda of guns for anyone, anywhere, anytime: no questions asked. Berrien County”. Turns out Watts should have asked a few more questions before, once again, publicly humiliating herself. As was quickly revealed by news reports , the perpetrator was a prisoner being transferred from a holding cell to a courtroom when he grabbed the gun of an officer who was assisting in the transport. Fortunately, the presence of other armed officers on the scene allowed for a rapid response, and the criminal was killed before he could harm other innocent people. Even after the facts became clear, Watts had not issued any apology for her mind-numbingly asinine and inappropriate accusation. “#DisarmHate,” a hashtag on her Twitter feed read. Needless to say, it wasn’t a hateful person who carried the fateful gun into the courthouse that day. It was an officer of the law willing to put his life on the line every day … and not just to ensure the safety of those in the courthouse, but to enable those accused of crimes to get their day in court and receive the full benefit of due process. As most Americans besides Shannon Watts know, it’s unjust (not to mention foolhardy) to condemn another before the facts are duly established. Just as obviously, NRA’s advocacy was not responsible for the fact that a law enforcement officer was carrying a firearm in the course of his official duties. This brings us back to a point we’ve made many times. The sort of antigun advocacy practiced by Shannon Watts and her knee-jerk compatriots has nothing to do with facts. Indeed, their official playbook counsels specifically to push out a message during an emotional event before the facts are known. Watts thus has the relative advantage of operating in a post-factual, post- constitutional, post-rational paradigm, where the only objective is to manipulate gullible people to act on cues that appeal to their lowest nature. Her template for invoking fear and animosity is the one that in olden days led to dunking stools and the burning of accused “witches” at the stake, only now she has a “smart phone” (a particularly ironic appellation when applied to how she uses it) to help stoke hysteria. And so, like clockwork, self-inflicted damage to the credibility of Shannon Watts again follows an event that any decent person would recognize as a tragedy, not a political opportunity. For all the money he’s spending on her, one of Bloomberg’s chief mouthpieces could use a few more watts illuminating her own dim decision-making. #LowWattage —- Know your gun laws. Click here to see them.

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

44 Saudi Ambassador Connected To Al-Qaida, Documents Reveal The unclassified 28 pages of the 9/11 report reveal that the FBI and CIA had evidence connecting Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, nicknamed Bandar Bush, to al-Qaida and men close to the 9/11 hijackers. The report shows that bin Sultan was most closely connected to Osama Bassnan, a suspected Saudi intelligence agent who was close to 9/11 hijackers. The report states that “[Bassnan] and his wife have received financial support from the Saudi Ambassador to the United States and his wife.” “According to the FBI, on May 14, 1998, Bassnan cashed a check from Bandar in the amount of $15,000.” The report found that Bassnan had been in contact with 9/11 hijackers Khalid al- Mihdhar and Nawaf al- Hazmi, and suspected Saudi intelligence agent and terrorist supporter Omar al- Bayoumi. “FBI files suggest that al- Bayoumi provided substantial assistance to hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi after they arrived in San Diego in February 2000,” the documents of the joint Senate and congressional report on 9/11 state. The report also says that al-Bayoumi had a received a monthly salary from a company the FBI believed “had ties to Usama Bin Laden and al-Qa’ida.” The report states Bassnan “made a comment that he did more than al- Bayoumi did for the hijackers.” Prince Bandar was the Saudi ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He is known for close relationships with Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He was especially close with George W. Bush. A New York Times article from 2007 states: “No foreign diplomat has been closer or had more access to President Bush, his family and his administration than the magnetic and fabulously wealthy Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia.” Prince Bandar has previously said about the now declassified 28 pages: “Saudi Arabia has nothing to hide. … We can deal with questions in public, but we cannot respond to blank pages.” The former ambassador is also heavily involved in current efforts to fund and arm Syrian rebels. WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 26: Saudi Defense and Aviation Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz(R) presents airplane contracts with US companies worth 6 billion USD to US President Bill Clinton(L) 26 October in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC. Prince Bandar(C) stands behind Clinton and Aziz. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read RICHARD ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 9: US President George Bush (L) is treated to Arab coffee and cakes as he tours 09 August 1989 in Washington, D. C. an exhibition sponsored by the government of Saudi Arabia with Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud (C), the Saudi ambassador to the US. Prince Bandar was born in March 1949 at Taif, son of Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation. AFP PHOTO GREG GIBSON (Photo credit should read GREG GIBSON/AFP/Getty Images) The financial support documented in the report is from both Prince Bandar and his wife Haifa bint Faisal. According to the documents, his wife gave a monthly stipend to Osama Bassnan’s wife. “In a recent search of Bassnan’s residence, the FBI located copies of 31 cashiers checks totaling $74,000, during the period February 22, 1999 to May 30, 2002.” “The FBI has determined that there has been a standing order on Princess Haifa’s account since 1999 to send $2000 a month to Bassnan’s wife. Bassnan’s wife was allegedly receiving funding for nursing services but according to the [redacted] document, there is no evidence Bassnan’s wife provided nursing services.” According to the 9/11 report, “in 1993 the FBI became aware Bassnan hosted a party for the Blind Shaykh at his house in Washington, DC in October 1992.” The Blind Shikh is currently serving a life sentence for his involvement in planning a terrorist attack. “Bassnan also stated to an FBI asset that he heard that the U. S Government had stopped approving visas for foreign students. He considered such measures to be insufficient as there are already enough Muslims in the United States to destroy the United States and make it an Islamic state within ten to fifteen years.” The report also states “the “FBI confirmed” that “al-Bayoumi’s wife attempted to deposit three of the checks from Prince Bandar’s wife, which were payable to Bassnan’s wife, into her own accounts.” Ambassador Bandar never gave money directly to al-Bayoumi. In October 2002, then-FBI assistant executive director Pasquale D’Amruo testified in a closed hearing about Bandar’s wife’s financial activities. “She gives money to a lot of different groups and people from around the world. We’ve been able to uncover a number of these…but maybe if we can discover that she gives to 20 different radical groups, well, gee, maybe there’s a pattern here.” The report also found that senior al-Qaida member Abu Zubaida’ phonebook, obtained by U. S and coalition forces, contained a phone number “unlisted and subscribed to by the ASPCOL Corporation in Aspen, Colorado.” “According to the FBI’s Denver Office, ASPCOL is the umbrella corporation that manages the affairs of the Colorado residence of Prince Bandar,” the report states. The report also states that an another terrorist suspect with a redacted name’s “number was also linked to ASPCOL.” The documents go on to say, “the CIA traces have revealed no direct (emphasis added) links between numbers found in Zubaida’s phone book and numbers in the United States.” When the Denver FBI office investigated ASPCOL “they believed any inquiries regarding ASPCOL would be quickly known by Prince Bandar’s employees. Due to the sensitivity of this matter, they decided to hold their investigation of ASPCOL in abeyance until they received additional guidance from FBI headquarters.” Follow Alex on Twitter

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

45 Can Tesla Produce Elon Musk's Grand Vision? Tesla Motors’ recent financial problems are likely a result of the company’s inability to deliver on the lofty visions of its president and CEO, Elon Musk, according to the co-founder of one tech investment group. “The time has come to ask whether Elon is the right CEO for Tesla,” Matt Stack, the co-founder of Devonshire Research Group, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Musk’s vision is so far beyond what Tesla is capable of producing, Stack said, that it caused the company to miss deadlines, which risks creating distrust among contractors. The head of the tech investment group was responding to recent comments by Barclay analyst Brian Johnson, who argued in the Wall Street Journal that Musk’s 2006 “Master Plan Part” resulted in a the company digging itself in a $4.2 billion hole. Johnson gave the plan’s business model a D grade. Even though it managed to help the company generate about $1.7 billion from selling its cars, and another $500 million from zero-emission vehicle credits, Musk’s master plan resulted in the company spending $2.1 billion on R&D, and another $4.1 billion in capital investment, leaving Tesla with a deep deficit. Johnson did hedge his bearish view on the electric vehicle maker by noting that Musk’s plan did result in the creation of large fleet of electric powered sports cars and luxury vehicles. He gave the plan a B grade for accomplishing its mission of producing a working, marketable electric vehicle. Stack was not as optimistic as Johnson. “DRG would say that ambition can be problematic when operating a multi- million dollar corporation,” Stack said, adding that, CEOs like Musk must counterbalance their ambition with a tangible sense of realism. Other visionaries in Silicon Valley such as Apple’s Steve Jobs, according to Stack, had exceptionally brilliant engineers like Steve Wozniak helping them develop the nuts and bolts of their vision – in a sense, Wozniak allowed Jobs’ vision to come to life in a manageable way. “Elon is missing his Wozniak,” Stack said, adding, Apple had equal parts Jobs’ vision and Wozniak’s engineering brilliance, leading to the computer company producing products in a timely fashion. DRG has been striking a bearish tone on Tesla over the past several months. The group warned that Tesla’s move to acquire solar panel company SolarCity in early July was likely part of the company’s plan to attract “loss- tolerant” investors in an attempt to avoid possible financial downturn. Loss - tolerant investors are capable of tolerating massive amount of losses in an enterprise, company, or asset with or without knowledge of the loss – it’s a type of pyramid scheme, according to DRG report in May. Panasonic, for instance, invested massive amounts of money in Tesla’s new giant Nevada-based Gigafactory , a 1.9 million square foot monstrosity in Nevada slated to cost more than $64 million. DRG argued Panasonic is one such loss-tolerant investor, because it is unlikely to know exactly what will come of its investment, as it doesn’t fully understand the complex nature of Tesla’s business model. Stack’s group handicapped Tesla still further in March, when it argued Musk’s company is not as environmentally sound as supporters and shareholders might think. Lithium ion batteries, for instance, soak up troves of energy, ultimately placing them dead last in greenhouse gas emissions. Worse still, Tesla’s contractors and miners use massive fossil fuel-powered earth-moving equipment like backhoes, excavators, and bulldozers to mine the miners that go into the lithium batteries. Stack pointed to Tesla’s inability to hit crucial production deadlines as an example of Musk’s vision overshadowing the company. The missed deadlines will only add to the growing mistrust contractors are no doubt feeling toward the Tesla brand, he explained. Follow Chris on Facebook and Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

46 Will Japan Become The Next Big Military Superpower? Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has long dreamed of cutting the constitutional amendment that prohibits Japan from waging war. “I am a patriot. I would think there are no politicians who are not patriots,” the stocky, tousle-haired prime minister told TIME magazine in 2014. “I say we should change our constitution now.” Abe has previously called for a “departure from the postwar regime” in order to “bring back Japan,” arousing fear in the hearts of elderly Japanese pacifists who remember the bloody battles of World War II. But in the face of left-wing opposition and East Asian hostility, it has appeared unlikely that Abe would ever realize his dreams — until now. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ally Komeito won a two- thirds majority in Japan’s upper-house election July 3, finally granting Abe a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament and the opportunity to propose constitutional reform. Raising his bushy black eyebrows, the triumphant prime minister told reporters July 3 that the “LDP has held the goal of revising the Constitution since its formation, and it included that goal in its platform for governing.” Ayako Doi, an associate fellow at the Asia Society, says Abe’s main goal has always been to revoke Article 9, the constitutional amendment the United States imposed after World War II that renounces war as a “sovereign right” of Japan. “That was his grandfather’s wish, who was prime minister in the 1960s. In Abe’s mind, it has never been achieved,” Doi said. If the upper- and lower-house successfully push through the proposal, a national referendum would be held that requires a majority vote to pass. The vote could go either way: an exit poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper showed that 49% of voters supported constitutional revision, with 44% opposed — “similar to the Brexit vote,” Doi said. Yet constitutional revision would seem to change little in a country that boasts the fourth strongest military in the world, according to a Credit Suisse ranking. Japan spends $41.6 billion annually on its Self-Defense Forces, which can now legally assist the United States and other allies after Abe pushed through a 2015 law reinterpreting Article Nine. The new interpretation marked a historic shift away from pacifist foreign policy. For the first time since World War II, Japan now has the right to engage in overseas combat assignments, if only under limited conditions. “Abe has moved steadily to allow Japan to play a greater role in security abroad ” said Michael Auslin , the director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. “He has increased the military budget, dramatically improved Japan’s relations in Europe, and deepened an alliance with the United States.” “The question of revision is more of a symbolic one,” he added. The country currently owns 678 tanks; 1,613 aircrafts; and 16 submarines, pulling it ahead of India, France, and South Korea in the Credit Suisse ranking. Japan is a “world leader next to the U. S. in missile capability,” said Auslin, with an “excellent navy” and an “excellent coast guard.” The nation sports some of the most modern and advanced military equipment in all of Asia, including modern reconnaissance drones, licence- built Apache attack helicopters, and new fifth-generation fighter jets. BBC calls Japan’s Self-Defense Forces the “toothless tiger:” equipped with top- notch equipment and highly trained, but prohibited from waging war. Japan’s calls it all “Self-Defense Forces,” in part to circumvent Article 9’s pledge that “land, sea, and air forces will never be maintained.” Abe has pointed towards this constitutional inconsistency as a reason for revision, claiming that 70 percent of constitutional scholars believe Japan’s Self-Defense Forces violate Article 9. But in the meantime, Japan can “do all of the things it wants to do,” Doi said. “Changing the constitution will only unnecessarily alarm or irritate its neighbors.” Japan’s neighbors may serve as the very reason its considering revision. North Korea continues to threaten nuclear warfare, while China has grown increasingly hostile in territorial disputes over the East China Sea. “There is certainly a power rivalry going on between Japan and China in the region,” said Nicholas Szechenyi, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic International Studies. “So any steps that Japan takes to strengthen its defense will likely threaten China.” China’s official news agency, the Xinhua, has not responded favorably to Sunday’s election results, calling Abe’s win a threat to “regional stability” as “Japan’s militarization will serve to benefit neither side.” China’s military is ranked just ahead of Japan’s, as third strongest in the world. China has good reason to fear a stronger Japan — partnered with the U. S., the country would make a formidable foe. Unlike Beijing, Washington would embrace constitutional revision, Doi said, because Japan could “do more to contribute to whatever conflict the U. S. gets into, in terms of military support, weapons, or equipment.” “Of course, publicly, they would never say that,” she added. Although Japan and the U. S. have maintained a strong relationship since World War II, a certain blond-haired, billionaire real estate mogul may be rocking the coalition. According to Doi, the rise of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump has made the Japanese “nervous and disturbed.” “Trump is anti-Japanese in all aspects,” Doi said. Should Japan need future protection, “there’s doubt in the Japanese mind about whether the U. S. will be willing to commit its power and money,” she added. Constitutional reform would allow Japan to establish a stronger military and strengthen its international ties, lessening its reliance on the United States and establishing a degree of autonomy. Yet the Japanese public are still conflicted over Abe’s call for reform. The country prides itself on its unique pacifist policies, and in 2014, there was even a push to nominate Article 9 for the Nobel Peace Prize. “People take pride in it,” one Japanese student explained. “I think it’s our stance on being ‘peaceful’ in a way, which is a little naive.” Abe will likely pursue constitutional revision in earnest later this year, at which point Japanese sentiment will become more clear. “This question of revising the constitution is one that combines issues of national identity and history,” Auslin said. “Japan must find its place among the nations of the world.” Follow Elena on Twitter Send tips to [email protected] . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

47 Silicon Valley Billionaires Blast Trump In Open Letter The hypocrisy is a bit thick in here. A list of 145 tech executives signed an open letter recently blasting the immigration policy of Republican nominee Donald Trump for not encouraging an “inclusive country that fosters opportunity, creativity and a level playing field.” Included as signatories are least five billionaires and dozens upon dozens of millionaires. Excluded from the letter is big tech’s big interest in maintaining the supposed “high skilled” visa program that, in some cases, results in American workers forced to train foreign replacements in their own jobs, often to work for significantly less money. Here’s CNN Money on why Silicon Valley labor importers might oppose Donald Trump : Critics of increasing the number of visas contend companies should employ U. S. workers first, or believe Silicon Valley uses the system as a way to hire foreign workers at lower wages. The visas have been a topic of conversation in this year’s presidential election. Republican front-runner Donald Trump wants to raise the minimum wage for H1-B workers, which he says “will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program.” God forbid big tech has to hire Americans, much less black, Hispanic and female Americans (which Facebook readily admits it has had some serious problems doing). Even the progressive news site Mother Jones got in on bashing big tech: More than 80 percent of H-1B visa holders are approved to be hired at wages below those paid to American-born workers for comparable positions, according to [the Economic Policy Institute]. Experts who track labor conditions in the technology sector say that older, more expensive workers are particularly vulnerable to being undercut by their foreign counterparts. Big tech contends, in both the letter to Trump and in general, that these kinds of immigration policies foster innovation. Silicon Valley players frequently note that several big tech companies have foreign founders. But Mother Jones reports that the numbers show less than 3 percent of H1-Bs attempt to become American citizens. Instead, they just continuously rotate in and out of the country, working for wages significantly lower than average Americans. Immigration reform is clearly at the center of the debate between Silicon Valley and some of the GOP presumed nominee. Mark Zuckerberg (who did not sign the open letter) and other Tech leaders are behind an effort to increase caps on immigration quotas to allow for more “high-skilled workers to be able to work in the U. S.” Trump has voiced his concerns with immigration policies, calling for stronger borders and a strengthened immigration system. And what do billionaires care but for the bottom line? One signatory, Vinod Khosla, co-founder of SUN microsystems is worth $1.5 billion and is very much opposed to a Trump presidency. Another signature in the letter belongs to Othman Laraki , who founded Color Genomics and is worth $1.2 billion. Another billionaire on the list is the founder of Ebay, Pierre Omidyar who is worth $8.1 billion. Omidyar has donated at least $200,000 to the NeverTrump PAC according to FEC filings and has been adamantly opposed to Trump. He also dumped $250 million on renowned anti-American columnist Glenn Greenwald to start the media company “The Intercept” … from Brazil. The DCNF looked into the salaries and donations of those who participated in the open letter, and found a majority of the people on the list are not feeling the same economic woes that millions of Americans feel. While the average salary of tech industry employees is just short of $100,000 , the average wage in America was approximately $46,400 in 2014, according to the Average National Wage Index. Outside of billionaire investor and pay-pal cofounder Peter Thiel, who is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, Silicon Valley is overwhelmingly opposed to the Republican nominee. According to a June report , just 52 tech workers donated to Trump’s campaign up, compared to 33,000 who donated to Sanders and over 2,000 who donated to Clinton Follow Ted on Twitter Follow DC Tech on Twitter Send Tips to [email protected]. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

