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Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-28 18:03 1 South Korea’s second Zika case confirmed after man’s trip to PH

(1.00/2) South Korea’s health authorities confirmed the nation’s second Zika virus case Wednesday night, identifying the patient as a 20-year-old man who lives in Nowon-gu, Seoul. According to the 2016-04-28 16:09 2KB globalnation.inquirer.net 2 South Korea: Suspected midrange North Korean missiles fail

(1.00/2) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Two suspected powerful intermediate-range North Korean missiles failed to launch Thursday, South Korean defense officials said, bri... 2016-04-28 14:24 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 3 Five things to know about Mitsubishi Motors scandal Automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp (MMC) says it used non-compliant fuel economy testing methods in Japan for as long as a quarter of a century. 2016-04-28 15:11 3KB (1.00/2) www.timeslive.co.za 4 Naz Shah, Labour anti-Semitism... and a piece of spin that will make your jaw drop

(1.00/2) B eat this for a piece of spin. Today the Labour party was in trouble over remarks one of its MPs, Naz Shah,... 2016-04-28 14:29 3KB www.telegraph.co.uk 5 17-year-old fatally shot, Des Moines police say Authorities say a 17-year-old boy has been killed by gunfire in Des Moines. 2016-04-28 14:59 994Bytes www.washingtontimes.com 6 Is it time for a women's trade union? During Euro ’96, it was quite possible to write about football without understanding it I don’t see or hear a continuing, noisy fight coming from unions to pay a fair wage to cleaners, child care workers, retail workers and teaching assistants. 2016-04-28 12:19 7KB www.newstatesman.com 7 Duterte ‘waiver’ ’empty,’ not valid — lawyer The bank “waiver” being presented by presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte and his allies to show transparency is "empty" and invalid, a veteran law practitioner explained on 2016-04-28 18:03 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 8 Biyaheng Malakanyang: Jejomar Binay Importanteng malaman natin ang mga posisyon sa mga isyu ng bayan ng mga tumatakbo sa pagka-presidente at ang kanila mga paninindigan sa harap ng mga batikos at intriga, bilang gabay sa ating magiging boto sa Mayo a-nuwebe. Narito ang kay Vice President Jejomar Binay. 2016-04-28 18:03 980Bytes news.abs-cbn.com 9 Breaking into Bollywood is one of my dreams: Dwayne Bravo Delhi Daredevils' Windies all-rounder and singer Dwayne Bravo says that one of his dreams is to 'break into Bollywood; says Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Deepika Padukone are his favourite actors 2016-04-28 14:41 1KB www.mid-day.com 10 Thane: Cop held for rape and abduction of 20-year-old girl A 30-year-old sub inspector associated with the Mumbra police station nabbed for repeatedly raping a 20-year-old girl in Kalwa. Survivor knew accused, as she was a friend of his wife 2016-04-28 17:55 3KB www.mid-day.com

11 Union seeks to halt Memorial Hospital maternity unit closure A union representing staff at Memorial Hospital is asking the Rhode Island Health Department to take measures to prevent the Pawtucket medical center from closing its obstetrics unit. 2016-04-28 12:48 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 12 San Miguel Corp. denies giving P500-M to Trillanes San Miguel Corp. on Thursday denied giving P500 million to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, saying the check, a photo of which is now making the rounds on social media, is fake. 2016-04-28 17:43 3KB news.abs-cbn.com 13 Pingree, Poliquin want new rules for Cuban-bound flights Maine’s two U. S. representatives are proposing new legislation that they say will help create jobs by updating regulations that cause American airports to lose business to Canada. 2016-04-28 17:14 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 14 Interview process for Ohio’s state superintendent advances Ohio’s state school board is zeroing in on finalists for the state superintendent’s job. 2016-04-28 17:14 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 15 UC Davis chancellor placed on leave over “missteps” The chancellor of the University of California’s Davis campus was put on paid leave amid an uproar over her service on corporate boards and the school’s hiring of consultants to improve its image online, following the widely criticized pepper-spraying of protesters by campus police, the university’s president announced. 2016-04-28 17:14 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 16 Senate considers under-21 ban on tobacco sales A bill before the state Senate seeks to make Massachusetts the second U. S. state to outlaw the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to people under the age of 21. 2016-04-28 17:14 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 17 Group launches voter registration push in Ohio ahead of fall A progressive nonprofit group says it plans to register 150,000 voters in swing state Ohio and focus on getting them to the polls this fall. 2016-04-28 17:14 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 18 Toxic plant kills 4 cows in Yellowstone County Agricultural scientists are warning Montana livestock producers to be on the lookout for a slender green plant that has killed at least four cows in Yellowstone County in a one- week period. 2016-04-28 17:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 19 Vermont to host first blood draw for those exposed to PFOA Vermont’s Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen will be on hand at the first blood draw clinic for Bennington residents who have been exposed to the chemical PFOA in their drinking water. 2016-04-28 17:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 20 China’s HNA to buy Radisson operator Carlson Hotels A unit of Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has agreed to buy Carlson Hotels, which owns brands including Radisson and Country Inns and Suites, the latest in a flurry of overseas investments by Chinese companies. 2016-04-28 17:05 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 21 Man sought after allegedly shooting pregnant ex in head Police are looking for a man who shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend in the head outside an apartment in Northern California. 2016-04-28 17:03 1KB www.washingtontimes.com