48 DC Metro Is Still Ignoring Safety Standards New questions over the culture at D. C. Metro arose after federal inspectors overseeing the plagued system found more than 100 safety issues and violations of worker policy throughout the first two rounds of SafeTrack repairs. The Federal Transit Authority (FTA) released updated statistics Thursday afternoon on the progress of SafeTrack, D. C. Metro’s aggressive 10-month plan to fix the beleaguered transit system. Inspectors revealed troubling details of the way repairs have been conducted in the first two Surges of SafeTrack, observing 109 track defects in recently repaired tunnels, reports The Washington Post. Inspectors said 34 of those maintenance issues have not been fixed by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) workers. Eight defects between the East Falls Church and Ballston stations and 26 defects between the Eastern Market and Benning Road stations have yet to be addressed. “FTA safety inspectors assess both the condition of critcal infrastructure and how well WMATA follows its own procedures, rules and safety standards,” states the FTA SafeTrack update . “FTA required WMATA to take remedial actions to correct safety deficiencies identified during SafeTrack inspections such as for failure to comply with roadway worker protection rules, inconsistencies in following track maintenance standards and lack of procedures to ensure metal banding debris is not placed next to the electrified third rail.” The FTA took control of oversight for the D. C. Metro system in October, following several safety failures including the death of a woman who suffocated during a tunnel track fire. Since federal oversight began FTA officials have conducted more than 200 inspections of the system, finding more than 1100 track defects. Many of those defects have still yet to be addressed by Metro officials. (RELATED: Another DC Metro Train Blasts Through Stop Signal) Furthermore, over the course of these 200 inspections, FTA officials were denied access to inspect the system 15 times by Metro employees. Officials with the FTA note those occurrences have dropped significantly since the issue was brought to the attention of Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld. D. C. Metro came under scrutiny from FTA inspectors earlier this week after a train blew through a red stop signal during Wednesday morning rush-hour, the second violation by Metro train operators in July. The FTA is still investigating the incident and the operator involved in the safety violation is currently on administrative leave. Metro officials say there have been roughly 50 red signal violations since 2012. This is the second incident this month. “The facts in this matter suggest a blatant disregard for safety that I find profoundly disturbing,” Wiedefeld said in a letter to employees obtain by WAMU . “We need to step back in this moment and understand what a fundamental change in safety culture requires of all of us. Safety is not a slogan. We hold the lives of people in our hands. Making a choice to ignore safety rules puts those lives at risk.” Follow Steve on Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 10:02 dailycaller.com

49 49 Planned 'Day of Rage' protests fail to materialize, with some exceptions — RT America Despite the passion and compassion shown in recent days and weeks by people taking to the streets over killings of and by police, the hyped “Day of Rage” protests largely failed to materialize on Friday. Instead, a #BashBack contingent of protesters, LGBT activists, took to the streets of New York City in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter, at one point chanting, “Stonewall was a riot, queers don't deny it.” About 30 protesters rallied outside The Stonewall Inn, the first national monument dedicated to LGBT rights. They then marched to the LGBT community center on 13th Street. There was also no Day of Rage protest happening in South Los Angeles' Leimert Park, as was promoted. In Oakland, however, there were some who showed up with messages tying in to the Black Lives Matter movement and the call to action known as the Day of Rage. The call for Friday, July 15 to be a day of action came on July 9 in a YouTube video by user TheAnonMessage. The authenticity of the video could not be verified. In the video description, a link reveals the 36 locations where “a collective day of rage” is encouraged to happen. It is also worth noting that the Twitter account YourAnonNews, also associated with the Anonymous hacker group, is denying the YouTube channel’s authenticity. The Dallas Police Department, which is on high alert following last week's sniper attack that left five officers dead, is preparing for a Friday protest, despite one not being confirmed, reports the Dallas Morning News. Local businesses near Lafayette Square in New Orleans are advising employees to go home early to avoid any trouble, and New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Dawne Massey said officers would respond if a protest materialized, according to the Advocate. The Department of Defense is also taking the matter seriously, sending out a “threat advisory” this week “informing DOD personnel that a series of protests has been scheduled to be conducted across the United States on July 15, 2016,” the New York Post reported . In response to the announcement listing the St. Louis Arch as another protest site, the Scott Air Force Base in Illinois recommended “all SAFB personnel to avoid the Arch during this time due to potential protests and criminal activity,” in a post on its Facebook page.

2016-07-17 10:01 www.rt.com

50 Curfew continues for 10th day in Kashmir Srinagar: Strict curfew continued for the 10th day on Sunday in the Kashmir Valley, police said. "Curfew shall continue in all the ten districts of the Valley," a senior police official said. "Security forces have been instructed to allow movement of patients along with their attendants. " "People going to the airport will not face any hardship as air tickets were being treated as curfew passes," the official added. The death toll in the ongoing violence reached 41 after an unruly mob torched a police picket in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday. Police opened fire at the mob resulting in the death of a youth. All vernacular and English dailies suspended publication for the second day on Sunday. State government officials said newspaper owners were asked to suspend publications till July 19. Cable television operations were allowed on Saturday evening after remaining suspended for a day. The resumption of cable television operations was allowed after the operators agreed to take off all Pakistani TV channels and two private Indian channels. Mobile phone internet and call operations remained suspended in south Kashmir areas for the eighth day while the same remained suspended for the second day in central and north Kashmir areas on Sunday. Mobile phone operations without any internet facility are, however, continuing on post paid mobile phones provided by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Train services between north Kashmir Baramulla and Bannihal town in the Jammu region also remained suspended. All recruitment interviews scheduled for the next four days have been cancelled by the state public service commission (PSC). All schools, colleges and universities in the Valley were also shut down. Senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah and others have been either placed under house arrest or taken into preventive custody to restrain them from participating in protests. Separatists have appealed the people to continue the shutdown till Monday. The shutdown in the Valley started on July 9 following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani in a gunfight with the security forces on July 8.

2016-07-17 09:56 By IANS www.mid-day.com

51 Turkey plotters killed ‘in name of God’ ISTANBUL, Turkey — It all started on Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus bridge, where camouflaged soldiers suddenly blocked the road, the first sign for residents something extraordinary was happening. The rebels deployed with a quiet assurance that brought back dark memories of Turkey’s previous military coups going back to the 1960s that had created little nostalgia. READ: Turkey coup crushed; 104 plotters dead, 1,500 arrested | Erdogan reasserts control as Turkey coup bid falters Initially a ghostly calm descended over the city, with the confident manner of the soldiers giving rise to fears that the coup could succeed and Turkey could again be plunged into military rule. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his supporters out into the streets, knowing he could tip the balance with popular mobilisztion. They massed in a huge crowd at Ataturk airport, which had been shut down by the putschists who stationed tanks outside. They flooded into the terminal and then the VIP section where they were able to welcome Erdogan on his return by plane from an Aegean holiday resort, now confident and almost in triumph. An AFP photographer then watched how a separate crowd advanced onto the Bosphorus bridge to challenge the heavily armed rebel soldiers. “It was strange, they were advancing so calm as if they had no fear,” he said. But very quickly, shots were fired from the side of the rebel soldiers and the demonstrators were hit. Some of the wounded were evacuated by the crowds, one lay prostrate on the ground while his friends tried to reanimate him. A shell fell. “There was even a sniper, perched on one of the struts of the bridge who was shooting on the protesters,” said the photographer. ‘Kill in name of God’ By the morning the rebels were forced to surrender, cautiously advancing with their hands raised above their heads. Demonstrators then raced over the weapons and protective kit they had left behind, kicking them in a rage of disgust. They jubilantly raced up the tanks waving Turkish flags, shouting “God is greatest” and making the Rabia four-fingered gesture of the Muslim Brotherhood of which Erdogan is so fond. Similar scenes were in progress in Taksim Square in central Istanbul where protesters were doing everything they could to harass the tanks and show they were anything but welcome. In Ankara, demonstrators hurled stones at one of the tanks, forcing it to withdraw by a few meters. Then the tank accelerated, completely crushing a car as it went by. Shortly afterwards, the tank driver was forced to emerge from his turret and was immediately circled by protesters who spat a torrent of abuse at him. The authorities have now arrested almost 3,000 suspects in the coup plot and many were seen being arrested roughly, stripped to the waist. In Ankara, television pictures showed a group of soldiers forced to lie face down on the tarmac before being taken away for questioning. The AFP photographer saw worse in Istanbul where a group of rebel soldiers were lynched before his eyes by angry protesters after being arrested. “The people rushed at them, saying ‘kill them in the name of God’ hitting and even stabbing them,” he said. One of the rebels died on the spot. Another badly wounded, may or may not have survived. The attackers did not want witnesses and lashed out also at journalists recording the events. But by Saturday, the tensions had relented and it was time for selfies and group portraits in front of the tanks. Tourists returned cautiously to Taksim, where the celebrations continued. /rga

2016-07-17 09:53 Agence France newsinfo.inquirer.net

52 Kashmir on curfew: 1 killed in violence, newspapers seized Srinagar: One person was killed on Saturday in clashes between security personnel and protesters who attacked a police post in Kupwara as protests were held in some parts of the curfew-bound Valley where 39 persons have died and over 3,100 left injured in the violence since last week. Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard during a curfew in Srinagar on Saturday. Pic/AFP A mob attacked a police post at Hatmulla in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district yesterday afternoon following which the security personnel retaliated. One person was killed and two injured in the incident, a police official said. With this the death toll in the violence that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has mounted to 39 while 3,140 persons including 1,500 security personnel have been injured. Minor protests were reported from some parts of the Valley but the miscreants were chased away by security personnel who resorted to baton charge, the official said. “The situation across Kashmir Valley yesterday remained relatively peaceful. No major incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley,” he said. Authorities prevented newspapers from hitting the stands on Saturday as some media houses claimed that police raided their printing presses last night and seized the material while cable TV services were also affected in most parts of the Valley. The police official said curfew remained in force in all 10 districts of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. Three terrorists killed along LoC The Army on Saturday gunned down three heavily-armed terrorists and foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. The group of terrorists was attempting to infiltrate into the Indian territory from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a defence spokesman said. The troops spotted and traced their movement and kept tightening the cordon around them.

2016-07-17 09:50 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

53 Appeal against Bofors order escalated Sonia- Rao friction: Margaret Alva New Delhi: The decision by then Narasimha Rao government to appeal against a Delhi High court order quashing the Bofors case linking Rajiv Gandhi had deepened Sonia Gandhi’s suspicion over Rao, escalating friction between the two, says veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva. Ahead of release of her book, Courage and Commitment, which is an account of her chequered political life, Alva said following the decision, she was asked by a furious Sonia whether Rao wanted to send her to jail. Alva, who held various positions in Congress before she was asked to resign in 2008 after her allegations that party tickets were “sold” in the Karnataka Assembly polls, appeared critical of Congress leadership for a “centralised decision-making” system in the party. She also spoke about the relationship between CPN Singh, a Minister of Indira Gandhi’s government and Wolfgang Michel, father of middleman Christian Michel, whose name had cropped up in the AgustaWestland chopper deal. Alva talked about supply of tanks to South Africa in 1980 and how Wolfgang Michel, then based in London, was influential and may have had links with Sanjay Gandhi. Recalling the tense relationship between Sonia and Rao, Alva said the PMO’s decision to deal with the CBI directly over the Bofors case without her knowledge had deepened Sonia’s suspicion of Rao.

2016-07-17 09:50 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

54 54 Dramatic events in Arunachal, new Congress leader chosen Itanagar: In a dramatic turnaround in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress party on Saturday replaced Chief Minister Nabam Tuki by choosing a new leader Pema Khandu, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents. In fast-changing developments, Khaliko Pul, rebel-turned chief minister, who was unseated by the Supreme Court, returned to the party fold with 30 dissident MLAs. Hours ahead of a scheduled floor test in the Assembly, which Tuki was directed by Governor Tathagat Roy to take, the Congress Legislature Party met and elected 37-year-old Pema Khandu, son of the late chief minister Dorjee Khandu, as its new leader. (Right) Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki was replaced by Pema Khandu Tuki proposed the name of Khandu, which was unanimously accepted by 44 MLAs who were present. Speaker Nabam Rebia did not attend the meeting while ousted chief minister Khaliko Pul attended the meeting with the rebel MLAs. In the 60-member House with an effective strength of 58, Congress now claims the support of 47 MLAs, including two independents. Ahead of the CLP meeting, Tuki met the Governor and told him of his intention to resign as CLP chief and as chief minister and of the Congress party’s decision to elect a new leader. He told reporters in the presence of Khandu that in view of these developments he told the Governor that he would not be taking a floor test. Khandu also told the media that he has staked claim to power with the Governor on the basis of support of 47 MLAs, including two independents, and that he should be sworn in.

2016-07-17 09:49 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

55 Soon, India will have a world champion: John Duggan New Delhi: Vijender Singh's pro boxing debut in India yesterday for the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title was not just a carefully planned operation by his promoters IOS and Queensberry Promotions, but also a timely move by the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) to tap the potentially huge Indian market. India's Vijender Singh celebrates after beating Alexander Horvath of Hungary during a middleweight bout in Liverpool earlier this year. Pic/Getty Images Perfect platform The Puerto Rico-based professional boxing body has been waiting for quite some time to make its foray into India, and Vijender's bout was just the perfect launch platform, informs John Duggan, vice president of the WBO. "India is a huge market. When a billion people get together to do something, it will definitely be huge and that's the reason we decided to sanction Vijender's fight as we felt the time is right to tap the growing Indian economy," Duggan told mid-day here yesterday. John Duggan Of course the abundance of natural boxing talent here is another attractive aspect of the subcontinent nation. "Indian boxers are very good at the amateur level and the next step for them is professional boxing, but unfortunately they haven't had too many avenues before this on the pro circuit, so here we are," added Duggan. Finally, Duggan said, given Vijender's stellar career this far and promising future scope, this fight and its outcome could put Indian boxing on the global map in the near future. "Vijender is India's best amateur boxer. And he has grown almost miraculously in the pro segment having won six out of six fights. The next big thing for him would be a world title but for that he has to be in the Top 15 of the world rankings. A win for him on Saturday will put him in that big league (Top 15). No turning back "From there, there's no turning back. India could have a world champion sooner rather than later and that would be great news for professional boxing in this part of the world," explained Duggan. 2016-07-17 09:48 By Ashwin www.mid-day.com

56 Smriti Irani dropped from parliamentary affairs panel New Delhi: In yet another snub to Smriti Irani, the Textile Minister has been dropped as a member of the new Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) announced on Saturday. A fresh list issued by the Cabinet Secretariat said that Irani’s successor as HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has been accommodated in her place. Smriti Irani Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was lately given Independent charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, will be a special invitee as well as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs SS Ahluwalia and Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary. In the cabinet reshuffle announced on July 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved out Irani from the high-profile HRD Ministry to Textiles. Najma Heptulla, the Minority Affairs Minister who had resigned from the cabinet earlier this week, automatically ceases to be a member. Javadekar was earlier a special invitee to the committee. In the reconstituted panel, new Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad replaced his predecessor D. V. Sadananda Gowda. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who has been divested of his Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, too has been dropped as a special invitee, being replaced by Ahluwalia. The committee, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has 11 members.

2016-07-17 09:46 By Agencies www.mid-day.com

57 Mumbai: Police arrest thief who stole for buy gifts for his transgender lover The Goregaon police have arrested a habitual housebreaker, who burgled in order to buy gifts for his transgender lover. The alleged accused has been identified as Uday Nilesh Patil, 28, a resident of Malad West. According to the police, Naka broke into the office of Camuna Co- operative Credit Society in Goregaon West on July 1 and stole five laptops, a cellphone and valuables amounting to Rs 62,000. The accused was produced before the Borivili Metropolitan Magistrate Court from where he was remanded to three days’ police custody.

2016-07-17 09:37 By A www.mid-day.com

58 EX-MLA Pappu Kalani's aide booked for wife's suicide The police yesterday booked a 60-year-old aide of gangster-turned politician and former Ulhasnagar MLA, Pappu Kalani, for abetting his second wife’s alleged suicide. Yasmin Abdul Karim Sayed (30) allegedly committed suicide early on Friday at her home near a famous bakery near Shahad Phata in Ulhasnagar-1. But Yasmin’s mother, a resident of Gulbarga, in Karnataka, approached the police the next day, alleging that Kalani’s aide, Abdul Karim alias Babdi, drove her over the edge with repeated abuse and assault. She also named Karim’s first wife as an abettor to the suicide in her complaint. “Karim married Yasmin two years ago. They have an 11-month-old daughter. Yasmin’s mother claimed that Karim already had a 10-year-old son from his first wife and that he used to suspect Yasmin’s fidelity. He abused and assaulted her over this repeatedly,” said an officer from the Ulhasnagar police station. Karim also allegedly tormented his wife by taking their child away from her and often turning her out of their home. “We have registered a case against the husband and the first wife,” said the official. Shakeel Shaikh, senior inspector, Ulhasnagar police station, said Karim is a history-sheeter. “The Ulhasnagar police registered 16 cases against him from 1977 to 2009, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion. In 1984, he had been externed from Ulhasnagar.”

2016-07-17 09:32 By Faisal www.mid-day.com

59 Now, an archaeological reason to save Aarey Colony A team of experts from the Centre for Extra Mural Studies of Mumbai University and the Department of Ancient India Culture, Sathaye College in Vile Parle, have found antiquities across various parts of the city, including Marol, adjacent to Aarey Milk Colony. The idol of Kichak was found by the team on the Marol end of Aarey Milk Colony “We have found antiquities dating back to 10th and 13th century AD, the period when the Shilahara Yadav and Bimba dynasties ruled Salsette, the main island of Mumbai,” said archaeological expert Vinayak Parab from the team. Turns out, Marol was the then capital of the Shilahara dynasty. “We visited seven tribal hamlets in Mumbai and in these padas we found archaeological remains, such as Gavdevi temples. We have found remains of an ancient temple on the Marol end of Aarey Milk Colony. Marol and Aarey Milk Colony area are an archaeologically and heritage-rich area and without carrying out exhaustive exploration work in Aarey, no development can be carried out,” said Parab, adding, “We are not against development. But like the USA and European countries, there are experts from the field of geoology and archaeology who visit the location where development is taking place and it is only after their approval that any work can be done. The same pattern should be adopted in our country.” On Saturday, the team organised a seminar at the University of Mumbai during which the documentation of antiquities that the team found across Mumbai was discussed.

2016-07-17 09:29 By Ranjeet www.mid-day.com

60 Mumbai: Shiv Sena win the trust of the BEST employees over NCP The Shiv Sena has received a shot in the arm ahead of next year's BMC polls. In a first in 50 years, the party on Friday won the trust of the BEST employees in the elections of the Workers Coope-rative Credit Society, winning 16 out 21 seats of directors. The credit society acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. Representational pic What should make the Sena happier is that its close rival, the BJP, finished poorly in the polls and did not win a single seat. The difference of votes between the ruling partners in the BMC, and the state was large. The Sena polled 9,500 votes, while the BJP got just around 1,000 votes. Sharad Rao The 35,000-member credit society is worth over Rs 1,000 crore and acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. It also gives dividends to members who work in BEST's transport and electricity divisions. Until now, trade union leader and NCP man Sharad Rao led the workers' union panel. This year, for the first time, the Sena fielded its exclusive Utkarsh Panel and wrested power from Rao's team, which won just five seats. The Sena also caused a huge defeat for the BJP camp, which contested as Parivartan Panel, but returned empty handed in a polling that was held across BEST depots in the city on July 13. Commenting on the results, Shiv Sena leader and BEST Kamgar Sena (workers' union) chief Suhas Samant said that it was a good omen for his party ahead of the BMC polls. “The Sena polled 9,500 votes of the total 25,000 cast that day. You must remember that the families of our society voters stay in Mumbai and support the Sena. This shows that the Sena will be the number one party in the BMC elections as well.” Sources said that the Sena's strength increased manifold when Vitthal Gaikwad, who heads a recognised workers' union in the electricity division joined the party two months ago, along with his supporters. Samant's BEST Kamgar Sena and Gaikwad's Mumbai Electric Workers' Union came together to pose a challenge to Rao's panel. According to figures available, the Rao Panel got 8,000 votes (five seats) and Rayatraj Panel walked away with 3,500 votes, but won no seat. The BJP, which went in solo during the election, polled some 1,000 votes and failed to win a single seat.

2016-07-17 09:27 By Dharmendra www.mid-day.com

61 Georgia Nicols horoscopes for July 17, 2016 Avoid shopping or big decisions from 3:45 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. Chicago time. After that, the Moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn. Today the dust is settling from yesterday, which was an erratic day. Check the Moon Alert before shopping or making important decisions. Remember that you have two more months of fabulous chances to improve your job or get a better job. Although you are tempted to make decisions about shared property, inheritances and such, don’t to do this until the Moon Alert is over. When that occurs, you will probably want to do something completely different! (Like blow town.) This is a loosey-goosey day until the Moon Alert is over. (See above.) It seems you have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. In the bigger scheme of things, remember that you have a couple more months to improve your home and real-estate holdings. This morning, delays and goofy mistakes might make your efficiency suffer. This will continue until the Moon Alert is over. (See above.) Basically, today you have to compromise and cut others some slack. Be willing to accommodate others. No biggie. Continue to look for ways to boost your income because this blessing lasts for the next few months. You might see ways to make money on the side. It might mean finding a new job. It could be anything. This is a strong advantage that you should use to your favor. You are best served by keeping a low profile today. Cocoon at home and play it safe. Later in the day, after the Moon Alert is over, you will feel more social and want to venture forth for fun with friends or playful activities with children. People think highly of you now and they notice you. Don’t volunteer for anything or agree to anything important during the Moon Alert today. As the day wears on, you will have an increasing desire to cocoon at home — and this is a wise decision. You might feel at loose ends today. You want to escape your daily routine because you want adventure and something new. However, for good part of today, there is a Moon Alert, which is a poor time to make decisions. This is why you feel indecisive and willy-nilly. No worries. Although your mind is on money matters and shopping, don’t make important decisions and don’t shop for anything other than food and gas until the Moon Alert is over. If you do shop, whatever you initiate will tend not to fulfill your objective. Today the Sun is opposite your sign; however, the Moon is in your sign. Go figure. On top of this, while the Moon is in your sign, it is a Moon Alert. This means you should do as little as possible until the Moon Alert is over. (See above.) Relax and take it easy. You have a few more months left where you have the advantage for getting a loan or a mortgage, or settling important decisions regarding shared property and inheritances. Use this wonderful edge while you have it! (But not during the Moon Alert today!) Even though there is a Moon Alert today, your creative vibes are hot all day long! This is an excellent day for artists and anyone involved in a creative project. It’s also a great day to play and goof off. Socialize with friends and enjoy fun times. Actor Donald Sutherland (1935) shares your birthday today. You are professionally ambitious; however, you like to invest in yourself as well. You have strong convictions and you value your freedom. In the next three years, you will experience a time of culmination, success and financial accumulation. That’s why it is wise to settle your debts this year. This is also a social year that deals with the repercussions of last year’s change.

2016-07-17 09:25 Georgia Nicols chicago.suntimes.com

62 62 Dear Abby: Date says she's 60 but she's really 67 Certain things she said made me suspect she was older. So I looked her name up online and found out she was seven years older than she had advertised. I consider lying on a dating profile to be similar to lying on a job application. Not everyone ages at the same rate. Some people are “old” at 45. Others are healthy, vital and energetic at 70. Molly was able to pass for younger than her chronological age. If the number is that important to you, it’s your right to move on. But being rigid about age could let a good person slip by. Everyone puts their best foot forward. Get used to it. During that period, my son will be working overseas and his wife plans to join him. Because their condo will be empty, I asked if my husband and I could stay there during my recovery. My son informed us that while we are welcome to stay there when they’re in town, we are not welcome when they aren’t. My son would never treat us like this; I know the decision came from his wife. I also know that if the request were from HER mother, she’d be welcome in a heartbeat. I have been nothing but generous and supportive of them. We aren’t slobs and would care for the place as if it were our own. I don’t think it would be helpful right now to point out that his wife has isolated him from his friends and appears to be doing the same with his mother and dad. He will figure that out for himself in time, if he doesn’t already know. To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U. S. funds), to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P. O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

2016-07-17 09:25 Abigail Van chicago.suntimes.com

63 Rift over US-based alleged coup leader, ‘muted’ response threaten to sour NATO- Turkey relations — RT News The allegations of the American involvement in the attempted military takeover in Turkey are groundless and put a strain on relations between the two countries, US State Secretary John Kerry said while speaking to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavosoglu. “[Kerry] made clear that the United States would be willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting this investigation, but that public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Saturday. “The US is not going to extradite this guy and I think he probably didn’t have much role in the coup,” defense analyst Ivan Eland told RT, commenting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Saturday appeal to his US counterpart Barack Obama to hand over Gulen. “Turkey is probably doing this for propaganda purposes, so they don’t really believe it, they’re just accusing everybody they can accuse,” Eland added. The cleric has been living in a self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999 and strongly denies any involvement in the coup. READ MORE:Turkish soldiers thought coup was military ‘exercise’ “Dear President Obama, I told you this before, either arrest Fethullah Gulen or return him to Turkey, you did not listen. I call on you again after there was a coup attempt. Extradite this man in Pennsylvania to Turkey”, Erdogan said addressing a rally of his supports in Istanbul on Saturday, stressing that relations of strategic or model partnership existing between the countries dictate the US to comply with the request. However, US officials have already indicated they will only consider extradition if Turkey comes up with compelling evidence on Gulen’s role in the events. Apart from the controversy over the cleric that may cast a shadow on US and Turkey relations, the broader implications of political turmoil in the country can put a strategic partnership between the US-led NATO block and one of its major allies into question, Eland argues. “NATO counts on Turkey as being an island of stability in that area but, of course, Turkey has been anything but recently with ISIS attacks, Kurdish rebellion, inflamed by Erdogan himself and, of course, you have all these refugees flowing in their tooth,” he pointed out. The US has long considered Turkey a major ally in the region, given the strategic importance of Incirlik air base, located at the southeast Turkey, to US-led NATO missions in Syria and Iraq. The site also serves as storage of US nuclear tactical weapons, and was on Saturday blocked by local military authorities, with access denied to all US personnel and power reportedly cut. The Turks were also dissatisfied with a seemingly muted response to the attempted coup by their NATO allies. Despite Western leaders issuing a number of statements supporting the “democratically elected government,” ethnic Turkish protesters in Washington demanded a stronger and clearer show of support for Erdogan. Notably, NATO chief put out a Twitter statement calling for “calm and restraint & full respect for Turkey’s democratic institutions and its constitution.” While NATO-Turkish relations have already been uneasy due to Ankara’s policies, Erdogan’s recent behavior may give reason to review them altogether, Eland said. READ MORE: Will Erdogan survive Turkey's time of troubles? “They have been able to deal with Erdogan in the past, but he is a bit erratic and he has also been cracking down on opposition,” he stressed, adding that Turkey is “very unstable and it is so largely because of Erdogan’s own policies.” The crackdown on Kurds, which have been battling against Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL) in Syria and Iraq with the US support, make Erdogan not so useful as a partner in fighting terror in Washington’s eyes, Eland said. READ MORE: Coup prevented, organizers arrested, situation under control – Turkish officials “I don’t think he is a very good ally, because he is more concerned about the Turks than ISIS, the other Kurds, the YPG, the Syrian Kurds. He was bombing them and they are the biggest US ally in fighting ISIS.” Already the mere fact that a military coup could have been attempted in one of the alliance’s member countries is a huge “embarrassment,” he added. “This is very embarrassing to NATO because it views itself as the alliance of democracies and so when you have a coup attempt in one of the democracies, this is very embarrassing to the alliance,” Eland said, pointing out to the Erdogan’s rule “has been becoming more authoritarian anyway.” “This problem, that we can have an autocracy in NATO, is an embarrassing one for the alliance,” Eland added.

2016-07-17 08:52 www.rt.com

64 Islamic State claims responsibility for truck attack in Nice — RT News RT's LIVE UPDATES on the truck attack in Nice “ The person who carried out the operation in Nice, France, to run down people was one of the soldiers of Islamic State ,” Amaq said via its Telegram account. “ He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State .” Earlier, French authorities had said they were unaware of any links between the attack suspect, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, and terror groups, but his actions had been in line with extremists’ calls for lone-wolf attacks on Europe and the US. " He is a terrorist, probably linked to radical Islam one way or another, " Prime Minister Manuel Valls told France 2 television on Friday. " Yes, it is a terrorist act and we shall see what links there are with terrorist organizations. " “ This sort of thing fits perfectly with calls for murder from such terrorist organizations ,” prosecutor Francois Molins also said. France’s terror log: 230+ killed in attacks since 2015, more than previous century of terrorism The tragedy in Nice became the third major terror attack to rock France in less than two years. Eighty-four people were killed and up to 200 sustained injuries in the resort city of Nice, including 10 children and teenagers. Meanwhile, life in Nice is getting back to normal, with the west-bound direction of the highway reopening and the other side starting to open up. Police presence is still tight, which has raised some eyebrows. “ There was no security ,” a local told RT. “ For an event like this there should’ve been a minimum of security – you don’t need huge measures, this wasn’t a vast action, this was a guy in a truck. He traveled 2km in a town full of people. It’s unacceptable. Unacceptable! Now we’re seeing loads of police. But when the war is over, it’s useless. ” British politician George Galloway was very dismayed by the conduct of French police. “ It seems just unbelievable to me that such a crowd could be left vulnerable to such a primitive attack ,” he told RT, wondering how police could be so lax at a time of national celebration. This especially concerns the police failing to conduct a thorough check of the “ giant truck, which, by definition, is a security danger. This is a catalogue of absolute incompetence from the security side, and also from the political side.”

2016-07-17 08:52 www.rt.com

65 Huge blast rocks arms factory near Aleppo as ISIS, Al-Nusra shell city & attack Syria troops (VIDEO) — RT News Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL) militants opened fire at residential areas of Aleppo city, Russia’s center for reconciliation of opposing parties in Syria reported. The militants hit the city’s neighborhoods of Halab, al- Jalid, al-Asad, Sheikh Maqsood, al-Khalidiyah, Old Ashkhaba, al-Zahraa and airport with rocket fire. Five missiles landed in the city’s main square near the municipal palace killing three people and injuring six more, Syria’s state SANA news agency reported. Al-Shahbaa and al-Andalus neighborhoods have also came under heavy terrorist shelling with 10 rockets fired by the militants killing two women and inflicting injuries on another three. READ MORE: 'I'm ready, you’re ready, let's go!' Kerry sits down for Syria talks with Putin in Moscow The terrorists have also carried out attacks on various settlements in Aleppo province, targeting Naqqarin, Braidge al-Rih, and Tell Jobegja inhabited areas. The militants attempted to mount an offensive on Syrian armed forces positions northwest of Aleppo as four suicide car bombers were deployed to hit the government’s positions, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported, noting that assault did not succeed. “All attacks have been repelled. The terrorists have been eliminated,” it said in a statement. Meanwhile, a massive explosion rocked the defense factory located in the city of Al-Safira, some 16 kilometers south of Aleppo. Witnesses report the sounds of an explosion were heard as far as 100 kilometers from the site, which is one of the major arms factories in Syria. Four helicopters appeared to have been caught in flames following the set of blasts. Conflicting reports have emerged as to what caused the explosion. The technical error might have led to the accident. Al-Safira has seen violent clashes earlier this year. In February, the Syrian Army, supported by Russian air strikes, has recaptured Al-Safira Plains, regaining control over a thermal power plant. The town of Safira is of strategic importance as it is located on the road connecting Syria’s capital Damascus to Aleppo.

2016-07-17 08:52 www.rt.com

66 Living in American Freedom So, I see there is wild turmoil in Turkey. There has been another mass killing by ISIS in France. The whole world is on edge. But here I sit at my computer keyboard looking eastward over Lake Pendoreille. The sun is peeking through the clouds. There is one small blue motorboat in my line of sight. Otherwise, it’s just mile after mile of water and mountains and blue gray skies. I’m worried about the future of this glorious America. I am worried about the whole human race. But we’re all going to die anyway, so here’s what I am thinking about right this second: A few feet from where I am sitting lies my wife, Alex, my only wifey. She has not been feeling well for months but she seems to have a few good days up here. She loves the mountain air and the birds and the water and she is asleep now. She is so peaceful and happy in her sleep. Sleeping the sleep of the blessed. I worry about everything, but then I think, “I have the finest woman I have ever met as my wife. I never had a clue that there could be such a fine woman as my wife. She has no meanness of spirit in her whole spirit and soul. She does not know envy or jealousy or grudges. She is a divinity. “How did it happen,” I ask myself, “that I got to have such a nearly perfect wife? Why did the Lord God do that for me?” It was pure grace, the gift of the living, personal Lord that runs my life. I have every flaw known to existence, but God gave me a wife who can and does forgive everything. Then, I think, it’s also America. God let the Steins, who would otherwise have been hunted and haunted and tortured and murdered in Europe live and flourish in America, and especially right now in the most beautiful spot on this planet, Sandpoint, Idaho. The Nazis came. The Cossacks came. The Croatians came and every kind of killer, after the Jews. The Hamas and the terrorists are still killing everywhere they can get their hands on a Jew. And I am looking out at Lake Pendoreille. How can I ever be grateful enough, to the British, to the Red Army, above all, to the Americans who fought and died to keep America free? There is no phrasing, no spelling, no eloquence that touches the beauty of life in America. My son, Tommy, and daughter-in-law, The Kitten, and granddaughter, Coco, all live in Greenville, South Carolina, and they live in peace and plenty, too. My brilliant sister and her family live in Brooklyn and they live in American freedom, too. Glory be. And now, the political season begins in earnest and it will be dramatic. But I get to watch it from the vantage point of history: there is a lot of ruin in a nation, as Smith said. We will continue. And as long as I have my wife, my deity living next to me, gleaming with moral and physical stupendous light, all will be well. I’ll complain a lot tomorrow, about the economy and about the candidates and the agitators. But for right now, I am in a rare moment of sanity. I have a close friend named Jane. Her mother was in Auschwitz and survived. She cries when she even thinks about heaven on earth, shimmering, powerful America. I do, too, and I have always lived here. Paradise on earth, life with Alex on Lake Pendoreille, on my Cobalt, eating my pasta, e-mailing my genius sister, strolling through town with my pal, Judah, breathing the air of gratitude. This is the finest place on earth and I have the best wife on earth here in it and on it. Oh, Lord, how great Thou art.

2016-07-17 08:52 Ben Stein spectator.org

67 McCain: Obama Plan To Cooperate With Russia Is 'Delusional' Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham said Friday that Secretary of State John Kerry’s plan to cooperate with the Russians in Syria is little more than “groveling,” and also called the plan “delusional.” In a joint press statement, McCain and Graham pressed for President Barack Obama to “terminate Secretary Kerry’s dangerous scheme to help Russia prop up the murderous Assad regime in Syria.” “Secretary Kerry’s groveling to Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday was the embarrassing culmination of this Administration’s failed policy in Syria that suffers under the persistent delusion of Russia as a partner,” the two senators added. McCain and Graham noted that the newly proposed agreement with Russia to share targeting information on Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate, follows the same sort of feckless policy that has kept Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, even after Assad apparently “turned peaceful protests into a bloody civil war.” Josh Rogin at The Washington Post recently obtained a draft proposal of the agreement. The agreement turns out to be much more extensive than previously thought, entailing detailed cooperation between U. S. and Russian intelligence agencies. The U. S. and Russia would create a separate headquarters and a specific office for cooperation. If Russia signs on, its air force will only be able to strike locations in Syria mutually agreed upon with the U. S., which is likely to severely hamper the air force’s modus operandi. The agreement also mandates the Russians pressure the Syrian air force to avoid targeting “designated areas.” Targeting al-Nusra would inevitably benefit the Assad regime because, unlike the Islamic State, al-Nusra is more directly focused on bringing Assad to his knees, which is why Russia seems somewhat more enthusiastic than others in the U. S. government. Although the State Department seems interested in such an agreement, it appears McCain and Graham are siding with the Pentagon on this matter, as many top-level officials in the Department of Defense think the Obama administration is being duped by Putin. If the Pentagon is forced into cooperation, officials have said they’ll try and push for as little information sharing with the Russians as possible, so as to avoid giving them a decisive advantage against other rebel groups that want to eliminate the Assad regime. Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter Send tips to [email protected] . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 08:51 National Security dailycaller.com

68 Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier Debuts and finales Intermedia artist Justin Ponmany made his maiden entry as curator last Thursday at Colaba’s youngest gallery, Akara Art. For this exhibition, Ponmany dipped into the gallerist, Puneet Shah’s collection to weave a narrative of works by Vivan Sundaram, Sudhir Patwardhan and Nalini Malini, among others. Ponmany, modest as he always is, walked us through the show, and said, “It’s my first curation that has materialised, and I have allowed myself the liberty to move away from the usual assuredness. Abhay Maskara and Justin Ponmany Curating from collections is different from curating through something more intimate to oneself, so I had to find my way around it; when I thought I did, it felt a lot better... I find it amusing that in cricket you have a pitch curator, because here you can curate a pitch.” Incidentally, the show, titled Travelling in Two Boats at the Same Time, spoke volumes about things that were happening just down the road from Akara Art. Gallery Maskara’s final show opened to the public on Thursday too. While it was heartening to see thick crowds at Abhay Maskara’s decade old establishment, it’s impeding closure sent across ripples in the art fraternity. Perhaps the younger entrants into the gallerists’ circle have something to think about? When the sufis inspired the yogis A new book in town recently caught the attention of this diarist. At the outset, it seemed academic, but US-based Carl W Ernst (in pic), a professor of Islamic studies, has a surprise for yoga aficionados in his newly released title, Refractions of Islam in India (Yoda Press). What he talks about is the links between Sufism and Yoga. We caught Prof Ernst during a visit to Mumbai, and asked him to throw some light on the subject. He was more than willing. “By the 12th century, there were sufis entering India, and their shrines had open kitchens, where yogis would come to get a meal,” he says, of their earliest interactions. “What they realised was that they had many things in common. The yogis were developing an elaborate notion of the body and breath control, and the sufis became interested in that. Similarly, the yogis were very interested in the symbols of power in the sufi experience.” Prof Ernst’s work is part of a 30-year-long research. For keen followers of this subject, here is more food for thought. Jai remembered at Brisbane’s Gabba ground The true spirit of cricket was displayed recently at the Gabba in Brisbane. No, it did not concern two teams in a match at the Queensland capital, but four upcoming fast bowlers and a cricket consultant with a heart. ML Jaisimha IDBI Federal Bowling Foundation bowlers, David Mathias Tushar Deshpande, Minad Manjrekar and Prasidh Krishna, who are in Brisbane to sharpen their pace bowling skills, were taken by the Foundation’s guide Makarand Waingankar to the Gabba to pay respects to former India batsman ML Jaisimha, who passed away 17 Julys ago in Secunderabad. A bouquet of flowers was placed on the turf. If you are wondering about the Brisbane connection, it was at the Gabba where Jaisimha scored 74 and 101 during India’s 1967-68 Test tour of Australia. Jai, as he was known to his mates, played those two glorious knocks, shrugging off jet lag after landing in Australia as replacement for the injured BS Chandrasekhar. The performance did not prevent Australia from winning, but MAK Pataudi’s men didn’t give in as easily as they did in the first two Tests at Adelaide and Melbourne. Man-to-man Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi (Centre) Actor Jackie Shroff and (right) Fazal Qureshi seem to be in deep discussion as (left) jazz musician Loiuz Banks and (extreme right) theatre actor Denzil Smith look on. They were at an event to pay tribute to late Ustad Alla Rakha at Bandra’s St Andrew’s auditorium. From Italy, with love If you visit Prego, the Italian restaurant at The Westin Mumbai Garden City, it’s likely that Chef Antonello Cancedda will sing a song for you. Cancedda, who hails from the historical city of Genoa, northern Italy, has a passion for strumming the guitar and belting out famous Bollywood melodies for his diners. “I was inspired to take up singing because my father was a tenor. Chef Antonello Cancedda And I always enjoyed cooking, so I honed both skills simultaneously,” says the 54-year-old. The diners, he says, are usually thrilled to see the chef croon in his endearing Hindi. “I normally sing Paani Da (Vicky Donor), Chura Liya (Yaadon Ki Baraat), Neele Neele Amber (Kalakar) and Give Me Some Sunshine (3 Idiots),” he says. Talk about being multi-talented. Romania gets Punjani tadka You might have watched the svelte Romanian singer, Otilia, croon Bilionera in the pool — a song that received almost 40 million views on YouTube. Now, Mumbai-based DJ Tarun has remixed the international track in Punjabi. “Europeans are very fond of Punjabi music. Tracks by artistes like Punjabi MC, Sukhbir still play at clubs back in Romania. So, I decided to add a Punjabi tadka to the track with dhol beats,” he says. Produced by the international music label, Roton Music, the video has crossed 40,000 views in two days. “The reaction has been fabulous. The song will soon feature on radio stations in Romania and India,” says the 31-year-old. Balle Balle, we say. 2016-07-17 09:15 By Team www.mid-day.com