22 Needle exchange bill facing opposition in Senate An effort to remove criminal penalties for possessing syringes with trace amounts of illegal drugs is hitting a wall in the New Hampshire Senate. 2016-04-28 12:22 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 23 Wedding bells for Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth? The pop icon and Hunger Games star might be a married couple in the future. According to US Weekly, Miley Cyrus, 23, who still flaunts their engagement ring, wants to have a lavish 2016-04-28 16:50 1KB entertainment.inquirer.net 24 PH wants coordinated patrols to protect ships from rebels MANILA - The Philippines has been discussing coordinated naval patrols on its southern maritime borders with Indonesia and Malaysia to protect shipping after attacks and kidnappings by Islamist militants, its foreign minister said on Thursday. 2016-04-28 16:50 3KB news.abs-cbn.com 25 Roxas calls Duterte ‘liar’ over bank account exposé “You are a liar,” Mar Roxas said of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday after the administration presidential candidate showed in public what he said was proof that the 2016-04-28 16:49 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 26 Etihad Airways 2015 profit hits $103 million ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways said on Wednesday its net profit for 2015 surged 41 percent to $103 million on the back of rising passenger numbers and cargo volumes. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said 2016-04-28 16:43 2KB business.inquirer.net 27 Video shows fight between 2 students at special needs school The district attorney and police are investigating after video surfaced of two students fighting at an eastern Pennsylvania high school for children with special needs. 2016-04-28 16:27 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 28 Honoring the Mayor: Joe Riley joins Hall of Fame The longest-serving mayor in Charleston history is now a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame. 2016-04-28 16:27 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 29 2 Kansas men plead guilty after taking deal in Iowa slaying Two Kansas men have pleaded guilty in what authorities say was the drug-related slaying of an Iowa man. 2016-04-28 16:18 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 30 IPL 9: Jasprit Bumrah reveals the secret behind mastering his yorkers As Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knighit Riders at Wankhede, pacer Jasprit Bumrah talks about how he has managed to perfect the yorker ball 2016-04-28 16:18 1KB www.mid- day.com 31 House committee votes to require women to register for draft Just a few months ago, the Defense Department lifted all gender-based restrictions on front-line combat units. Now, a House committee has narrowly approved a measure that would require women to register for the military draft. 2016-04-28 16:16 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 32 DNA don’t lie: Paternity suit involves bullfighting legend A Spanish court held a hearing Thursday into a decades-old paternity dispute over whether two of Spain*s most well-known bullfighters - men who share the same show name “El Cordobes” - are really father and son. Among the evidence, a DNA test that came back 99.9 percent positive. 2016-04-28 16:16 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 33 Police find 2 kids badly hurt at motel, 1 hidden by blanket Police say officers responding to a report of a possible dead child at a southwest Ohio motel found a pair of young siblings with serious injuries and arrested their mother and two other adults. 2016-04-28 16:16 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 34 Opponents of proposed oil pipeline holding 500-mile relay Plains American Indians and others are taking part in a 500-mile spiritual relay to show their opposition to a proposed $3.8 billion oil pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois. 2016-04-28 16:16 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 35 Praxair to add a new carbon monoxide purification unit Industrial gas firm Praxair Inc. will spend more than $100 million to add a new carbon monoxide purification unit at its Geismar plant. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 36 Judge asked to reconsider 50 year sentence on heroin charge A 32-year-old Baker man is asking a Baton Rouge state judge to reconsider the 50-year prison term he dealt him last month for attempting to sell heroin. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 37 Video: Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day A short review of the day teaching empowerment and inspiring young people to dream of their careers. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB abcnews.go.com 38 Residents upset after stopped train delays response to fire Residents of a southeastern Michigan community are upset after stopped train delayed crews from responding to a fire. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 39 The Latest: Jane Sanders: Open primaries ‘more democratic’ The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times Eastern): 2016-04-28 16:15 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 40 Springfield man cleared of child rape charge A Springfield man has been acquitted of charges that he raped a 15-year-old girl at the facility for troubled teens where he once worked. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 41 Donald Trump planning to give immigration policy speech soon Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Thursday he’s going to be giving a policy speech on immigration fairly soon, the day after delivering a speech on foreign policy in Washington, D. C. 2016-04-28 16:15 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 42 Hearing for man accused of killing Saints player Will Smith Prosecutors will have to present witnesses against the man accused of killing retired New Orleans Saints player Will Smith at a hearing Thursday, unless a grand jury indicts him first. 2016-04-28 16:14 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 43 Honasan, Sotto blast Duterte’s brand of justice vs criminals CEBU CITY, Philippines—Vice presidential candidate Senator Gringo Honasan and reelectionist Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Thursday said extrajudicial killings of alleged 2016-04-28 15:52 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 44 AgustaWestland chopper scam: Here's what the fuss is all about The AgustaWestland deal, also being referred to as the VVIP Chopper scam, has been rocking Parliament for the last few days. What’s exactly is the scam all about? We tell you 2016-04-28 15:46 2KB www.mid-day.com