69 The importance of the Trident decision As MPs consider the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent, James Jinks, an expert on the history of the submarine service, examines the prospects for a replacement to Trident. Early in any new premiership, a new prime minister is asked to write "the last resort letters". This is a set of instructions for the commanding officers of the Royal Navy's four Vanguard class ballistic missile carrying submarines, which are only to be opened in the event that the prime minister is wiped out in a nuclear attack. "It's a very big moment," admitted Theresa May's predecessor, David Cameron, in an interview with me and my colleague Peter Hennessey . "It's the oddest in a way. You've seen prime ministers drive up to Buckingham Palace. You've seen them walking through the door of No 10. "You can't really believe you're doing it yourself, but that bit in your office, writing out the letters... it is such an extraordinary thing to have to do, you can't really imagine it until you do it. " On Monday, Mrs May will ask the House of Commons to approve a motion on the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent and to support a "decision to take the necessary steps required to maintain the current posture by replacing the current Vanguard-class submarines with four successor submarines". The debate will mark the culmination of a process that started in December 2006, when Tony Blair's cabinet met and agreed, without a single dissenting voice, to sustain the nuclear deterrent over the period 2020 to 2050 and beyond, by building four new submarines. That's the minimum number required to ensure one submarine is always at sea, providing what is known as continuous at sea deterrence. The decision was endorsed by parliament in 2007, and in two Strategic Defence and Security Reviews (SDSR) in 2010 and 2015. The scale, complexity and cost of the acquisition programme is vast. The government describes it as "a national endeavour… one of the largest government investment programmes, equivalent in scale to Crossrail or HS2". It is estimated to cost £31bn (including inflation), with a contingency of a further £10bn, spread over 35 years. Mrs May's views are well known. "It would be sheer madness to contemplate even for a moment giving up Britain's independent nuclear deterrent," she wrote a few weeks ago. Opponents argue that the UK no longer needs nuclear weapons, that the cost is too high and that emerging capabilities, such as cyber attacks, autonomous underwater vehicles or underwater drones, will make submarines vulnerable. The government, which devotes considerable resources to assessing the threats from emerging capabilities, rejects such arguments. "The submarines that carry our Trident missiles will not be rendered obsolete by new technologies," said Philip Dunne, minister of state for defence procurement on 19 May. Given the Conservative majority in the House of Commons, the motion will almost certainly pass. But Mrs May cannot count on the support of some in the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn, a unilateralist and member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, has spent his life campaigning against nuclear weapons. He believes that ridding Britain of nuclear weapons is a moral issue. Many Labour MPs disagree. Mr Corbyn is expected to offer Labour MPs a free vote. "We are going to have a discussion about it," he said last week. "I recognise there are big differences of opinion on it. "My views are very well known on this, the views of others are well known on this, and so there may well be MPs voting in different lobbies. " If the motion passes work on the "successor" submarines will almost certainly continue until the 2020 election, due under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. By that time the first submarine will be taking shape and steelwork for the second will be in full production in the BAE shipyard in Barrow. In addition a multitude of components and sub-assemblies will be being manufactured for all four boats by hundreds of suppliers. It will be very difficult for a future government to cancel the programme. There will almost certainly be a British bomb with, as Attlee's foreign secretary Ernest Bevin said in 1946, a "bloody Union Jack on top of it", somewhere in the grey wastelands of the North Atlantic in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s. When faced with the nuclear question, Mrs May is the latest in a long line of British prime ministers, who as primary guardians of national security, seem, knowingly or unknowingly, to have been disciples of Cicero, who wrote in De Legibus: Salus populi suprema est lex - The safety of the people is the chief law. James Jinks is the co-author with Peter Hennessey of The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945 (Penguin/Random House, 2016).

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

70 What did David Cameron merrily hum when walking back into No 10 after resigning? What the bookies know about horse-racing - and politics David Cameron is outta here. Just when Britain is tearing itself apart, and Prime Minister-ing is getting really hard, he's taking his leave. And he couldn't be happier. This was clearer than ever today when, following his statement on Downing Street about his resignation plans (going to the Palace on Wednesday, leaving drinkies at the Red Lion on Thursday - partners welcome!), he ambled back into No 10 humming a jolly tune. After announcing Theresa May will become PM on Wednesday, David Cameron hummed a tune as he headed into No. 10 https://t.co/IraBFqc5f4 — Sky News (@SkyNews) July 11, 2016 What is this tune? Your mole has been tearing its whiskers out over the four elusive notes that the PM was merrily tooting on his way back indoors. It tried googling "Do doooo do dooo. " But there was nothing. Not even the Shazam gods could ease the torment: You had one job, guys. Your mole has a few ideas, though none of them fit perfectly: A bit of the Big Ben chime? The Channel Four News ident? The West Wing theme? Black Beauty? What is it? The bookmakers have been much in the news recently, not least because a lot of my fellow members of the Remain camp relied too much on what they thought the bookies were telling them when the opinion polls were far from reassuring. The key point so many commentators missed was that, although far the greater weight of money went on Remain, far more individual bets were being placed on Brexit. Until Andrea Leadsom’s sudden withdrawal, the same pattern seemed to be emerging in the Conservative leadership race. But we have now been spared. How did I know this – and start considering Irish citizenship several months ago? Well, I have loved horse racing from a very early age and am in close touch with the bookies. Throughout the referendum campaign I received regular bulletins from William Hill about what lay beneath the odds that, superficially, suggested Remain was a racing certainty. At one stage, if one had placed £100 on Remain one might have won only £15 (the odds varied a lot). After a searing experience at Ascot one year, I decided never to back an odds-on favourite again. In which context I should like to make a confession. Many decades ago, in this very periodical, I wrote an article arguing that the bookies should be nationalised. Subsequent reflection has convinced me that this was a mistake. Their presence adds greatly to the enjoyment of a trip to the racecourse. Indeed, as I witnessed yet again at Newmarket’s July meeting, there is something special about the social mix, and general air of contentment – win or lose – that one experiences at the races. After the fall In common with most readers, I imagine, I have found it difficult to get away from the horrors of the referendum result, tending to alternate between depression and black humour. As a young journalist I followed closely the abortive efforts of Harold Macmillan and then Harold Wilson to overcome President de Gaulle’s intransigent “ Non ”, and Edward Heath’s final triumph in the early 1970s thanks partly to his good relationship with President Pompidou. It beggars belief that, after decades of trying to enter what is now the European Union, we are likely to throw it all away. Or are we? Almost certainly Mrs Leadsom, the last Brexiteer left standing after the shoot-out at Gove-Johnson Corral, would have done so. There is more hope with Mrs May, although it was a terrible thing for her to frighten all those immigrants who are so vital to our economy by raising the possibility of using them as “bargaining chips” in negotiations with the EU. Like most users of the National Health Service, I am well aware of how dependent our hospitals are on immigrants. When I slipped in the mud on Hampstead Heath last November, injuring a tendon to the point where I could not move, I was helped by an eastern European dog walker, who called an ambulance and remained by my side until I was rescued. One of my daughters-in-law, a GP, has since told me not to walk so fast: the faster one walks, the more likely one is to trip, especially on all those uneven pavements. Talking of which, I notice that, when people are young, they “fall over” but, after a certain age, they “have a fall”. Marx out of ten The lies told about extra spending on the NHS by the Brexiteers were truly shocking. Also distressing is the way that many disillusioned northerners allowed themselves to be convinced that so much of the social damage wreaked by George Osborne’s austerity programme was the fault of the EU or immigrants. My father, a strong trade unionist, used to lament the amount of time he had to spend persuading “working people” where their true interests lay. The Brexit result brings back to mind a spoof leader column written by some members of the Financial Times when I worked there. It went something like this: “While in many ways the FT was against the Marxist-Leninist revolution that has just taken place in this country, now that it has occurred, the important thing is to ensure that it works properly.” Famous friends One trap newspaper diarists can fall into is that of name-dropping. The most celebrated example was the late Norman St John Stevas, who – so the tale goes – was accused of name-dropping and replied: “That’s funny. The Queen Mother was accusing me of that only the other day.” A story that may be new to readers concerns Conor Cruise O’Brien, when he was editor-in-chief of the Observer , and William Clark, who resigned as Anthony Eden’s press secretary over Suez, and subsequently had a high- powered public relations role at the World Bank. Clark came to lunch and could hardly stop talking about what Robert McNamara (his boss), Henry Kissinger and Pierre Trudeau had recently told him. Suddenly he became aware that his host was not paying attention, and was staring fixedly under the table. “What’s wrong?” he asked Conor. “Ah,” came the reply in that wonderful Irish brogue. “I am worried about the strength of the floor for the weight of the names that are being dropped upon it.” Total recall Ministerial memoirs are published frequently, but the candid recollections of distinguished civil servants are a rarity. One forthcoming volume to cherish is that by Sir Brian Unwin, who was at the centre of things when Mrs Thatcher “got our money back” – the famous British rebate from the Brussels budget negotiated in 1984 at Fontainebleau – as well as during the Westland scandal in 1986 and the infamous “arms to Iraq” affair, which led to the Scott inquiry. Sir Brian is a passionate “European” and his own man, and I doubt whether he will allow Whitehall to bowdlerise his revelations of what really went on. William Keegan is a former economics editor of the Observer

2016-07-16 20:45 Owen Jones www.newstatesman.com

71 Steyer And Union Join Forces To Stop Trump Mega-wealthy environmentalist Tom Steyer and a services union with deep pockets announced a $10 million joint effort on Friday to derail Donald Trump’s GOP presidential candidacy. Steyer’s political action committee, NextGen Climate, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are teaming up this election season to defeat Trump and elect his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. According to SEIU’s 2015 disclosures, the union bankrolled almost $70 million of campaign donations, campaign ads and get-out-the-vote efforts for President Barack Obama and other Democrats. The group also spent $28 million on Obama’s successful presidential bid in 2008. SEIU President Mary Kay Henry said the group’s join venture with Steyer will help move the electorate away from “anti-black racism” and toward “environmental justice.” “Stopping the party of Trump is our number one priority this year,” Steyer said. “Week after week, Trump continues his racist, xenophobic and hateful campaign for the highest elected office in America. Whether it’s on climate change, economic opportunity or racial justice, a Trump presidency would be a disaster for working families. We need to stop Dangerous Donald.” Steyer, who made the bulk of his billions as a hedge fund manager with Farallon Capital, railed Thursday against Trump’s pick as running mate, former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, calling the governor an enemy to the gay and lesbian community. “Mike Pence rose to national prominence with his support of an anti-LGBT bill in Indiana,” Steyer said. “Now Donald Trump has resurrected his career, reaching to the very bottom of the apple barrel to find someone to match his own record of intolerance and bigotry.” Steyer has been on the warpath against Trump since the billionaire started making inroads during the Republican primaries. He released a televised ad in May prior to California’s primary elections, imploring that state’s citizens not to vote for the real estate tycoon and former reality TV star. “That’s not America. We’re all Californians. It’s time to speak out. Please register,” Steyer said in the ad. He added: “And vote.” The California-based environmentalist expressed his support for Clinton’s presidential bid in June, telling his Twitter followers that Clinton is the best the country has to offer. “Hillary Clinton is an experienced leader who will lead us to victory because she embodies the best values of our country. She will put the needs of working families first. She will be fearless in her pursuit of solutions to the most urgent challenges we face,” and she will “move us rapidly towards becoming “the clean energy superpower of the 21st century,” Steyer said in a press statement on Twitter. NextGen Climate , a group Steyer uses to fund liberal movements, announced a $25 million campaign in April encouraging young people to support and vote for green energy candidates in the November 2016 election. Follow Chris on Facebook and Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 08:51 dailycaller.com

72 Nice attack: What we know about the Bastille Day killings Dozens of people have been killed, including children, after a lorry ploughed into a large crowd watching a fireworks display marking the end of the French national holiday for Bastille Day. The driver also fired shots, before being killed by police. This is what we know so far about what happened. The driver of the lorry has been identified by officials as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel , a 31-year-old man of Franco-Tunisian origin. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins says Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was divorced with three children. His ex-wife was taken into custody on Friday morning along with four other people believed to be linked to him. A flat he lived in near Nice train station was searched by police on Friday morning. Mr Molins said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was "totally unknown" to security services, and the investigations are continuing into whether Lahouaiej-Bouhlel acted alone. He is said to have hired the lorry from a rental company in Saint-Laurent-du- Var, a town to the west of Nice, on 11 July, and had been due to return it on 13 July. Police said that, at the time of the attack, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was in possession of an automatic pistol, bullets, a fake automatic pistol and two replica assault rifles (a Kalashnikov and an M16), an empty grenade. Also in the lorry with him were a driving licence and a bank card. Who was the Nice attacker? At least 84 people were killed, including 10 children and teenagers. A total of 303 people were taken into hospital following the attacks, the French health department confirmed on Saturday. Of those, 121 remain in hospital, 30 of whom are children, and 26 people are still in intensive care - including five children. In the hours after the attacks, worried relatives posted images on social media of the missing. Among the dead was Fatima Charrihi, whose son said she was the first to die. Another victim, according to reports, was the assistant head of the Nice border police, Jean-Marc Leclerc. An American 11-year-old boy, Brodie Copeland, and his father, Sean, were also killed. They had been on holiday in Nice. Three people on a school trip from Germany were unaccounted for. Read more about the victims French security officials are still assessing whether the driver of a truck was working alone or in a group. So-called Islamic State later claimed one of its followers carried out the attack. A news agency linked to the group, Amaq Agency, said: "He did the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition that is fighting the Islamic State. " Officials said it bore the hallmark of a terrorist organisation. President Hollande said on Friday that it was "an attack whose terrorist nature cannot be denied". Mr Molins said the attack was "in line with the constant calls to kill" from militant Islamist groups, and the investigation would be seek to find out whether Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had ties to Islamist militants. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel seemed to have been "radicalised very quickly". Anti-terrorist prosecutors in Paris have launched an inquiry for murder and attempted murder as part of an organised terrorist strike. Earlier this week, France's DGSI internal security organisation warned of the danger of further attacks from Islamist militants with "booby-trapped vehicles and bombs". The so-called Islamic State has targeted France on several occasions since January 2015. Only hours before the Nice attack, President Hollande had announced that France's state of emergency would be removed later this month. After the attack in Nice he announced it was being extended. The terror began a little after 22:30 (20:30 GMT) on Thursday, shortly after thousands of people had watched a firework display on the seafront in Nice, at the end of a day marking France's national holiday, Bastille Day. There had been a mood of celebration and the crowd had enjoyed an air force display. Families strolled along the city's renowned Promenade des Anglais. A large white lorry was seen driving erratically a couple of streets away from the seafront promenade. "He was speeding up, braking, speeding up again and braking again. We thought it was weird," said Laicia Baroi. She described how the lorry then turned on to the promenade heading south- west towards the airport. But it was not for another half hour before the attack began. A German journalist saw events unfold from a hotel balcony, as the lorry doubled back from the direction of the airport, breaching the barriers erected on the promenade opposite the Lenval children's hospital. "He was driving really slowly, that's what was astonishing," said Richard Gutjahr, who described seeing the lorry being tailed by a motorcyclist. "The motorcyclist tried to overtake him and even tried opening the lorry driver's door," he told AFP news agency. At that point the motorcyclist fell under the wheels of the lorry. When two police officers opened fire on the lorry, the driver accelerated and careered at full speed towards the crowd. The vehicle mounted the kerb then went back on the road, zigzagging for up to 2km (1.25 miles), as the driver deliberately drove into people. A local MP spoke of hundreds of people being run over. Others scrambled to safety, on to the beach or into nearby hotels. "I was opposite the Palais de la Mediterranee [hotel] when I saw a lorry at high speed running over people. I saw it with my own eyes, people tried to stop it," said one witness. Police finally managed to bring the lorry to a halt near the luxury hotel. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins says the driver fired repeatedly on three policemen, who returned fire and pursued him for hundreds of metres. Mobile phone footage appeared to show the moment the driver was shot. Images from the scene showed the windscreen and front of the lorry raked with bullets. Interior ministry officials later confirmed that the attacker had been "neutralised". It soon became clear that many people had died, although the full scale of the disaster was unclear. The dead and injured were taken to the local Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice. The hospital launched its crisis mode for exceptional health situations and put out an emergency number for families: 00 33 (0)4 93 72 22 22. In the area around Nice, the anti-terror alert was raised to its highest level. President Francois Hollande was flown back to Paris from a visit to Avignon, joining Prime Minister Manuel Valls in a crisis room. Mr Valls declared three days of mourning which started on Saturday. The pair then travelled to Nice, where the interior and health ministers were already involved in crisis meetings with local officials. On Saturday, Mr Hollande met his defence and security chiefs and cabinet ministers. Then later, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called on "patriotic citizens" to become reservists to boost security across the country. He also reiterated a pledge made by Mr Hollande on Friday to call up France's current squad of reservists, which total some 12,000 volunteers. Are you in Nice? Did you see what took place on Promenade des Anglais? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch. Email [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

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

73 RNC Staffer Publishes Diary Filled With Mindless Details AKRON, OHIO — An embarrassingly stupid diary is already making the rounds at the Republican National Convention. Don’t get me wrong — a campaign diary is a solid undertaking if you’ve got dirty details involving temper tantrums, sex and slime. But arranging hotel rooms? Pushing the snooze button? Feeding a fish? Announcing the lipstick in your handbag? Who thought up what is possibly going to simultaneously be the greatest and worst part of our week? She’s a 24-year- old campaign staffer with a diary. Her name: Cameron Dorsey , a fresh- faced manager of housing data for the convention who wrote a detailed account of a day in her life for Refinery29.com. She looks like a cow-milking farm girl — a blue-eyed blonde with clear skin who wants to share what it’s REALLY LIKE to “put on one of the biggest political events of the year.” “Keeping a daily journal really puts my life into perspective,” she writes. But she has a menacing warning: Working on the RNC is not always glamorous. Please, dear God, let’s hope this means scandal. “It’s a lot of long hours, cheap pizzas, and even cheaper beers,” she writes. “…In reality, this is just a temporary stepping-stone in my life; it is petrifying, but damn exhilarating.” Petrifying? Please don’t get our hopes up, Cam. At 7:35 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. respectively, she hits the snooze button on her alarm clock. At 7:40 a.m. she plans her outfit that includes “fun” red heels. By 7:42 a.m. she has slathered on her BB cream (for the men out there with no concept of face creams, this is a concoction that blurs the imperfections on your skin. I’m going to go ahead and assume Dorsey has few of those). By 8 a.m. she’s out the door but makes readers breathe a sigh of relief when she explains that she has a 30-minute walk that she does not do in those “fun” red heels. She has spare sandals for that. “Some in Cleveland think it’s pretty cool and this is a great way to reach millennial and women voters,” a source told The Mirror on condition of anonymity. “Others find it embarrassing and think the staffer should be decoupled from the event (but then how would convention goers find the Holiday Inn in Strongsville?). If Republicans lose in November, this kind of idiotic garbage is (beyond The Crazy Donald Show) is part of the reason.” My observer wasn’t done venting. “Toxic combo of laziness and stupidly runs deep in my party. Abe Lincoln, Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt spinning in graves.” Cam’s diary gets so embarrassing that I shudder to share more details with you. But fine. We’ve made it this far. I want to crawl under my bed, but I am going to force myself to read this thing until the bitter end. Next up: the contents of Cam’s bag. Two noteworthy items: 1. Sandwash Pink Bobbi Brown lipstick, which she explains is the hue worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding. 2. A blank thank you note (because “you never know who you may run into!”) There are gobs of mindless entries about her day. By this point I’m fully engaged in the most inane feature of this convention: this diary. And now I need to know everything. She drinks her coffee black. She has 5 different inboxes and does a victory dance if she receives less than 40 emails. By 10:30 a.m. she has written an email to the entire convention staff — 240 people — that entails what’s for lunch and hopefully one of her irresistible puns. At 11:15 a.m. she spends a half hour feeding a fish named after an ex-V. P. At 11:45 a.m. she takes a half hour to write her “gal pals” about what they should eat for lunch. The grueling choices include sushi, salad and Pho. By 12:15 p.m. she admits that she “nailed down” her boyfriend at the convention. Afternoon comes and she spends a half hour job searching on LinkedIn followed by convention scrapbooking and yes, eventually doing her job, which is assigning hotel rooms for convention guests. Don’t be fooled — this can be a major pain in the ass, especially if you’re off by even one room in the daily audit. Unfortunately this diary is not going to be a daily offering. Hopefully the powers that be will change their minds. After all, this is convention gold. Note to readers: The above photograph is not the author of the diary but a depiction of this minor RNC disaster.

2016-07-17 08:51 dailycaller.com

74 74 Breaking News English Lesson The Japanese games giant Nintendo has released an app that is taking the world by storm. The next big thing, and new Internet sensation, is an augmented reality game called Pokemon Go. Players must physically move around the real world in order to capture mystical creatures called Pokemon (short for pocket monsters). It was only officially released last week, in the USA, New Zealand and Australia. It is about to overtake Twitter in the number of daily active users and it hasn't even been launched globally yet. Analysts report that in just 48 hours, Go was installed on 5.6 per cent of all Android devices in the USA. On average, users are spending twice as much time on Go than on apps like Snapchat. Pokemon Go has already jumped to the top of the App Store and Google Play Store. It is also having an unprecedented social impact. Hackers have targeted illegal copies of the app to infect millions of smart phones. Other criminals have used the game to lure unsuspecting players to go to a location to collect a Pokemon character and then rob them or burgle their empty house. The app tracks your location via GPS as you walk around looking for Pokemon. The website PCmag.com advised: "Don't go walking around neighborhoods late at night for your Pokemon fix…. If you can collect Pokemon…in public, crowded areas, we recommend doing that instead of shady spots at two a.m. "

2016-07-17 08:51 www.breakingnewsenglish.com

75 Spanish Civil War: The child refugees Britain didn't want When the Spanish Civil War broke out 80 years ago, many people fled their homes for safety, including nearly 4,000 children evacuated to England. Parallels have been drawn with the plight of unaccompanied young Syrian refugees - but how did the Spaniards cope with having to leave their war- torn homeland? The children docked in Southampton in May 1937 - less than a year after fighting erupted between right-wing Nationalists and left-wing Republicans. But their arrival followed much debate in the UK over whether to accept them. Amid fractious relations across the continent, British prime minister Stanley Baldwin was keen to avoid involvement in the conflict and, along with his French counterpart Leon Blum, called for European powers to agree to a non-intervention policy, which was signed in September 1936. However, signatories Germany and Italy "flagrantly flouted" it, says historian Adrian Bell, by sending military support to Nationalist leader General Francisco Franco, while the Soviet Union - also a party to the agreement - aided the Republicans. "There's no doubt at all that the Germans regarded it as a kind of laboratory [for] testing the effects of bombing as a new way to fight wars," he adds. Now in her 80s and living near Scarborough, Maria Luisa Patchett recalls how her seaside home in northern Spain was attacked by Nazi planes. "My mother had just had twins... she had them in the house and she used to listen for the planes coming over. She used to say to us: 'Run… quick'. "We used to hide and the planes [that] were coming over, they couldn't see us. " After they saw their house - where the babies were - catch fire following an air raid, "Mother ran and we all ran with her terrified. She managed to save one of the twins… who is still alive but the other one died in the fire. " Public demonstrations were held in British cities by trade unions and the Labour Party, which condemned Franco as "the assassin of Spanish democracy". Sources: National Archives/Britannica/Basque Children's Committee Calls were also made to accept refugees, which intensified after the infamous Nazi saturation bombing of Guernica in April 1937. However, the evacuation of women and children from the besieged Basque Country was seen as a possible breach of the non-intervention policy by some in Whitehall. The government's view was that, if people were removed, "then these are mouths, people, that don't have to be fed - in a way you are helping to prolong the defence of Bilbao against the attack by Franco," Mr Bell adds. Some aid organisations also believed children would be better looked after closer to home in other parts of Spain or France. In a letter, Baldwin remarked "the climate here would not suit" evacuees, possibly unaware that the Basque Country, like the UK, has fairly wet and cloudy weather. Although officially impartial, the Conservative-led government - fearing the spread of Communism - has been criticised for being "more neutral to the Nationalists than it was to the Republicans" . It eventually yielded to campaigners, permitting British activists at the Basque Children's Committee (BCC) to evacuate nearly 4,000 children. As the government said it would not take on financial responsibility for the refugees, the BCC spearheaded efforts to raise funds. "You have to remember we are talking about the mid-1930s, a period of substantial unemployment, a lot of poverty in this country... it was the 'charity begins at home' argument," says Mr Bell. "The trade unions put up quite a lot of money. It was done by tin-rattling, by public contributions. " On 21 May 1937, about 3,860 children packed the ship Habana in Bilbao. They were accompanied by about 200 teachers, priests and other helpers. Many of the children were told they would only be staying for three months. Mrs Patchett, who was six years old at the time, joined her eldest brother and two of her sisters on the journey to Southampton. "My mother and everyone where the Habana was docked was crying and sobbing, and we were terrified, we didn't know where we were going," she recalls. "We were told on the boat that Franco's warships were nearby... the captain asked for help from the British warships who were nearby and they came and helped. " After arriving in Southampton on 23 May, the children were sent to a campsite set up by volunteers in nearby Eastleigh. Speaking in the BBC documentary The Guernica Children in 2005, Carmen Antolin recalled: "We got on the double-decker bus and as we were approaching the camps… we thought, 'All these tents, it must be [Native American] Indians' and we thought, 'Oh, we didn't know they had Indians'. " The refugees were split into three areas according to their parents' registered political affiliations: Republican, Communist and Nationalist. While the children's health improved - thanks to food donations from locals - there were inevitable concerns about the psychological state of refugees separated from their families and homes. The problems were exacerbated because few British volunteers were able to speak Spanish while most evacuees didn't know English. When the Basque Country surrendered to Franco's forces later in 1937, children at the camp broke down in tears, worried about their parents. Some even caused a "small riot", one evacuee recalled. The majority of refugees did return to Spain by 1938, according to the Basque Children of '37 Association (BC'37A), although reports were received of some children ending up without their families and on the streets. Those who remained in Britain were dispersed in groups to about 100 children's homes set up by the BCC, religious organisations and wealthy patrons around the country. Mrs Patchett remembers how people in Hull organised for Spanish fisherman to greet her and other refugees arriving at the railway station. "They had arranged for some Spanish fishing ships to come in and had asked the men to go the station… to make us welcome because they spoke Spanish and could make us feel at home. " There was mixed reaction to the refugees - many sympathetic locals gave food and gifts, while others were hostile to the newcomers. At the same time, some Spanish boys got into trouble in and out of school, which triggered negative press coverage when teenagers broke windows following a confrontation with a driver in Brechfa, south Wales. Along with a disturbance at a Yorkshire camp after complaints of food shortages, it led to questions in Parliament about when evacuees would return to Spain, and some of the refugees behind the trouble were sent back. As the BC'37A notes, not all homes - known as colonias in Spanish (colonies in English) - were hugely successful, "nor did all the niños (children) behave like angels". Without government aid, events were held where many refugees would perform Spanish songs and dances to raise funds. Venancio Zornoza, who along with his two brothers, stayed in Keighley in Yorkshire, recalls the kindness of one family who "took us out to tea - and we kept in touch with them for about 80 years". "The government didn't want us here... but really the British people they behaved so well to us, it was just unbelievable," Mr Zornoza says. "I can never thank the British people enough and, whenever I get the chance, I do so because they were fantastic. "

2016-07-17 08:51 By Rumeana www.bbc.co.uk

76 Entertainment week in Pictures: 9 Beyonce and Jay Z watched Serena Williams become Wimbledon Champion on Saturday, before jetting off to Ireland for a concert. On Sunday, meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper provided the star power in the audience as Andy Murray won the male title. Sunday saw Ellen DeGeneres (left) come to London for the English premiere of Finding Dory, the sequel to Pixar's 2003 hit Finding Nemo. British Olympians Rebecca Adlington and Tom Daley (right) were on hand to assess the animated film's underwater action. A Stay Puft Marshmallow Man went on display at Waterloo Station in London to publicise the UK release of Ghostbusters. The female reboot of the franchise opened to mainly good reviews. Call the Midwife star Helen George took to the boards at the Richmond Theatre in After Miss Julie, a version of August Strindberg's play Miss Julie by Patrick Marber. Richard Flood co-stars in the production, which transfers to the Milton Keynes Theatre next week. Pop singer Taylor Swift made a surprise visit to a children's hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Sam, one of the patients she met, posted this picture on Facebook. Marvel made the bold decision to kill off The Hulk's human alter-ego Bruce Banner, having introduced a new "totally awesome" Hulk in the form of Korean-American teenager Amadeus Cho (top right). The shocking twist in Marvel's Civil War II comic followed the news that a 15-year-old black girl (bottom right) would be seen donning Iron Man's metal armour. Benedict Cumberbatch also made headlines after he was revealed consulting a canine companion in the first photo released from the fourth series of Sherlock, which he and Martin Freeman are currently filming. Idris Elba - soon to be seen as a villainous alien in Star Trek Beyond - overcame a fear of heights to add the finishing touches to a giant mural of the sci-fi film's poster which artist Jim Vision painted on the side of a pub in Clerkenwell, London. Sir Paul McCartney marked the 10th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed show Love by posting this picture with Ringo Starr (left) and going to Las Vegas with wife Nancy Shevell for a birthday celebration. And it was announced that Stephanie Beacham (left) is to play Princess Margaret in a new play inspired by real events. A Princess Undone, which premieres in Cambridge in October, will be set in Kensington Palace in 1993 - the same year the picture of the Princess on the right was taken.

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

77 Attack on Nice brings danger to France closer to home Through the last 18 months of jihadist terror in France, a simple pattern is emerging: it keeps getting worse. If the January 2015 attacks were aimed at specific groups - Jews and blasphemers - the November follow-up was more indiscriminate. At the Bataclan and at the cafes the Islamists killed young adults, out being European hedonists. This time, it's gone a step further. In Nice, it is the people at large - families and groups of friends - doing nothing more provocative than attending a national celebration. Ten children were among the dead. So what's next? As the government contemplates its response to the atrocity, one thing is absolutely apparent. The most comprehensive security set-up in the world will not stop the kind of attack that took place on Thursday. The danger today is no longer webs of intrigue stemming from the Middle East like the Bataclan, with months of planning, smuggled immigrants and secret flows of cash. Today, the danger is the guy next door. It is your neighbourhood terrorist. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who carried out the Nice attack, had no background in Islamism. He was a lorry driver with a bad attitude, a flat in town, and some convictions for petty violence. Hardly a rare profile. And yet he talked himself into an act of inexplicable savagery, deliberately mowing down his own townspeople in a 19-tonne truck. The presumption is that he "self-radicalised": in other words he fell prey to the torrent of jihadist propaganda emanating from so-called Islamic State (IS), and elevated his personal grievances into matters of cosmic importance. Larossi Abballa, who murdered two police officers at their home in Magnanville west of Paris last month, had a similar past. Again a nondescript minor offender - no apparent religious leaning - who was transfigured by an act of blood. What the two had in common was not just a weakness for Islamist ideology. They also had hate: a hatred for France, for its symbols, and for all it stands for. This is the awful problem facing any French government. There are many tens of thousands of young Muslim men who feel this hatred for the country that is in theory their own. Normally this is not religious in origin, but increasingly religion is its form of expression. The vast majority will not translate the feeling into violence. But some will, all the more so now, after IS told would-be jihadists to give up the idea of coming to Syria and do what they can at home. And what Nice, and in a lesser way Magnanville, showed is that a determined killer can always find a way. Troops on the street, extra checks at railway stations, protection at synagogues - these will prevent attacks at particular places at particular times. But when a car or a kitchen-knife is a weapon, and when a potential victim is you or me, then there is no stopping the assassin. Which is why the most gloomy prognostications are probably correct. What we have seen up till now is not as bad as what is to come. The next stage in the descent is one that few will talk about - but which is certainly in the minds of both jihadists and government. This is the moment when the attacks become so outrageous they provoke a backlash. A mosque is burned to the ground. Some white youths go on a rampage through a banlieue (suburb). This is what IS desperately wants to happen, of course, because France could then be on course for a truly bloody civil conflict. The head of France's DGSI internal intelligence service gave just such a warning in recent testimony to a parliamentary committee. The greatest danger, warned Patrick Calvar in May, was that one or two further attacks triggered violence from far-right groups which - he said - were increasingly preparing for the eventuality. "Then what you will have is confrontation between the far right and the Muslim world. Not with Islamists, let me be clear. With the Muslim world. " In other words, the pattern continues. It will get worse.

2016-07-17 08:51 By Hugh www.bbc.co.uk

78 How Britain has been kept safe for a decade Terrorism, like Europe, is an issue that has dominated British politics for decades. I woke up on Friday morning expecting to hear the seismic fallout from Brexit monopolising the headlines yet again. I was shocked when I heard the latest news from Nice - that so many men, women and children had been horrifically mowed down by a terrorist driving a lorry. I was shocked but not surprised, given that the so-called Islamic State has encouraged such attacks by individuals, who don't need a bomb or a gun to carry out slaughter on such a scale. Here in the UK the killers of Gunner Lee Rigby heeded the same call using a knife. The difference is that one of Lee Rigby's attackers was on MI5's radar while the Nice lorry driver was not on France's equivalent - its "S" list of suspects. Mass casualty attacks, as France, Belgium and the UK know only too well, are the perpetual nightmare that governments fear - a nightmare that becomes all too real when intelligence fails to detect them. Since the London bombings of a decade ago, Britain has managed to avoid such a mass attack. But statistics show it has been a close-run thing. Forty terrorist plots have been disrupted since 2005 - including seven in the past 18 months. Reporting on terrorism and political violence as I have done for more than 40 years has few silver linings. "Don't you ever get depressed? " is a question I'm often asked. The honest answer is "yes" - and Nice only underlines it - however, I still try to make sense of what invariably seems senseless. But there is some good news, although I hate to tempt fate by saying so. It's no accident that this country has not yet endured a Paris, Brussels or Nice. Britain's defences against terrorist attack depend not just on the watery buffer of the English Channel and our non-membership of Schengen - Europe's border-free area. Crucially they also rely on the way in which intelligence is now intimately shared between all the agencies: the Security Service (MI5), MI6, GCHQ - and the police. This is the key to keeping Britain safe - although it's by no means guaranteed. In stark contrast, the situation across the Channel is very different. France has six intelligence agencies - and they're decidedly not joined up, as the failures to detect the Paris attacks in January and November last year clearly illustrate. As I discovered when I investigated the November attacks , there was a fatal lack of communication and co-ordination both before and during those attacks. As a result, this month's French Parliamentary inquiry recommends the establishment of a single overarching agency to improve intelligence sharing - similar to America's National Terrorism Centre, or the UK's Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre (JTAC). The inquiry concludes: "The multi-layered, cumbersome intelligence apparatus was like an army of soldiers wearing lead boots. " Peter Taylor's report features on this week's From Our Home Correspondent , broadcast on Radio 4 at 13:30 on Sunday 17 July. He also be discussing the Nice attacks on Sunday Morning Live at 10:00 on BBC One. But effective intelligence-sharing in the UK didn't happen overnight - as the history of combating Irish and Islamist terrorism shows. In many years of covering the conflict in Northern Ireland, I lost count of the number of times I was assured that intelligence-sharing had never been closer and the IRA was on the run. Both were fictions. In the mid-1970s, I remember one Northern Ireland Secretary, Roy Mason, boasting that he would squeeze out the IRA like a tube of toothpaste. Martin McGuinness and some of his former IRA comrades now at Stormont bear testimony to the fiction. In the aftermath of 9/11, I was still hearing that intelligence-sharing between the police and MI5 had never been closer - but it wasn't. Take this example. Early in 2004, MI5 surveillance officers were monitoring a cell that was plotting to attack targets in London and the south-east of England. They followed suspects on the fringes of their investigation nearly 200 miles up the M1 to West Yorkshire - and noted the addresses in the Leeds area where they ended up. To my great surprise, I discovered that MI5 didn't immediately notify West Yorkshire Police Special Branch that the suspects were on their patch. I was subsequently told by two senior West Yorkshire officers - independently and on different occasions - that this was common. The Security Service did not routinely share such detailed operational intelligence with the police. I later had sight of the MI5 officers' log that recorded the journey and confirmed what I'd been told. The omission was a fatal error. Two of the suspects turned out to be Mohammed Saddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. They were the leaders of the four suicide bombers who murdered 52 people when they attacked London's transport network on 7 July 2005 - known as 7/7. To be fair, MI5 was monitoring dozens of cases and several thousand potential suspects at the time and had to prioritise targets and resources. 7/7 was a tragic wake-up call. In its aftermath, structures were put in place to ensure that intelligence was properly shared. Five Regional Counter Terrorist Units were set up across the country. But the change in attitude was as important as the change in structure. Previously, I had been told by my sources in West Yorkshire that its officers were never allowed inside MI5's inner sanctum. Its door was permanently locked. All that has dramatically changed. The Security Service and local counter- terrorism police officers now work closely together and share all intelligence. The barriers are down. MI5's door is open. This shared intelligence is then passed upwards to the pinnacle of Britain's counter- terrorist pyramid where it's sifted and analysed by MI5, MI6, GCHQ and the police at their weekly meetings in MI5's London headquarters. A further benefit of shared intelligence is that the agencies and police - both at home and abroad - now all work from a single list of targets - the contents and length of which are a closely guarded national secret. These are the hard-learned lessons that have kept Britain relatively safe for the past decade. But, as the intelligence services and the police here are at pains to point out, there is no guarantee that it will always be so. Nice is a grim warning to all of us. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