45 AMLC files money laundering complaint vs PhilRem The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Thursday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a money laundering complaint against PhilRem Service Corporation, the money remittance firm at the 2016-04-28 15:46 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 46 Maine DOT workers repair US Route 1 viaduct guardrails The Maine Department of Transportation has begun repairing guardrails along the U. S. Route 1 viaduct in Bath about a month after a sport utility vehicle crashed through one and fell onto a pickup truck below. 2016-04-28 15:27 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 47 Woman, 34, who ran network of brothels is heading to prison A New Jersey woman who illegally managed a network of at least eight brothels across the state is heading to prison. 2016-04-28 15:26 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 48 'Meldonium count in Sharapova's blood sample exceeds permissible levels' The Meldonium concentration in the blood sample of Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova exceeds the permissible level, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said 2016-04-28 15:18 2KB www.mid-day.com 49 AAP, Delhi Police face off over Kanhaiya Kumar's bail violation plea The hearing on pleas seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday witnessed a confrontation between the AAP government and Delhi Police in the Delhi High Court over the issue of representing the state 2016-04-28 15:18 3KB www.mid-day.com 50 Rockefeller legacy exhibit open at West Virginia University The West Virginia and Regional History Center is chronicling the legacy of former Sen. Jay Rockefeller in Wise Library’s Rockefeller Gallery at West Virginia University. 2016-04-28 15:16 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 51 Deadly airstrikes hit MSF-supported hospital in Syrian city A wave of nighttime airstrikes hit a hospital in Syria supported by Doctors Without Borders and nearby buildings in the rebel-held part of the contested city of Aleppo, killing at least 27 people as the U. N. envoy for Syria appealed early Thursday on the U... 2016-04-28 15:15 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 52 After hostage beheading, is Philippines facing ISIS threat? Months before Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded retired Canadian mining executive John Ridsdel in the tropical jungles of the southern Philippines, they showed him pleading for life in a video with three other hostages that demanded a record-high ransom. 2016-04-28 15:11 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 53 Video: Trailblazer Becomes Army's First Female Infantry Officer Army Captain Kristen Griest became the Army's first female infantry officer when, on Monday, the Army approved her request to transfer from the military police unit she had been serving in. 2016-04-28 15:10 1KB abcnews.go.com 54 Video: Man Says He Was Punched for Looking Like Shia LaBeouf The alleged incident occurred on Saturday night as Mario Licato, 26, was leaving a Manhattan train station, police confirmed. 2016-04-28 15:09 1KB abcnews.go.com 55 Ford’s 1Q net income doubles on truck, SUV sales Ford Motor Co.’s net income more than doubled to $2.5 billion in the first quarter on strong sales of trucks and SUVs in North America. 2016-04-28 15:06 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 56 Asheville commits to building more than 300 affordable homes Officials in Asheville say federal funds will help build more than 300 affordable homes in and around the city. 2016-04-28 15:06 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 57 Indiana University student named Indy 500’s official poet An Indiana University student who is a poet and a performer has been named the Indianapolis 500’s first official poet since the early 20th century. 2016-04-28 15:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 58 4 University of Georgia students killed in car crash Four female University of Georgia students have been killed and another student critically injured in a car crash on a two-lane road south of the Athens campus, authorities said. 2016-04-28 15:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 59 Eastern Illinois University investigates mumps outbreak An outbreak of mumps at Eastern Illinois University has affected about a dozen students. 2016-04-28 15:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 60 Mother accused in death of infant A St. Paul mother has been charged with manslaughter in the smothering death of her infant daughter. 2016-04-28 15:05 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 61 Bristol-Myers 1Q sales jump but costs keep its profit flat Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. trounced Wall Street’s first-quarter profit expectations as soaring sales of key new medicines offset higher expenses and a big hit from generic competition. Those factors left the drugmaker with a nearly flat profit despite revenue jumping 9 percent, a sales trend that... 2016-04-28 15:05 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 62 German manufacturing company to open plant in Auburn A German manufacturing company is planning to open its first U. S. plant in Auburn, creating 100 jobs. 2016-04-28 15:04 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 63 Cow worship more to do with rural economy than religion: Union Minister The Indian trait of worshiping cows should not be strictly linked to religiosity as this had more to do with creating a strong rural economy, union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said 2016-04-28 15:00 4KB www.mid-day.com 64 Ground broken for solar energy facility in Hattiesburg Officials have broken ground on a new solar energy facility in Hattiesburg. 2016-04-28 14:59 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 65 SA’s take-home salaries taking strain Growth in disposable salaries continues to slow‚ and the nominal trend indicates that further increases could be even smaller than currently seen‚ according to the BankservAfrica Disposable Salaries Index (BDSI). 2016-04-28 14:59 2KB www.timeslive.co.za 66 Video: Jane Doe Found Near Manson Killings Identified Reet Jurvetson, 19, was found stabbed 150 times in 1969 near the site of the Manson family killings. 2016-04-28 14:59 1KB abcnews.go.com