2016-07-17 08:51 By Peter www.bbc.co.uk

79 The link between Brexit and the death penalty If you know someone's social class and income, then you might think it's easy to guess how they voted in the UK's referendum on the European Union - but what you really need to know, says Alex Burton of BBC Radio 4's The Briefing Room, is their view on capital punishment. Immediately after the vote, commentators said it was about class - about professionals living and working in big cities, especially London (who voted Remain), versus working class people in smaller towns, especially in the north of England (who voted Leave). So you would think that if you know that someone is working class and has a low income, you'd be able to confidently guess they voted Leave. But according to Stian Westlake, Head of Research at the think tank Nesta, this is not the case. "If you look at someone's class status and their income, and you try and use that to guess whether or not they voted Remain, it turns out it's not that much better than guesswork. It gives you around 55% accuracy, and obviously a guess would give you 50% accuracy," Westlake says. His figures come from the British Election Study, in which around 24,000 people were asked about their voting intentions in the EU referendum. Respondents to the survey were also questioned on their views on other things, such as the death penalty - and this provides a much better indicator of how people voted, Westlake argues. "If you look at attitudes to questions such as, 'Do you think criminals should be publicly whipped?' or 'Are you in favour of the death penalty?' - those things are much better predictors, and you get over 70% accuracy," he says. "To give you an idea of how good a predictor that is, if you ask someone, 'Do you think there is too much European integration?' - which you'd think is a pretty good indicator - that only gets you to the high 70s. So if you can get to 71% or 72% prediction from these questions about traditional values, then it suggests it is that, rather than income or class, that is really driving the vote for Leave. " The British Election Study's internet panel survey of 2015-16 asked a sample of over 24,000 individuals about their views on [the death penalty] and whether they would vote to leave the EU. The graph below, restricted to White British respondents, shows almost no statistically significant difference in EU vote intention between rich and poor. By contrast, the probability of voting Brexit rises from around 20% for those most opposed to the death penalty to 70% for those most in favour. Wealthy people who back capital punishment back Brexit. Poor folk who oppose the death penalty support Remain. Full report: Brexit voters - NOT the left behind Ben Shimshon of Britain Thinks, a company which advises businesses and political parties on how to communicate with the public, broadly agrees with Westlake. What united Leave voters in focus groups in the run-up to the referendum, he says, was support for a whole set of "traditional" values. "They tended to value things like order, stability and safety against things like openness, modernity and other social-liberal values that were more popular among Remain voters. Often it's about harking back to the past - sometimes a feeling that they don't belong to the present. " Listen to Stian Westlake and Ben Shimson on Radio 4's the Briefing Room. This week's episode interviewed Leave voters in Wakefield. You can hear next week's episode, which features Remain voters in Brixton, at 20:00 on Thursday 21 July.

2016-07-17 08:51 By Alex www.bbc.co.uk

80 Your pictures: Posters Clive Finnis: "I took this picture whilst on holiday with friends in Giarre, Sicily. I saw these posters on a building and thought that the bright colours contrasted with the drab and uncared for buildings. " Mike Finn: "The view to promote a fabulous quirky very English/Wales border pub. It worked for me. " Maja Ostojic: "I took this picture in summer 2012 on the high line in New York. " Peter Ware: "This is an example of Trompe L'Oeil. Only the woman is real. The rest is a painting on the side of a wall surrounding a construction site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. " Joanne Smith: "Bill posting, Victorian-style, at Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum, in Telford, Shropshire. " Russell Wood: "I took this last year on holiday. It transported me back in time, I liked the saturated colours, the straight grid lines and the posters pinpointed a certain era in history. " Anna Heath: "Everyone - including me - on the platform at Lewisham station was engrossed in what this man was doing, taking down an old advertising poster and putting up a new one. I loved the layers of past posters that were revealed underneath. " Patrick O'Connor: "China on the cusp of change. " Alan Hayes: "I took this at Moorgate Tube Station - there were 10 of these posters along one of the platforms. I like how they have all been partially ripped, exposing several layers of previous posters. I took this on my phone as a tester and went back two days later with my SLR but the posters and wall tiles had been completely removed for refurbishment. " Brian Anderson: "A memorial to David Bowie in posters is pasted to boards in Bradford just a few days after his death. " Ruth Moucharafieh: "Volunteers stick posters on Beirut walls to publicise a charity street fair, they worked through the night and everyone went home well splattered with glue. " And, finally, a picture by Aleksandra Sniezek. The next theme is "From above" and the deadline for your entries is 19 July. If you would like to enter, send your pictures to [email protected]. Further details and terms can be found by following the link to "We set the theme; you take the pictures" at the bottom of the page. 2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

81 Has streaming broken the UK singles chart? Fewer records than ever before are entering the UK top 40 as fans keep streaming the same songs over and over again. But what does that mean for music and new artists in particular? He only came for One Dance... but Drake has been hogging the limelight for three months. On Friday, the star's single notched up a 14th week at number one - meaning he could soon break the Bryan Adams barrier, and become the UK's longest-running chart topper. But behind that huge success lies another story, because One Dance isn't the best-selling record of the last seven days. It isn't even in the top 10. In fact, Drake's single only topped the sales-only chart in the first three weeks of its reign. It's only the inclusion of streaming data (where 100 plays count as one sale) that has given him a lock on the number one spot. And that's something that's starting to worry the music industry, because now that the charts measure consumption rather than purchases, they have practically ground to a halt. In the first six months of 2016, there were 86 new entries in the UK singles chart. Ten years ago, that figure was 230. And while artists like Beyonce, Rihanna and Calvin Harris continue to rack up the hits, new artists are being pushed out of the race. "I think it's a problem," says Harry Magee, who manages acts like One Direction and Little Mix. "There's been a lot of talk about how hard it is to break a new act at the minute - and it certainly is. It's harder for artists and it's harder for the industry. It's a problem we're still getting our heads around. " Radio 1's head of music, Chris Price, says he's monitoring the slowdown closely. "We're asking serious questions because, as a new music station, we have to keep pushing the agenda forward," he says. "So we're even having to ask whether we keep Drake on the playlist. It would be, I think, unprecedented to take the number one record off the Radio 1 playlist. It didn't happen with Bryan Adams… but we've got new music to break. We've got to satisfy our listeners' impatience to hear new music. " But is it really the fault of the charts that new British artists are struggling? Newcomers Lukas Graham (from Denmark) and Shawn Mendes (from Canada) both reached number one for the first time this year; while Zara Larsson (Sweden) and DNCE (USA) have made top 10 debuts. "There are two schools of thought," says Price. "One is that the chart has slowed down to such an extent that it's preventing new artists from rising up into the upper echelons. "Another school of thought is that there just isn't the quality of new repertoire coming through to challenge those massive big-hitters - the Drakes and the Beyonces and so forth. "To some extent, the numbers bear that out. If you look at Drake's sales last week, it was something like 45,000. That wouldn't have put him at number one in any other week of the year. " One act who have breached the top 10 this year are Clean Bandit, whose new single Tears went straight into the chart at number six and has hung around ever since. "Why? Well, I'd like to think that the song sticks out," says the song's writer and saxophonist Jack Patterson. "It's a bit unusual. People are latching onto it for that reason. " The band are well-placed to exploit streaming's dominance of the charts, having started off on YouTube making music to soundtrack short films before becoming a fully-fledged band. Their breakout single Rather Be was, at one point, the most streamed song ever on Spotify - but even they have had to adapt to the new landscape. "Streaming is so important for the actual charts that our label pushed for multiple versions of Tears to satisfy various different streaming trends," Patterson reveals. "So we made a solo piano version, for instance, and an acoustic version. "It shows that people who wouldn't normally be buying chart music are having a real impact. I'm thinking, 'What? Can I do a solo jazz piano album now and it'll potentially get to number one?'" Rising songwriter Billie Marten, who featured on the BBC's Sound of 2016 , is part of a new generation of artists who grew up with streaming, and was discovered on YouTube. Unsurprisingly, she sees it as less of a threat than an opportunity. "From the artist's point of view, as soon as I get a song recorded, it needs to be out and then I can get on with other things," she says, marvelling at how quickly she can share new music with fans. "And Spotify are really helping me out by putting my music onto playlists. They're really exploiting that in a great way. I'm really thankful for that because I think, otherwise, people wouldn't listen. " Indeed, curated "new music" playlists on services like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Google Play could be the key to breaking the chart gridlock - although there is some concern that these playlists are programmed globally, potentially putting UK artists at a disadvantage. Arctic Monkeys manager Ian McAndrew agrees: "In my experience, streaming serves as a platform through which music is being discovered. So while it may distort the charts, it serves as an access point for new music, and I think that's got to be a good thing. " Perhaps it means the charts are becoming irrelevant - at least as the gold standard of success. Bands now look at ticket sales, or engagement on social media as indicators of their reach and impact. And those are the things, rather than hit singles, which traditionally sustain careers. "Success just doesn't happen overnight anymore, and that can be a good thing," says Magee. "Artists need to go out there and learn their craft in every way - whether that's writing, recording or playing live. "The real artists, the ones who are prepared to put the work in, will get there in the end. There'll just be fewer of them. " Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts , on Instagram at bbcnewsents , or email [email protected] .

2016-07-17 08:51 By Mark www.bbc.co.uk

82 'Britain's Pompeii' to be 'backfilled' The site of a Bronze Age village dubbed "Britain's Pompeii" is poised to be backfilled and returned to quarry use, it has emerged. Archaeologists say the 10-month dig at Must Farm in Whittlesey has transformed their knowledge of Bronze Age Britain. Evidence of fine fabric-making, varied diets and vast trading networks were found during the dig. In the next few days, archaeologists will begin clearing the site and returning it to the quarry's owners. The many finds from Must Farm will be moved to the Flag Fen Centre on the outskirts of Peterborough. What the excavation has revealed: Cambridge University archaeologist and outreach supervisor Selina Davenport said: "The site will be backfilled and returned to the quarry. "It's really important that it's staying as close as it can to where we found it and it's forming part of that Bronze Age story that Flag Fen already tells. " Analysis of wood used to build the settlement suggests it was only lived in for a short time before it was destroyed. Despite this, archaeologists said the site gives an "exquisitely detailed" insight into everyday Bronze Age life.

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

83 Iran nuclear talks: The tempers and tweets which led to a deal On 14 July 2015, Iran reached an historic deal with six world powers over its disputed nuclear programme. It was the result of more than 20 rounds of talks over more than a decade. One year on, BBC Persian has been speaking to some of the people who made it happen. "When I spoke to [my husband], exhausted and wondering whether we were going to get to the end of this, [he] said to me: 'Remember, you are part of history. What you and your colleagues are trying to do is to make the world a safer place.'" US chief negotiator Wendy Sherman remembers a low-point in the final stages of the Iranian nuclear talks marathon. The negotiations had begun in 2003 and dragged on for years with little progress, until Hassan Rouhani swept to victory in Iranian presidential elections in 2013. "President Rouhani and his people wanted to resolve this issue with the West, get rid of sanctions, allow Iran back on world markets and to have a better future for their people," says French chief negotiator Nicolas de Riviere. "[They] were the professional diplomats you'd expect to see," adds US diplomat Richard Nephew. "People who are used to going into a country, and trying to come up with a mutually advantageous solution. " Key to Iran's new negotiating team was the Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, a jovial US-educated diplomat and a keen user of social media. He was quick to tweet a breakthrough at the first round of talks with the new team in Geneva, in November 2013, just five months into President Rouhani's term. At the heart of the dispute was a seemingly intractable problem - how to square Iran's ambitions to have a nuclear power programme with international concerns that the country was using that programme to secretly develop a nuclear weapons capacity. The framework deal hammered out in Geneva opened a way out of the impasse and allowed for further rounds of talks over the next two years in Vienna and Lausanne. But negotiations involving such long-entrenched adversaries as the US and Iran were never going to be easy. "It took us some time to establish a good working relationship and to develop trust," recalls Germany's chief negotiator, Hans Dieter Lucas. "You need to sit together many, many hours and talk to each in a serious way. It's very important to be able to put yourself also in the other side's shoes. " The Swiss foreign ministry took a central role hosting many rounds of talks, establishing a familiar routine that also helped cement relationships between the sides. "Each time a minister arrived... the chief of protocol Geneva and myself were at the airport to greet the minister," recalls senior Swiss diplomat Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart. "And our foreign minister always welcomed them with a personal letter and some Swiss chocolates. " Food was to play an important role in bringing the teams together. In Vienna, the Iranians invited the Americans to dine with them at their hotel. "My favourite was the Persian chicken with crushed pistachios," recalls Wendy Sherman. "Those times of breaking bread together are always useful in building the relationships you need when you are the middle of such tough negotiations. " Tough was the word as the talks delved into the complexities of Iran's nuclear programme and the politics of lifting sanctions and arms embargoes. "Everything came together," says Hans Dieter Lucas. "Complicated technical questions and, on the other hand, a political framework, which was also extremely difficult. " As they inched towards progress, the negotiators found the devil really was in the detail. "It's about centrifuges, stockpiles, stabiliser tops," says Nicolas de Riviere. "Very quickly you need people who are experts. " The talks were also a complex logistical challenge for the managers of the grand European hotels that hosted them. Francois Dussart of the Beau Rivage in Lausanne remembers waiting to greet the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. "The amount of security, the amount of cars that arrived - you feel like you are watching a Hollywood movie but you are part of it," he says. The talks often ran long over deadline, with hotels having to cancel bookings and negotiating teams spending long nights in hotel rooms poring over the fine details of a text, and eating pizza. With no news to report, the pizza sometimes became the focus of journalists' attention. "It made doing business much more difficult to have our every movement recounted on Twitter," says Richard Nephew. "My wife was always emailing to ask why I was eating pizza on a random Friday night and not getting on a plane home. " Hours spent in rooms negotiating inevitably brought people closer together. Wendy Sherman remembers finding common ground with Iran's chief negotiator, Abbas Araqchi. "Abbas and I both became grandparents during this time," she says. "So we shared videos of our grandchildren. " But she adds: "That didn't change how tough we were with each other in the negotiation. " Inevitably tempers would sometimes flare. "[EU foreign policy chief] Federica Mogherini was chairing a round with ministers in Vienna during the end game," recalls Helga Schmid, Ms Mogherini's deputy. "She had a heated argument with the Iranian foreign minister and he said: 'Never threaten an Iranian'. " In the absence of any other news, the phrase even briefly became a hashtag on Twitter. After 17 days of talks in Vienna, including three extensions, the breakthrough finally came late at night on 13 July. "Just before midnight, Abbas Araqchi posted a picture on his Instagram, and I knew almost for certain that there was a deal," says BBC Persian's Amir Paivar. "It showed the hand of Iran's Supreme Leader signing off something. There was no comment on the post but we knew what it meant. " "I knew for sure the deal was done at three o'clock in the morning on the 14 July," says Helga Schmid. "That's actually when we finalised the texts... It was just so overwhelming that I can't say I was happy, I was just relieved that it was done. " Before the announcement was finally made, all the negotiators spoke at an emotionally-charged private meeting. For Wendy Sherman, the pivotal moment came when John Kerry got up and recalled his experience in the Vietnam War. "He came back from that war and... and made a commitment to make sure there was never a war ever again, and that's what he was about in this negotiation," she says. "The room was absolutely still. There was quiet and then everyone including the Iranians applauded, because I think for all of us we understood that what we had done was to ensure peace and not war. "

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

84 Trident renewal plans 'need more scrutiny', SNP says Prime Minister Theresa May has been urged to delay Monday's vote on Trident renewal to allow "proper scrutiny". The SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson said it was "one of the most important decisions parliament will ever take. " He also said MPs must have access to the full costs of renewal before they can come to an informed view. Former prime minister David Cameron said Trident was an "essential deterrent" to Britain's security. The SNP will vote to reject the renewal of Trident. While the majority of Labour MPs are expected to vote in favour of Trident renewal, Scottish Labour party delegates overwhelmingly backed a vote to scrap the UK's Trident nuclear missile system at their conference last year. Mr Robertson said: "Trident is an immoral, obscene and redundant weapons system - and the decision on whether to renew it is one of the most important votes this parliament will ever take. "Over the last few weeks we have witnessed unprecedented political turmoil, as the entire Westminster system was shown to be completely unprepared for the prospect of a Brexit vote. "Having spent the best part of a month engaged in backstabbing, score- settling and navel-gazing, neither the Tories nor Labour are in any fit state to be giving proper scrutiny to decisions as important as this. " He added: "It would be both morally and economically indefensible for the UK government to commit to spending hundreds of billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - even more so at a time when they are cutting funding for public services. "The enormous cost of Trident appears to be spiralling out of control - before MPs can come to an informed view, they must have access to full costs across the lifetime of the programme. " Thousands of people attended 36 protests against Trident renewal at towns and cities across Scotland on Saturday. It is understood the UK government has no plans to move the missile system from Faslane on the Clyde. A source close to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "This government was elected on a manifesto to build four ballistic missile submarines to replace the current fleet. We committed to hold a vote and we need to have this now given the time it takes to build and test the submarines. "All MPs will have to decide whether to gamble with our national security. The SNP will be voting to weaken our security and to close Faslane, Scotland's biggest employment site. "