67 Video: American Airlines Aircraft Returns to Airport After Bird Strike The Dallas-bound Airbus suffered damage to its nose. 2016-04-28 14:59 1KB abcnews.go.com 68 Atlanta weather | Showers, 81-degree day in Thursday’s forecast Metro Atlanta saw a few sprinkles early Thursday and could get more throughout the day. 2016-04-28 14:58 899Bytes www.ajc.com 69 New York man gets 21 years for drug trafficking in Lewiston A Brooklyn, New York, man has been sentenced to serve more than two decades in prison for trafficking crack cocaine and heroin throughout the Lewiston area. 2016-04-28 14:58 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 70 Natural birth takes centre stage at new midwife-led hospital in Cape Town A “five star” hospital punted as trailblazing the face of midwifery is opening in Cape Town in May. 2016-04-28 14:58 3KB www.timeslive.co.za 71 Brief tornado that struck Omaha rated EF1, service says The National Weather Service says a tornado that skipped along a few blocks of northwest Omaha was rated EF1, packing winds of 86 through 110 mph. 2016-04-28 14:57 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 72 Golden Boys beat IC Extension 'B' to win Remedian rink football title Golden Boys won the Remedian rink football title at Our Lady of Remedy School ground recently beating IC Extension ‘B’ 3-1 in a pulsating final 2016-04-28 14:56 1KB www.mid- day.com 73 Deputies find body of 2-year-old boy who wandered from home A massive search for a 2-year-old boy ended tragically when deputies found his body in a pond about 150 yards from his home in Hudson. 2016-04-28 14:56 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 74 ‘Virtual Crim’ offers participation from afar in Flint races Organizers of an annual series of summer running races in Flint say people don’t need to be in the city to be a part of this year’s event. 2016-04-28 14:55 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 75 Top colleges that accepted Houston ISD students From the Ivy League to top liberal arts colleges, students in the Houston Independent School District were granted admission for the fall 2016 semester into some of the best colleges in the country. 2016-04-28 09:48 1KB www.chron.com 76 3-alarm fire reported at NW Houston apartments The blaze started just before 9 p.m. in at an apartment complex in the 5100 block of FM 1960 Road West, according to KTRK and KPRC. 2016-04-28 12:41 944Bytes www.chron.com

77 Trupti Desai set to march into Haji Ali, AIMIM threaten to smear black ink After scoring victory for women's right to enter Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar temples, Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai will on Thursday try to enter the core area of Haji Ali Dargah in the city where women are not allowed 2016-04-28 14:50 3KB www.mid- day.com

78 Maine Sunday Telegram Business Nova Star Cruises filed for bankruptcy protection April 13 in Canada, listing about $15 million in debts to more than 200 creditors and... 2016-04-28 11:45 6KB www.pressherald.com 79 Maxx2Racing Team Welcomes You To The 2015 SEMA Show Maxx2Racing Team Welcomes You To The 2015 SEMA Show - TriboDyn Performance Lubricants 2015 SEMA Show ‘Feature’ Vehicle The Maxx2Racing Team ’99 Firebird Pro Touring-Pro Street LSR Car This stunning example of... 2016-04-28 14:49 4KB worldnewsvine.com 80 Centralized, Political Control No Way to Save the Planet KMorgan 1221 posts 2016-04-28 12:42 6KB www.thetribunepapers.com

81 China passes new laws on foreign NGOs amid international criticism China passes new regulations for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), state media say, amid criticism it is further cracking down on civil society. 2016-04-28 09:27 4KB www.bbc.co.uk 82 British family beaten unconscious by gang in Thailand tourist resort A British family have been punched and kicked unconscious during an attack in a tourist resort in Thailand. The holidaymakers needed hospital treatment after... 2016-04-28 14:25 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 83 US Election 2016: Bernie Sanders begins campaign lay-offs The campaign of US Democrat Bernie Sanders starts laying off staff members, after a series of losses to Hillary Clinton in key states. 2016-04-28 09:27 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 84 Former London mayor: Hitler supported Zionism 'before he went mad' The former mayor's comments sparked a rash of harsh criticism from UK Labor members who called for Livingstone's suspension from the party. 2016-04-28 14:23 3KB www.jpost.com 85 Mars mission by 2018 says SpaceX's Elon Musk Billionaire Elon Musk plans to send his Dragon spacecraft to Mars as early as 2018. 2016-04-28 02:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 86 Pope Francis approves Irish priest for beatification Pope Francis approves the beatification a Jesuit priest from Dublin for his work with the sick and dying in the early 20th century. 2016-04-28 02:47 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 87 Student accused of having a gun at Cullen Middle School A Cullen Middle School student was arrested and charged on Tuesday with possession of a prohibited weapon, the Houston Independent School District confirmed. 2016-04-28 12:26 1KB www.chron.com 88 'Economists for Brexit' back campaign to leave EU A group of eight influential economists have thrown their support behind the Leave campaign in the UK's referendum on EU membership. 2016-04-28 12:17 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 89 TV-radio listings: April 28 Television Col. baseball LSU at Mississippi SEC 6 p.m. Golf LPGA Texas Shootout Golf 11 a.m. Golf Zurich Classic Golf 2 p.m. Pro baseball Oakland at Detroit MLB noon Pro baseball Atlanta at Boston MLB 6 p.m. Pro baseball Miami at... 2016-04-28 12:15 1KB www.chron.com

90 Sony profits boosted by Playstation sales Japan's Sony reports full-year profits of $1.4bn as Playstation sales help to turn around the company's fortunes. 2016-04-28 12:16 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 91 Texas festival for drag queens aims to inspire people from around the world Austin's International Drag Fest is proof that drag has become more mainstream than ever. It's not just a lifestyle, but performance art and a business. The yearly event is a convention type atmosphere that pulls in crowds from all over the world, according to... 2016-04-28 12:16 2KB www.chron.com 92 Papa Wemba's body arrives home in DR Congo Hundreds of mourners welcome the body of Papa Wemba, one Africa's best known singers, back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. 2016-04-28 12:16 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 93 Costa Concordia captain Schettino's appeals trial to begin An appeals trial is beginning in Italy of captain Francesco Schettino, who has been given 16 years in jail for the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. 2016-04-28 12:16 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 94 Otto leads by 2 at 9 under after 1st round of China Open BEIJING (AP) — Hennie Otto had seven birdies and an eagle in an opening round of 63 on Thursday to lead the China Open at 9 under. It was Otto's lowest round... 2016-04-28 11:43 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 95 IPL 9: 82* against Gujarat Lions probably my best knock, says Chris Morris His whirlwind 82 brought Delhi Daredevils agonisingly close to victory and Chris Morris termed it as his 'best innings in T20 cricket' but said it was 2016-04-28 14:09 6KB www.mid- day.com 96 'Death of a Gentleman' cricket documentary all set for India release The film, directed by two sport journalists Jarrod Kimber and Sam Collins, who set out to find out the reasons behind Test cricket’s dip in popularity, stumbled upon a larger plot which is hurting international cricket 2016-04-28 14:08 2KB www.mid-day.com 97 Republican donors deny Cruz, Kasich needed funds, data show WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems like a logical pairing: Republican donors who despise Donald Trump, and two GOP presidential hopefuls sticking it out to keep him... 2016-04-28 07:54 6KB www.dailymail.co.uk 98 Jurgen Klopp has not had to stress importance of semi- final to Liverpool players Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he does not need to tell his players the importance of their Europa League semi-final first leg in Villarreal as they... 2016-04-28 09:45 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 99 Parks your kids will put their iPads down for The rush that comes from jumping into a spring-fed pool can't be downloaded. And the stomach-flip that comes from sliding down a 70-foot sand down can't be retweeted. Some things are just worth putting your phones and iPads down for. 2016-04-28 12:21 1KB www.chron.com 100 Indian rocket with navigation satellite blasts off from Sriharikota An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket lifted off successfully on Thursday afternoon with the country's seventh and final navigation satellite, IRNSS-1G, from the rocket port in Sriharikota 2016-04-28 13:59 1KB www.mid-day.com Articles

Total 100 articles, created at 2016-04-28 18:03

1 South Korea’s second Zika case confirmed after man’s trip to PH (1.00/2) South Korea’s health authorities confirmed the nation’s second Zika virus case Wednesday night, identifying the patient as a 20-year-old man who lives in Nowon-gu, Seoul. According to the Health Ministry, the patient visited the Philippines from April 10-14, where infected mosquitoes bit him. He was asymptomatic until April 20, when he developed mild, cold-like symptoms including fever. He visited a local clinic in Seoul’s district that day, but his doctor did not see him as a potential Zika virus patient. He visited a general hospital on April 23, as he started experiencing skin rashes. Medical staff at the hospital reported him as a suspected Zika virus patient the same day. His test results, which became available Wednesday, turned out to be positive. He is currently in a stable condition and has been hospitalized for more examinations. State epidemiologists are also investigating the case. South Korea reported its first Zika virus case last month — a 43-year-old man who was bitten by infected mosquitoes during his visit to Brazil from Feb.17-March 9. Just like the second patient, he also experienced skin rashes on top of mild symptoms such as fever and muscle pain. READ: South Korea registers 1st case of Zika virus Currently, all doctors nationwide have been asked by the Health Ministry to report any patient who have visited a Zika virus-affected country and have any of the following symptoms: fever, muscle pain, headache or conjunctivitis. Health authorities plan to include skin rashes to the list as both reported patients suffered the specific symptom, the ministry said. The World Health Organization in February issued a worldwide warning that the Zika virus is a global public health emergency that requires a united response. According to the agency, the infection is known to cause cases of microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

North Korea second mid-range missile test fails, says South bbc.co.uk 2016-04-28 16:09 The Korea globalnation.inquirer.net