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

85 Kerry: US Didn't Help Overthrow Turkish Gov't Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Saturday evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and suggested any public reports of U. S. involvement in the failed coup attempt of the Turkish government are “utterly false.” Not only are they false, Kerry said, but they also harm relations between the U. S. and Turkey. After receiving an update from Cavusoglu on the rapidly developing coup situation in Turkey, Kerry reiterated that the U. S. supports the “democratically elected government in Turkey.” Kerry also urged Turkish authorities to respect due process and adhere to international obligations in its treatment of those involved in the coup and to make sure civilian life and property are protected. If Turkey needs additional assistance, Kerry added, the U. S. is prepared to help. But despite Kerry’s pleas for civility, reports have emerged that coup supporters have met harsh ends. So far, 2,839 military officers have been detained. At least 161 civilians were killed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated rhetoric Saturday by declaring in a speech directed at President Barack Obama, “Either arrest Fethullah Gulen or return him to Turkey. You didn’t listen. I call on you again, after there was a coup attempt, extradite this man in Pennsylvania to Turkey. If we are strategic partners or model partners, do what is necessary.” Gulen is an Islamic cleric who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999. He has a powerful following in Turkey, but Erdogan has tried to purge Gulenists from positions of influence in the government and general public sphere. No public evidence exists yet to link the Gulenists to the attempted coup in Turkey, but Robert Amsterdam from Amsterdam & Partners, who speaks on behalf of the Turkish government, said Turkish intelligence services have discovered “signs that Gulen is working closely with certain members of military leadership against the elected civilian government.” Gulen had himself condemned the coup attempt on Friday , saying “There is a slight chance, there is a possibility that it could be a staged coup.” Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter Send tips to [email protected] . Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

2016-07-17 08:51 National Security dailycaller.com

86 Sexy Bruna Lima Pictures Several athletes and sports fans have said they won’t go to the 2016 Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus in Brazil. However, there’s no need worry because The Daily Caller has found the perfect reason to go to the summer Olympics in Rio, and her name is Bruna Lima. (SLIDESHOW: UFC Star Arianny Celeste Is Nearly Naked For All Her Fans In These Pictures) Follow David on Twitter and Facebook 2016-07-17 08:51 dailycaller.com

87 10 things we didn't know last week 1. Ducklings are capable of abstract thought. Find out more (New Scientist) 2. Legendary German film director Werner Herzog loves watching cat videos. Find out more (Hollywood Reporter) 3. Theresa May's cabinet contains more state-educated ministers than any government since Clement Attlee's in 1945. Find out more (Independent) 4. The new chancellor of the Exchequer was a teenage goth "and looked like Johnny Depp". Find out more (i-news) 5. It would take 300 years to catalogue all the tree species in the Amazon rainforest. Find out more 6. Every English elm is descended from a single tree imported by the Romans. Find out more (Nature) 7. There are only two newspaper journalists still working on Fleet Street itself. Find out more (The Guardian) 8. Zayn Malik left One Direction after an alien appeared to him in a dream. Find out more (Entertainment Today) 9. The "Arsenal" letters outside the club's stadium are an anti-attack measure. Find out more 10. Dinosaurs didn't roar - in fact, they probably cooed Find out more (Futurity) Seen a thing? Tell the Magazine on Twitter using the hashtag #thingididntknowlastweek Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook

2016-07-17 08:51 News snippets www.bbc.co.uk

88 Labour leadership: Owen Smith urges party unity Owen Smith will launch his bid to be Labour leader by warning the party risks "falling apart" if it does not act "like a proper team". The former shadow Work and Pensions Secretary will say his plan to invest £200bn into building projects is what is needed to "rebuild Britain". He joins Angela Eagle in the race against Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. Meanwhile Mr Corbyn has said he wants Labour's governing body to change the rules for who can vote in the contest. Writing in the Sunday Mirror Mr Smith said it was a "worrying time for Labour" and claimed the new Conservative government "will try to use Brexit as an excuse for slashing workers' rights and forcing through even more cuts". "Only a strong, united and competent Labour Party can stop that happening and start leading us back to power. I am part of a new generation of Labour women and men who must now step up to secure Labour's future," he said. The MP for Pontypridd will lay out his leadership pledges in a speech in his constituency later, having postponed his launch in the wake of the attacks in Nice. He will talk about his multi-billion pound plan "to renew our crumbling buildings and transport systems and tackle our housing crisis, as well as investing in young people". He is also expected to attack Mr Corbyn for being anti-austerity without bringing forward an alternative. "It is not enough for the Labour Party to simply talk about being anti- austerity. We have to set out a detailed plan for how Labour would replace failed Tory austerity with credible proposals for prosperity. " Writing in the Observer, Ms Eagle echoed Mr Smith's view that the party was in danger of being destroyed , saying it was "as divided and disunited as I can remember". She added: "Betrayal narratives do not unite; they divide and Labour will pay a huge price if this is allowed to continue. But it's not too late to get our house in order and I know I can unite us again. " Ms Eagle had hoped for a clear run at trying to defeat Mr Corbyn, the BBC's political correspondent Ben Wright said. However having announced his intention to stand, Mr Smith later added that he believed only one challenger should appear on the final ballot . He suggested the party's deputy leader, MPs or executive committee could choose between him and Angela Eagle. Despite facing a revolt from his MPs, Mr Corbyn retains the strong support of many party members and has said he will fight the challenges in a contest which is expected to be decided in September. Mr Corbyn, who will automatically be on the leadership ballot, has told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme he thinks voting rules should be changed. Last week the party's National Executive Committee ruled that party members could only vote in the upcoming election if they joined before 12 January. However, registered supporters who pay £25 before Wednesday will get a vote. Mr Corbyn believes the £25 fee is too high and wants Labour's NEC to think again.

2016-07-17 08:51 www.bbc.co.uk

89 WBTV First Alert Weather forecast for 07.15.16 WBTV meteorologist Lyndsay Tapases with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for July 7, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Lyndsay Tapases with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for July 6, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Chris Larson with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for July 5, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Chris Larson with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for July 1, 2016. WBTV meteorologist (Chris Larson) with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 28, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 27, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 24, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 22, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 21, 2016. WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin with The Charlotte Observer weather forecast for June 20, 2016.

2016-07-17 08:51 www.charlotteobserver.com

90 Jeff Roe Lays Out What Swamped Cruz's Campaign [VIDEO] Listening to lessons learned from Sen. Ted Cruz’s former presidential campaign manager is like listening to an expert fisherman who just navigated the storm of his life. Jeff Roe, who has worked with Republican candidates across the political spectrum, had to navigate a divided country, a divided party, a “media vortex” and a bevy of strong challengers with an unbending candidate few thought would have staying power. Roe’s lessons learned included Cruz’s popularity and people skills outside the Washington beltway, the media’s insatiability and the anger of citizens who abhor unresponsive Washington politicians. Political consultants, according to Roe, watch three indicators for a successful political campaign — media shares, endorsements and money. Roe emphasized that Cruz raised $92 million , which he said was the most money ever raised in a Republican presidential primary race. (RELATED: Political Scientist: 8 Years Of Obama’s Apologizing Left America Worse Off) Yet, the amount of media coverage given to Donald Trump ultimately swamped the Cruz candidacy. Roe points to the specials that CNN’s Anderson Cooper recorded with the families of Cruz and Donald Trump as examples. The special with Cruz and his family brought in 2 million viewers — while the special with Trump and his family drew 11 million. Roe explains in this 21-minute video interview for The Daily Caller News Foundation that when the media, for example, cut away from a Cruz victory speech in Wisconsin, it built an inevitability factor for Trump’s candidacy. Roe addresses the personal vindicativeness of Sen. Mitch McConnell and former Speaker John Boehner toward Cruz, explaining the division between the Republican establishment and its base. Roe, however, gives McConnell somewhat of a pass since he has to battle with Cruz regularly. While Boehner’s anger toward Cruz resulted from the former presidential candidate giving voice to the House conservatives, who, along with their outside conservative allies, essentially removed Boehner from the speakership. Boehner privately explained his rejection of the tea party agenda as “only representing 8 percent of his base,” according to Roe, which was a stunningly wrong assumption. The base Boehner and Republican leaders are dismissing is more likely 78 percent of those who call themselves Republicans, Roe explains. Roe sees “two different Trumps” when assessing Trump and the Republican base. The Trump of his words and promises align about “75 percent with the Republicans,” while the Trump previous to this campaign is not aligned with the GOP, he says. For more on Roe see his firm Axiom Strategies and his Facebook page. Mrs. Thomas does not necessarily support or endorse the products, services or positions promoted in any advertisement contained herein, and does not have control over or receive compensation from any advertiser.

2016-07-17 08:51 dailycaller.com

91 VIDEO: Stop Killing Us rally on the Hilltop A handful of girls learn all about fairies during the Woodland Fairy Camp at Volunteer Park on the Key Peninsula Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Sights and sounds as police investigate a quadruple shooting in Tumwater on Wednesday morning. Four people are taken to the hospital after a quadruple shooting and then a standoff with SWAT officers Wednesday morning on Gerth Street in Tumwater. Garrett Harrell retells the story of how he was attacked inside a Dairy Queen in Lakewood Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The return of stolen lawn equipment generates smiles and satisfaction for Lakewood Police and victims. Volunteers from the Tacoma Seafarer's Center provide free transportation and accommodation to visiting sailors from around the world who deliver goods via giant cargo ships to the Port of Tacoma. Shopping rather than sightseeing is their favorite landlubber activity. About 75 people marched down Pacific Avenue on Saturday, protesting the spate of recent hate crimes and police shootings around the country. The march, organized by The People's Assembly (formerly known at Tacoma Stands Up), was coordinated with Tacoma's Pride event, Out in the Park. As he drives the roads of South Hill, Pierce County Sheriff's Sergeant Pat Davidson talks about how the shooting of police in Dallas has affected him, his deputies, and their families. Tom Regan discusses the Gig Harbor BoatShop and its newest project. The BoatShop received an $8,000 grant from Hagerty Education Program at America’s Car Museum to offer five paid internships to learn boat building, repair and restoration skills. Colombian immigrant Laura Yanez, 28, and Mexican immigrant Audrey Chavarria, 22, discuss the particular challenges gay Latinos face and how the Orlando massacre colored their worldview.

2016-07-17 08:52 www.thenewstribune.com

92 Peaceful activists seek accountability, renewed trust from police York Police and Black Lives Matter Stop the Violence march organizers worked together in planning the March on Sunday, July 17 from Jefferson Field to downtown York. During a scorching hot day in the high 90s, firefighters came to the rescue by dousing Victory Sports campers at Springfield Elementary School in Fort Mill Thursday. Pastor C. T. Kirk of Sanctuary of Life Outreach Center in Rock Hill has collected 40,000 books since April through the Reading Roundup 2016 book drive and has distributed thousands since June. Church volunteers plan to distribute more to area schools, daycare centers, communities and door-to-door. Kirk is holding a teacher appreciation event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at McGirt Auditorium at the Emmett Scott Center in Rock Hill to hand out books to elementary schools and daycare centers. Twenty Rock Hill school district teachers did job shadowing this week to learn how the lessons they teach are used in the workplace. The program was a collaborative effort through a Comporium STEM grant. The teachers job shadowed in architecture and engineering, financial services, geographic information systems, water treatment and surveying. A judge denied bond Wednesday for Danny Brown, who is accused of kidnapping and robbing a woman at knifepoint in downtown Rock Hill Wednesday morning. The victim was in court and told the judge she was "terrified" Brown would find her if he got out. Officer William Andrews was thanked by many York County senior citizens Wednesday after he gave a safety speech. Walter Marshall Faile was found stabbed to death July 7 at his Rock Hill public housing apartment. Known gang member Quinton McClinton pleaded guilty Wednesday to accessory after the fact to murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in connection with the fatal 2014 shooting of Chester City Councilman Odell Williams. McClinton, who was driving the truck that Williams was pursuing before he was shot, was sentenced to five years in prison on each charge, with the sentences running concurrently. Several Rock Hill police officers took time out of their Sunday to teach defensive moves to martial arts students from Champions in Motion in South Carolina and North Carolina. REPOST Washington, D. C. youth activists with Operation Understanding D. C.'s 22nd class of black and Jewish high school students, met with members of Rock Hill's Friendship Nine Tuesday at the Five and Dine to discuss the civil rights leaders' experiences. The group is on a 25-day "civil rights" journey through New York and southern states as part of its year-long program. The students met with the men at the former McCrory's lunch counter where the college students staged a sit-in in 1961 and served in a prison camp.

2016-07-17 08:47 www.heraldonline.com

93 New Zealand kakapo sees bumper breeding season There's good news for one of the world's rarest birds, after a successful breeding season saw its numbers boom by 28%. The critically endangered kakapo now has a population of 157, after a record-breaking 34 chicks joined the ranks this year, the New Zealand Herald reports. The rotund, flightless parrots are only found in New Zealand, where they live on three predator-free islands. Kakapo breed every two to four years but it's not an easy process getting the new arrivals to fledging stage. In 2014, only six chicks were raised successfully. Conservationists have been hand-rearing some of this year's youngsters, and they're gradually being released to join their adult relatives. In the 1970s there seemed to be little hope for the kakapo, with only 18 known to exist - all of them male. That changed when some females were discovered in 1977, and they've since benefited from a dedicated recovery programme. Earlier this year, scientists also began sequencing the genomes of every living kakapo in order to manage their breeding and help improve genetic diversity among the population. The project, which was partially financed through crowdfunding , is the first time that genome sequencing of an entire population has taken place. Next story: Iran state media alarmed at English text on clothes Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter .

2016-07-17 08:47 By News www.bbc.co.uk

94 Chas Chandler: The man who discovered Jimi Hendrix His discovery of a young Jimi Hendrix in a New York coffee house would change the face of music forever. Twenty years on from Chas Chandler's death, those who knew him look back at his life. Summer 1966. A small Greenwich Village venue. There, a little-known guitarist performing under the stage- name Jimmy James would set in motion a four-year chain of events destined to go down among the most famous in rock 'n' roll folklore. Sitting among the Cafe Wha? audience, on the recommendation of Stones guitarist Keith Richards' girlfriend, was Bryan "Chas" Chandler - bassist with chart-topping UK band The Animals and now on the lookout for new talent to guide through the murky world of the music business. "This guy didn't seem anything special, then all of a sudden he started playing with his teeth," recalls roadie James "Tappy" Wright, who was alongside his long-time pal and fellow Geordie. "People were saying, 'What the hell?' and Chas thought, 'I could do something with this kid'. " Promising an introduction to his hero Eric Clapton, he soon convinced the 23-year-old to accept him as his manager. Chandler brought Hendrix to London in late September and, with financial backing from Michael Jeffery who had overseen The Animals' short-lived career, set about promoting his young charge. Teaming him up with bass player Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, a string of hits - Hey Joe, Purple Haze and The Wind Cries Mary - would create a rock 'n' roll revolution - but not without an initial struggle. "Jimi couldn't get a deal for love nor money," states Wright, who later became one of the American's tour chiefs. "It was only when The Who's manager Kit Lambert, who had Track Records, got involved that he was signed. "Chas's job was to go in the studio and record Jimi. He was the main man on that early studio work. "Chas was a tough cookie. You didn't mess about with him. He was great, but a bit of a bully when he wanted to be and a strict guy in the control room. "I saw times when Jimi would come in with two or three birds and Chas threw them out. They'd say, 'Jimi invited us,' but Chas didn't care. " The incendiary albums Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love reached the top five on both sides of the Atlantic, while a performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival would go down in legend after Hendrix - eager to top a blistering set by English rockers The Who - set his guitar ablaze. For a time Chandler and his Swedish partner Lotta lived with Hendrix and his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham in a flat owned by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in London's Montagu Square. Trouble lay around the corner, however, as the recording of 1968's Electric Ladyland began. Part-way through the sessions, Chandler quit. Accounts why vary, although "hangers-on" and Hendrix's drug use reportedly caused tensions. Further performances at Woodstock in August 1969 and September 1970's Isle of Wight Festival cemented his reputation as one of the most daring and talented guitarists the world had ever seen. Little more than two weeks after the latter, though, he was dead having choked on his own vomit. "He'd got himself the most amazing rock star that's walked the earth," says Tyneside-based former music journalist Elaine Cusack, who wrote for The Times, Mojo and Select before researching Chandler's life for a proposed book. "He had to walk away with a very heavy heart. "What was so genius was taking Hendrix out of America, bringing him to the most swinging place - London - and then selling him back to the US. " That strategy seemingly mirrored the success Chandler had enjoyed with The Animals in 1964, recording an electrified rhythm 'n' blues version of States-side folk standard House of the Rising Sun. After topping the UK hit parade, it scaled the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 and saw the group spearhead the "British Invasion" alongside The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Herman's Hermits. Despite further hits, including We Gotta Get out of This Place, long-lasting chart domination would elude the first incarnation of the band as concerns over finances caused rifts and disbandment by mid-1966. "We toured non-stop for three years, doing 300 gigs a year and we hardly got a penny," Chandler would later lament with the finger of blame pointed at Jeffery. "The Animals had been massive in America on the back of the whole British thing, but they were mismanaged," says Cusack. "House of the Rising Sun says 'arrangement by [keyboardist] Alan Price'. The rest of the band didn't get any credit. The majority of the royalties went - and still do - to Price. " Moving on from the collapse of his relationship with Hendrix, Newcastle- born Chandler would go on to mastermind the rise of Midlands glam- rockers Slade and steer them to chart glory through the 1970s. After divorcing Lotta, a second marriage followed in 1978 - to beauty queen Madeleine Stringer. Chandler, ever forthright, proposed just one week after they had first met. "He said, 'Don't you laugh at me, I'm serious,'" she recalls. With Miss UK competition rules stating she could not wed while holding the title, their pair tied the knot soon after her reign drew to a close later that year. Living first in Surrey, the couple moved to London before relocating to Cullercoats, in their native North East, in 1984. One final time, he would leave his mark on the music business with his involvement in the construction of what is now known as the Metro Radio Arena. David Bowie would be the first major act to perform at the venue, in December 1995, but it was Ray Charles who charmed Chandler the most. "Chas really admired him and said it was like watching him in your own front room," remembers Madeleine, who now lives in Berwick, Northumberland. But health problems would soon claim Chandler's life. Having collapsed and undergone major heart surgery in the years previously, he died on 17 July 1996, at the age of 57. Twenty years to the day later, his daughter Lizzie is getting married. "Newcastle Arena was his last major achievement," says Madeleine proudly. "Some people don't even have one. " Inevitably, though, it is his hand in helping bring Hendrix to global prominence that is seen as his most significant contribution. "He lived through an amazing part of the 20th Century and went from a working-class upbringing to having a Rolls Royce and having a big house in the country," says Cusack. "It sounds like a massive claim, but if it was not for a 6ft tall Geordie fella the world would never have heard of Jimi Hendrix. "

2016-07-17 08:47 By Simon www.bbc.co.uk

95 Man in New Zealand quits his job to play Pokemon Go full-time A man in New Zealand has quit his job to play Pokemon Go full-time. Tom Currie worked as a barista and bartender at a seaside restaurant on the Hibiscus Coast near Auckland, but has decided to jack that in to find digital creatures on his phone instead. He says he's relying on friends and family to help out but admits his parents are "a little bit baffled". "When I resigned, I didn't tell my manager I was going out into the world to hunt Pokemon," he told Newsbeat. "But after my story got picked up I gave him a courtesy call to update him just in case the media contacted him. More related stories How Pokemon Go locations work (probably) Five of the best Pokemon Go stories so far Pokemon Go player finds body in river Watch a short doc on Pokemon Go in Radio 1's iPlayer page. "I got an absolutely lovely response, 'Good on you Tom. It is really funny. I hope everything is OK. Have fun for your Pokemon trip.' "My dad sent through a text message saying he always knew I would be famous. " Since beginning his quest to find all the monsters, Tom says he's caught 91 of the 151 Pokemon available in the game. He says the travel has been the best part of playing instead of going to work every day. "I get to walk around and explore towns I've never been to," he says. Image caption An animal shelter in America is getting people to walk its dogs while they play Pokemon Go "I have been meeting heaps of people, tourists travelling the country and other Pokemon trainers at the small (sometimes huge) public gatherings. "When you and your friends have to physically go for a walk or run to catch a rare Pokemon in the area and you all catch it, that is definitely a highlight. " Tom says he's also starting to get recognised in New Zealand after various websites and newspapers ran his story. He says people around the world are getting in touch to wish him good luck. "I have been approached by a few other Pokemon trainers who recognised me and wanted a chat," he says. "I have had people asking for photos and one guy even called me his hero for doing what I'm doing. "I have received messages on Facebook from around the world, messages of support from America, Ireland, Canada, India and Nepal. Image caption This cat is refusing to take part in the game "The story has gone global, so no doubt I'll be getting a bit more fan mail. " Tom says he will go back to work once his Pokemon adventure comes to an end. "When I finish the trip and get back to Auckland, I will be looking for work and working on my new business. "And of course still catching Pokemon. " Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat Related Topics Technology Gaming New Zealand Apps