2 South Korea: Suspected midrange North Korean missiles fail (1.00/2) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Two suspected powerful intermediate-range North Korean missiles failed to launch Thursday, South Korean defense officials said, bringing the total to three apparent failures in recent weeks. The reports of the North Korean launch failures come ahead of a major North Korean ruling party meeting next week at which leader Kim Jong Un is believed to want to place his stamp more forcefully on a government he inherited after his dictator father's death in late 2011. The launches were likely the second and third attempted tests of a Musudan, a new intermediate-range missile that could one day be capable of reaching far-off U. S. military bases in Asia and the Pacific. On Thursday morning, a projectile fired from a North Korean northeastern coastal town crashed a few seconds after liftoff, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said, requesting anonymity because of office rules. It wasn't immediately known whether it crashed on land or into the sea. Then, in the evening, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North fired another Musudan missile near Wonsan but that launch also presumably failed. There were no other details. South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the launches a provocation and said it will try to increase international pressure on North Korea. The failed launches come amid North Korean anger over annual South Korean-U. S. military drills that it calls a rehearsal for an invasion. The North has fired many missiles and artillery shells into the sea in recent months in an apparent protest against the drills, which end Saturday. Earlier this week, South Korean media reported that North Korea had placed a Musudan missile on standby for an impending launch. The reports said the missile was one of two Musudan missiles North Korea had earlier deployed in the northeast. South Korean and U. S. officials said there was a North Korean missile launch on April 15, the birthday of the North's late founder, but they have not officially confirmed it was a Musudan. U. S. officials said that launch ended in failure. Musudan missiles have a potential range of about 3,500 kilometers (2,180 miles), which would put U. S. military bases in Guam within their striking distance. North Korea is also pushing to develop a nuclear-armed long-range missile capable of reaching the U. S. mainland, but South Korea believes it does not yet possess such a missile. Before this month's suspected launches, North Korea had never flight-tested a Musudan missile, though one was displayed during a military parade in 2010 in Pyongyang. There is speculation in South Korea that North Korea will soon conduct a fifth nuclear test. The North carried out a fourth atomic test in January and a long- range rocket launch in February, earning worldwide condemnation and tougher U. N. sanctions. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Thursday there were unspecified signs that a fifth test was "imminent. " She warned another nuclear test would result in North Korea suffering harsher sanctions. ___ Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report. ___ Follow Hyung-jin Kim on Twitter at twitter.com/hyungjin1972

North Korea second mid-range missile test fails, says South bbc.co.uk 2016-04-28 14:24 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

3 3 Five things to know about Mitsubishi Motors scandal (1.00/2) Following are some details on the cheating scandal: 1) What did MMC do, and why? It rigged test data to overstate fuel economy readings of four mini-vehicle models sold in Japan by up to 10 percent. It says it did this to get a better fuel economy certification. Executives say developers may have been pressured into cheating as rivals including Daihatsu Motor set high fuel economy levels. MMC used a higher speed U. S. coasting test to measure fuel economy, ignoring 1991 changes in Japanese regulations to use tests that better reflect stop-and-go urban driving. In a January 2001 test, MMC compared readings using the two coasting tests, and found the difference was never more than 2.3 percent. 2) Which cars are affected? Test manipulation involved 625,000 mini-vehicles produced since mid-2013: Mitsubishi's eK Wagon and eK Space, and 468,000 cars it made for Nissan, which markets them as the Dayz and Dayz Roox. All were sold in Japan. MMC has stopped making and selling these models. 3) Who discovered the cheating, and what are investigators focusing on? Nissan, which has a mini-vehicle venture with MMC since 2011, found a discrepancy in test data in November while updating the Dayz. MMC has set up an external committee to look into the affair. It will report in three months. Japan's transport ministry will test the fuel economy of Mitsubishi cars next week, and announce results on the first four models in June. It has found irregularities in mileage data on other MMC models, too, and wants an explanation by May 11. The ministry also has a taskforce to examine all Japanese automakers' fuel economy data. 4) How much could all this cost MMC? Estimates vary and there's still uncertainty as to how widescale the cheating was. It's so far limited to Japan, where MMC sells just 10 percent of its cars. MMC is likely to have to compensate drivers for the extra fuel used, repay government tax benefits, compensate Nissan and face potential legal suits and fines. Nomura puts the potential bill at close to $1 billion, or as much as 166,000 yen per car. 5) Can MMC withstand the fallout? MMC, which has lost around half its market value, or $3.7 billion, in just over a week, had over $4 billion in cash deposits at end-2015, and relatively little debt. Its cash-flow could suffer if its bruised branding hits sales. MMC has said orders for its cars in Japan have already halved. MMC produces 1 million vehicles a year, with one third of those sold elsewhere in Asia. It sold just 95,342 vehicles in the United States last year. It says its cars for the model years 2013 to 2017 sold in the U. S. have correct mileage ratings. - Reuters 5 things to know: Braves set loss record ajc.com 2016-04-28 15:11 Naomi Tajitsu www.timeslive.co.za

4 Naz Shah, Labour anti-Semitism... and a piece of spin that will make your jaw drop (1.00/2) B eat this for a piece of spin. Today the Labour party was in trouble over remarks one of its MPs, Naz Shah, made online in 2014 about Israel and Jews. Journalists asked a spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn whether Mrs Shah was anti-Semitic. “We’re not suggesting she’s anti-Semitic,” said the spokesman. “We’re saying she’s made remarks that she doesn’t agree with.” To repeat. She’s made remarks… that she doesn’t agree with. W ell, I suppose that makes sense. You can see what must have happened. One evening, as Mrs Shah sat quietly at home, relaxing after a hard day’s community-building, her fingers suddenly started typing out opinions of their own free will. To Mrs Shah’s horror, they were opinions which ran counter to everything she stands for. “No!” she cried, as the rogue digits tapped mutinously away. “Stop! That isn’t what I think at all! I unequivocally condemn every word of what I’m writing!” Yet the fingers wouldn’t listen. Powerless to intervene, Mrs Shah wailed in dismay as they published the opinions on Facebook, and then defied her despairing pleas to delete them. Poor Mrs Shah. A hostage to her own hands. Still, she had to act, and swiftly, to prove that she utterly rejected the comments misattributed to her by her fingers. There was only one thing for it. Keep schtum for two years, and apologise only once her views had been exposed in the media. At Prime Minister’s Questions, David Cameron demanded to know why Jeremy Corbyn had done nothing to discipline Mrs Shah. Shouldn’t he be listening to his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who in March had said that if anyone in Labour expressed anti-Semitic views then “full stop, they’re out”? Standing behind the Speaker’s chair, Mr McDonnell was out of most MPs’ sight. But I unmistakably saw him nod. After PMQs, pressure continued to mount. Journalists asked Mr Corbyn’s spokesman to confirm that the Labour leader had the authority to dismiss Mrs Shah as a party whip. “Of course, he’s the leader,” said the spokesman. “Having met with her, he’s chosen not to.” News of this decision did not meet with universal acclaim. Desperately, Mrs Shah had a go at apologising to MPs in the Commons. “I fully acknowledge I have made mistakes,” she said, “and I wholeheartedly apologise for the words I used… I truly regret what I did…” I t wasn’t enough. An hour later, Labour announced that she was suspended from the party. “Jeremy Corbyn and Naz Shah,” said a statement, “have mutually agreed that she is administratively suspended from the Labour Party by the general secretary.” Look at the wording of that. The party leader, who decided that Mrs Shah should face no consequences, agrees that she’s subsequently been suspended by someone else. I wonder how Labour members feel now, when they look back at last September’s leadership election. Are any of them beginning to worry that they did something they don’t agree with?

Ken Livingstone suspended by Labour Party in anti-Semitism row dailymail.co.uk 2016-04-28 14:29 Michael Deacon www.telegraph.co.uk

5 17-year-old fatally shot, Des Moines police say DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say a 17-year-old boy has been killed by gunfire in Des Moines. Police say officers were dispatched around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday after receiving reports about gunshots. The first officer to arrive at the scene found the wounded boy in an alley behind a house. He died later at a hospital. His name hasn’t been released. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says several witnesses provided descriptions of a suspect. No arrest has been reported.

Miami police officer shoots, kills man seen stabbing woman washingtontimes.com 2016-04-28 14:59 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