2016-07-17 08:47 www.bbc.co.uk

96 UK offered Brexit free trade deal with Australia Australia has called for a free trade deal with Britain following its exit from the European Union. Theresa May described the move as "very encouraging" and insisted it showed Brexit can work for Britain. In a phone call to the new PM, her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said he urgently wanted to open up trading between the two countries. Liam Fox, the new international trade secretary, said he was already "scoping about a dozen free trade deals". But Britain cannot sign any deals while it is still an EU member. Mrs May said: "I have been very clear that this government will make a success of our exit from the European Union. "One of the ways we will do this is by embracing the opportunities to strike free trade deals with our partners across the globe. It is very encouraging that one of our closest international partners is already seeking to establish just such a deal. " "This shows that we can make Brexit work for Britain," she added. BBC correspondent Phil Mercer, in Sydney Britain is Australia's seventh largest trading partner, and is second only to the United States when it comes to direct foreign investment down under. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said a free trade agreement with the UK was a priority, although such treaties are complicated and can be time-consuming. Australia's recent trade deal with China, for example, took a decade to negotiate. Mr Turnbull has said Canberra could also team up with New Zealand to strike new commercial and immigration accords with the UK following its decision to leave the EU. Dr Fox, a prominent Brexit campaigner, said numerous non-EU countries had already asked Britain for a trade deal and he was "scoping about a dozen... to be ready for when we leave". It comes amid reports he is preparing to fly to the United States next week for talks. In April, President Barack Obama warned the UK it would go to the "back of the queue" for trade deals with the US if it voted to leave the EU. Following the referendum, he said the UK's decision to leave raised "longer-term concerns about global growth". Mr Fox told the Sunday Times: "We've already had a number of countries saying, 'We'd love to do a trade deal with the world's fifth biggest economy without having to deal with the other 27 members of the EU.'" Meanwhile, the new minister in charge of Brexit has said the UK should be able to formally trigger its departure from the EU "before or by the start of next year". David Davis called for a "brisk but measured" approach , with a likely exit from the EU around December 2018. He told the Mail on Sunday "we will get a generous settlement for EU migrants here now and a generous settlement for British citizens in the EU" but that tighter rules may have to be brought in for those coming to the UK before Brexit happens. "We may have to say that the right to indefinite leave to remain protection only applies before a certain date. But you have to make those judgements on reality, not speculation," he said. On Friday, Mrs May told Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon she would not trigger Article 50 to leave the EU before getting UK-wide agreement and she was "willing to listen to options" on Scotland's future after it voted to Remain.

2016-07-17 08:47 www.bbc.co.uk

97 One cheer for democracy, why I’m sceptical about Brexit’s hate crimes – and chaos at the pub Word of the week: Mayssacre Democracy is all very well but, to adapt the title of Ken Livingstone’s memoirs, when voting threatens to change anything, they stop you doing it. So it was with Labour in 2007 when Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as party leader and PM without a vote of party members. Now the Tories have pulled off the same trick with Theresa May. Labour MPs had hoped to do something similar, persuading Jeremy Corbyn to resign or disqualifying him and then putting forward a “unity candidate” for a Brown-style acclamation. Internal party democracy has produced mixed results for both leading parties. Labour’s not very democratic electoral college, which gave more weight to MPs’ and unions’ votes, produced the “right” result – the one favoured by the Westminster hierarchy – in the first four contested leadership elections. It only narrowly failed to do so in the fifth, when Ed Miliband beat his brother. The introduction of “one member, one vote” produced Corbyn, emphatically the “wrong” result. The Tories’ adoption of a similar principle has produced one “right” result in a contested election (David Cameron), one “wrong” result (Iain Duncan Smith) and two uncontested elections, in the first of which IDS, chosen by the members just two years earlier, was unceremoniously dumped in favour of Michael Howard. E M Forster gave “two cheers for democracy”, adding “there’s no occasion to give three”. After the EU referendum, which also produced the “wrong” result, most MPs would give one cheer, and that grudgingly. Election aversion As I write, May is set to become prime minister. We live in such bewildering times that, by the time you read this she, too, may have stood aside. Or perhaps she will have taken office but announced an autumn general election. Given the trouble that voting causes, I doubt she will risk it. Constitutional precedent imposes no requirement to do so and it would be perverse of her, having been allowed an uncontested victory for the sake of stability and continuity, to inflict several more months of uncertainty on the country. Would Labour truly want an election, given that it seems woefully unprepared to fight one? Assuming the Tories will not propose a vote of no confidence in themselves (though stranger things have happened, most of them in the past three weeks), May would need to persuade two-thirds of the House of Commons to support a dissolution. As Labour has 35 per cent of seats, it would be in a position to frustrate her. Declining the chance to overthrow a tax-cutting, right-wing government would not be a problem for most lefties. We are accustomed to being told that the objective conditions for revolution are not in place. Hate hyperbole Much as I deplored the tone of the Brexit campaign, I am sceptical about the claim that it unleashed an epidemic of hate crime. Almost daily, the media report instances of foreigners and ethnic minorities being abused in the streets or on public transport, of tearful children asking if they are about to be deported, and of slogans being daubed on mosques and community centres. The police say 3,076 incidents were recorded across the country in the last two weeks of June, compared with 915 over the same period last year. Although I sympathise with the victims, I suspect we are seeing another example of this column’s old friend, Alsatian dog syndrome. When one dog savages a child, dogs throughout Britain, it seems, start savaging children. That is because journalists, police and members of the public report incidents that normally go unremarked and unnoticed. The spike is in media coverage, not canine savagery. Dogs, fortunately, do not read newspapers or go on social media. Many racists do. By eagerly reporting alleged hate crime, and arguing that the referendum has legitimised such behaviour, the media legitimise it further and encourage imitators. Cut the passion A committee of MPs wants to stop the appointment of Amanda Spielman, currently the chair of Ofqual (which regulates exams), as the new chief inspector of schools because she lacks “passion”. But Nicky Morgan, as education secretary, doesn’t want passion. The outgoing chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, a devout Roman Catholic, was passionate to a fault – he once told me he had “an evangelical zeal to do Christ’s work on earth” – and caused Michael Gove, who appointed him, nothing but trouble. Though his traditionalist views about education were similar to Gove’s, Wilshaw didn’t share the Tories’ ideological beliefs about the superiority of non-state providers. He was as tough on Gove’s academies and free schools as he was on local authority schools, and he ditched the private firms that carried out most inspections, preferring to employ in-house inspectors. In 2014 Gove tried to manoeuvre Wilshaw out of his job. Wilshaw saw him off. Instead, it was Gove who lost his job that summer. Morgan, taking no chances, prefers an accountant with no teaching experience who has spent most of her working career in corporate bureaucracies. Down and out The scene: our local pub at closing time. A man who has been swaying precariously at the bar for more than an hour makes for the door, collides with a stool, falls to the floor, and then lies prone. Someone makes an urgent call on a mobile phone. I assume a taxi is being called and that, in time-honoured fashion, the comatose one will be bundled into the back of it. I have witnessed this procedure dozens of times on licensed premises and sometimes – dare I say it? – in newspaper offices. Not on this occasion. Within minutes, two emergency vehicles arrive, sirens wailing, blue lights flashing. Four paramedics are in attendance. “Now,” I say to my wife, “I have seen everything. And I understand why the NHS is close to collapse. After a week in which David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister and his successor Theresa May fired his Chancellor , the word of the week is: Mayssacre (n) The moment the colleague who never makes small talk gets a promotion and promptly sacks you and the rest of the lads. Usage: "Two years after a briefing war, she mayssacred Michael Gove. " "Be careful - you never know when she could mayssacre you. " "Jeremy Corbyn is finally carrying out his mayssacre of the PLP" Articles to read if you're facing a mayssacre: Theresa May's ruthlessness gives her the Cabinet she wants Top Tories who lost out in Theresa May's Cabinet reshuffle Do you have a suggestion for next week's word? Share it in the form below. Loading...

2016-07-17 08:49 Owen Jones www.newstatesman.com

98 How Charlene James’ play Cuttin’ It is introducing audiences to the reality of FGM in Britain Anohni explores a complex relationship between the self, politics and pop "During school, I was like, ' what is [FGM]? Why have I never heard of this? This is not in the news, what is this?' " Tsion Habte – who plays the character of Iqra, the shy Somali immigrant starting at an inner-London comprehensive in Cuttin’ It – talks of her previous ignorance about Female Genital Mutilation. Playwright Charlene James’ production sets out to answer these questions, confronting the audience with the reality of FGM in contemporary Britain, a reality audience members might not necessarily be aware of. Her play is an honest and brutal exploration of FGM, a practice that refers to the partial or total removal of the external female genital organ, or any damage to the female genital organ, for no medical reason. FGM has been illegal in the UK since 1985 under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, and yet since then there has only been one (failed) prosecution. Cuttin' It is the story of two 15-year-old girls, Iqra and Muna (played by Adelayo Adedayo). While Iqra is shy and reserved, coping with the psychological consequences of her family’s death back in her native Somalia, Muna is lippy, lively and Rhianna-loving. Living in London since she was three-years-old, she has grown up westernised, continually glued to her iPhone and dressing herself in Topshop jeans. Though on the surface these girls seem worlds apart, they are united not only in their shared heritage, but in their joint experiences of the horrifying procedure of FGM. FGM takes place worldwide, occurring in 28 African countries, as well as the Middle and Far East. Yet, as Cuttin’ It puts it, it is as alive in our own country as it is elsewhere. According to recent reports by the Home Office , 65,000 girls aged 13 and under are at risk of FGM in the UK. An estimate of 170,000 women and girls are living with FGM in the UK, and since September 2014 more than 2,603 women and girls who went through FGM have been treated by the NHS. London has the highest prevalence in England and Wales, with an estimated 2.1 per cent of women affected by FGM, followed closely by Manchester, Slough, Bristol and Leicester. Yet despite this evidence, FGM is still seen as a distant phenomenon. It is constantly perceived as a problem that “doesn’t happen here”, a belief that James looks to tackle. A play like Cuttin’ It gives a voice to these 170,000 girls living with FGM in the UK, confronting the audience directly and intimately with a frightening reality of its own society. This is achieved literally, as these girls are coping with the consequences of their mutilation in front of the audience as they occupy the stage. But it is also done through James’ characterisation of two adolescents coping with relatable human experiences of friendship and alienation, navigating the same world as the audience does. James makes it apparent that FGM is an issue that takes place around us – it happens in the flat you walk past on the way to the shops on a Saturday morning, it has happened to the girl on the number 4 bus listening to her iPod and the young child that sits next to your daughter at school. Joanna Scotcher’s set design consists of brutalist concrete steps, providing several levels for the girls to occupy on stage. In the final scene, these steps light up to reveal a display of young girls’ shoes – symbolic, perhaps, of the 17,000 wounded girls in Britain. The dramatic monologues that form James’ script spill into spoken world. Muna, especially, commands the rhythm and metre of poetry in her speech. Cuttin’ It is a political statement. James’ writing constantly challenges the patriarchal customs and practices of society. Iqra speaks of FGM as necessary because “it is important for you to be clean”. She sees it as crucial in order to become “a decent woman” and states that her husband will be happy she “ is pure”. The World Health Organisation recognises there is no religious necessity for FGM. Rather, it is tied up with cultural understandings of "ideal femininity": the pure and virginal woman. There is something incredibly poignant in having Iqra, the victimised 15- year-old who has herself experienced the suffering of FGM, go on to express a belief in these patriarchal customs. She seems indoctrinated. Indeed, James avoids demonising the perpetrators of FGM. She does not depict them as barbarous and violent abusers, but rather individuals, loving parents even, who have been caught up in a brutal cycle of indoctrination. "It’s just something your mum told you ‘cause that’s what her mum told her, and hers before that," Muna says. Cuttin’ It will be performed on 14-17 July at Latitude Festival, 20-23 July at the Sheffield Crucible, and 26-30 July at The Yard Theatre. Pop is having a political moment. From the specific thoughts on the state of racism in America from Kendrick Lamar, to vaguer “girl power” vibes of Meghan Trainor and Little Mix, social movements have infiltrated the mainstream music scene. Where does that leave the artists on the margins? For Anohni, the Mercury Prize-winning artist formerly of Antony and the Johnsons, it means pushing the boundaries even further on how we understand those issues, attempting to use music to see the connections between a variety of global concerns. “[It’s] been refreshing, to see that resurgence,” she told Dazed . “ I just wanted to push that thinking into other arenas too. I also wanted to illustrate the connectivity between all these different things, how all these different issues exacerbate and amplify one another and climax in ecocide.” Anohni’s latest project, the album Hopelessness , is the most explicitly political work she has produced over her career. While songs created under Antony and the Johnsons contained raw observations on domestic abuse, queer culture, and the environmental crisis, Hopelessness has a new directness that is sometimes jarringly literal. In “Obama”, Anohni addresses the US President in anger and betrayal (“you are spying / Executing without trial / Betraying virtues”). In “Drone Bomb Me”, she imagines herself as a child orphaned by war, wishing to die and join her family in the afterlife: “Drone bomb me / Blow me from the mountains / And into the sea”. In songs like these, she takes us one step further than PJ Harvey’s The Hope Six Demolition Project or Joni Mitchell’s “If I Had a Heart”. Strangely, this music is also irresistably catchy. These lyrics have a bluntness that can almost feel too on-the-nose. The climate change-denying narrator of “4 Degrees” speaks with a desperate hunger for destruction: “I wanna burn the sky / I wanna burn the breeze / I wanna see the animals die in the trees”. Is this caricature of a global warming sceptic overly earnest, or cynically misrepresentative? Perhaps, until you realise that here, as in many places in Hopelessness , Anohni is actually talking about herself. In a note on Facebook, she wrote that in the song she was, “giving myself a good hard look, not my aspirations but my behaviors, revealing my insidious complicity”. This approach has its own ethical thorniness. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Anohni noted that, despite the wide-reaching political scope of the album, her jumping-off point throughout Hopelessness was her own self: “ For me, it was about keeping the focus on myself and describing feelings from my own point of view. There are some cases where I veer away from that on the album, but in most cases I try to keep the focus on the first person. That tends to be how we relate to the world. I tried to find the emotional narrative and spiritual narrative through the idea: What’s my relationship to this stuff? How am I complicit in some of these things? ” The album therefore functions primarily through a kind of radical empathy: “I'm only alive one time, and I wanted to try to live expansively.” While songs like “I Don't Love You Anymore”, “Violent Men”, “Why Did You Separate Me from the Earth?” and the titular “Hopelessness” explore structural violence against women and the alienation of the human race from the natural world, songs like “Drone Bomb Me”, “Execution” and “Indian Girls” (which does not appear on the album, but is part of Anohni’s current setlist for live shows) draw on experiences that are outside her own – the latter in particularly graphic language (“You burned Indians at stake / Drove the stick from anus to mouth / And raped girls in bleeding lines / Of heaving spines, of sobbing spines”). This is when Anohni’s music begins to make me feel uncomfortable – are these stories hers to tell? Is there a point where identification can slip into appropriation? I am reminded again of Mitchell – this time of the notorious interview she gave last year, in which she said, “When I see black men […] I really feel an affinity because I have experienced being a black guy on several occasions.” But Anohni also has a self-awareness that suggests this audience discomfort is intentional. She challenges us to consider how we intentionally distance ourselves from violence for which we are culpable, in order to absolve ourselves of guilt: to genuinely answer “Crisis”’s repeated question, “If I killed your mother / With a drone bomb / How would you feel?” The most thrilling and troubling moments on Hopelessness come when Anohni condemns her own involvement in the violent structures she condemns. “How did I become a virus?” she sings on “Hopelessness”. As much as she puts herself into this record, Anohni is also acutely aware of how the absence of the self can be more powerful. She made headlines this year as the second openly transgender person nominated for an Academy Award, for her song “Manta Ray”, written for the documentary Racing Extinction. When the Academy Award organisers failed to invite her to perform – despite requesting performances from all the other nominees for Best Original Song – Anohni boycotted the ceremony, writing a powerful explanation of her decision on Pitchfork. She told Dazed she was inspired by previous boycotts: “My favourite moment from the Oscars was when Brando didn’t attend and sent a Native American woman to talk about Wounded Knee. It was one of the greatest moments in American television.” This deliberate self-effacement continues in live incarnations of Hopelessness. Her recent shows at the Barbican began with a 15-minute long video of Naomi Campbell, dancing slowly as a growing rumble envelops the audience and the lights dim. When Anohni herself finally emerges, she is hooded and gloved, hidden beneath metres of flowing white fabric. Meanwhile, a giant screen behind her plays close-ups of a wide range of different women’s faces, who mouth along with the lyrics. The eye is drawn to them far more frequently than to Anohni herself. Perhaps true empathy involves both a projection of the self, and the erasure of it. “I don’t care about me,” she sings on “Hopelessness”. Anohni ends her concert with a video of the aboriginal artist Ngalangka Nola Taylor speaking directly to the audience. “What is happening to the world?” she asks. “How can we stop? How can we work together?”

2016-07-17 08:49 Owen Jones www.newstatesman.com

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

2016-07-17 08:52 investor.yahoo.net

100 100 US benefit card misprint gives users chat line surprise An unsuspecting father in the US state of Maine got a shock when he dialled the phone number on the back of his electronic benefit transfer card. Trying to check his benefit balance, he got through to a sex line instead. In an unfortunate misprint on some cards, the number to report lost and stolen cards put callers through to a live chat line. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said it was aware the number was wrong by one digit. When LJ Langelier, 25, called the number before taking his son shopping, a recorded voice gave him an unexpected invitation: "Welcome to America's hottest talk line. Ladies, to talk with interesting and exciting guys free, press one now. " "It played over my car speaker, I was like, 'Wow, I must have messed that number up somehow really bad'," he told the Bangor Daily news. "I look at the card, I dial it the exact same way again, and it keeps happening. I thought it was just hilarious. " When he checked with friends, they turned out to have the same misprint. In its defence, the human services department says the company that operates the sex line searches for phone numbers that are very similar to widely published government phone numbers and buys them to take advantage of consumers misdialling. It said the number was being corrected on all new cards.

2016-07-17 08:47 www.bbc.co.uk

Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-07-17 12:01