6 Is it time for a women's trade union? During Euro ’96, it was quite possible to write about football without understanding it As we approach International Workers’ Day, I was reminded of an interview I recently gave to a journalist about our report on the challenges facing young women who struggle to find apprenticeships and employment which offer a viable income and the flexibility they may need to meet other responsibilities. “Isn’t that union business?”, he asked me. "Why aren’t the unions making more noise about this? " I was not sure what to say. The President of the European Trade Union Confederation, an organisation representing 60 million Trade Union members, is a woman; the General Secretary of the TUC is a woman. Progress indeed. The fight for working rights is being led by two admirable women who are challenging the old bastions of male-dominated institutions. 55 per cent of union members are women and female employees are more likely to be a member than their male colleagues. Statistics also suggest that wages of union members are on average more than those who are not. All these facts surprised me when put against the continuing reality of women’s employment and particularly the challenges that are facing so many young women in the UK. Life is not a walk in the park for many older women but at Young Women’s Trust, we hear from those under 30. Within this group it is women who are more likely than men to be on low pay, to be on zero hours contracts, to be unable to work because the low wages do not cover the childcare costs, because transport and housing costs are so high they are highly anxious and often making the decision that work does not pay. This is not a passing phase. Women are more likely than men to remain stuck in low pay and face life long financial disadvantage. And yet I don’t hear many of the young women I meet talking about unions. This may well be because they don’t see that unions can make a difference for them. And I would understand why they might think this. I don’t see or hear a continuing, noisy fight coming from unions to pay a fair wage to cleaners, child care workers, retail workers and teaching assistants. All areas where women are over-represented. I also don’t hear a loud challenge to the enduring reality that women’s work is of less value than men’s. To give just a couple of comparisons: The average pay for a child care/day care worker is £6.93 per hour. The average pay for a shop assistant is £6.67 per hour. The average wage for a construction worker is £10.21 per hour. A painter and decorator earns an average wage of £10.28 per hour. This is the 21 st century. How can it be justified that child care is of less value than the built environment? Who is addressing the failed attempts, by various agencies, to move women into male-dominated sectors? The Women’s Equality Party clearly were of the view that current political parties were failing to address women’s issues and established themselves to challenge policy across the political horizon. I don’t know if the same strategy is necessary in trade unions or whether women’s interests can be represented effectively by a renewed commitment, re-organisation and re-focus of current union functioning and structure. I hope at least we can have the debate. Carole Easton is chief executive of Young Women’s Trust, which supports women aged 16-30 living on low or no pay. I missed Radio 4’s The Reunion the other day, but was pleased when someone said afterwards that I should have been on it. The subject was Euro ’96 – the football championships with that memorable theme song about “football’s coming home”, in which England lost to Germany in the semi-final, and we all got so upset that we shut ourselves in the cupboard under the stairs. I find it easy to remember the effect of Euro ’96 on my own life. Twenty years ago, you see, in May 1996, I was invited to lunch by two chaps from the sports section of the Times , which was a surprise, to say the least. I was the TV critic of the paper. But sport? The only time I’d ever written on the subject, it was to say in an opinion piece that a woman should, by rights, always be charged less for a newspaper, as half of it (the sports bit) was destined for the bin. Now that football is so huge in the culture, it’s hard to credit that it used to be niche. But trust me, it was. True, by 1996, we’d already had Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch , but football was still a back- page subject, and it was certainly possible to get by without knowing about it. At my lunch with the sports chaps I was specifically asked if I knew what Euro ’96 was, and I replied, cautiously, that just judging from the circumstantial evidence, was it something in the sporting line? Had I heard of Alan Shearer, they asked. No. No, never. Paul Gascoigne? Ooh, yes. Tony Adams? Teddy Sheringham? Darren Anderton? No, no, and no. What about Terry Venables? Oh, yes, I said; wasn’t he a sort of crook? Obviously, as a meeting of minds, this was not going swimmingly – until I cunningly turned the tables and asked some questions of my own, such as whether Euro ’96 was played every year, and always took place in England. It was at this point, I believe, that my fate was sealed. They had been hoping to find me stupid about football, but they had never dreamed they would find anyone as stupid as this. I was hired forthwith. My role was to spend Euro ’96 learning to care about football, and reporting back to Times readers. And it certainly worked. By the time we were knocked out by Germany, I was so obviously in bits with anxiety that Libby Purves phoned me at half-time to say, “Lynne, remember: it’s only a game.” For the next four years, I wrote about sport, continuing to monitor my own helpless descent into sports bore. And I often needed to remember that meeting where (for example) the name “Tony Adams” had meant nothing to me. “ADAMS IN TALKS”, said the headline one day. Oh good, I thought – and then was genuinely baffled when the story turned out to be something trivial about Northern Ireland, and not about Arsenal, as I had naturally assumed.

“Go back and check what Hitler did!”: John Mann shouts at Ken Livingstone During Euro ’96, it was quite possible to write about football without understanding it newstatesman.com 2016-04-28 12:19 Eleanor Margolis www.newstatesman.com

7 Duterte ‘waiver’ ’empty,’ not valid — lawyer The bank “waiver” being presented by presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte and his allies to show transparency is “empty” and invalid, a veteran law practitioner explained on Thursday. “It is only a pledge to open their bank accounts,” said Raul Palabrica, a corporate lawyer, who writes about business-related issues in a column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Palabrica was asked to comment amid allegations by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that Duterte did not declare P211 million in an account he kept at the Bank of Philippine Islands branch on Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig City. READ: Trillanes: Duterte didn’t declare P211M in SALN | A fabrication, says Duterte who will not issue waiver The bank account disproves Duterte’s claim that he was a poor man, said Trillanes, a vice presidential candidate who supports the candidacy of Senator Grace Poe. Duterte and his allies responded by saying the presidential bet already signed a “waiver” on March 11, 2016, to show his transparency and that he was not hiding anything. In an interview, Palabrica said the document, a picture of which came out in the Inquirer on April 28, was not a waiver for opening bank accounts. The document states: “We the candidates for president and vice president in the 2016 national election, hereby pledge to open all our bank accounts in local and foreign currencies both here and abroad in the interest of transparency and accountability.” Palabrica pointed out, “A waiver has to be expressed and specific. And it is directed to a particular bank or person.” He explained, “What is being waived here is a right of privacy. And a right of privacy is considered sacred. Therefore any exception to the rule of the right of privacy must be clear and unequivocal.” Such privacy is protected under Republic Act 1405, or the Bank Secrecy Law. Palabrica noted that “to meet the requirements of the Bank Secrecy Law, (a waiver) should be first: written. It should be addressed to the bank. And it should be told to the bank what exactly (is being waived).” “Example,” he continued, “the letter should say: “ To whom it may concern: “To all BPI offices: “I, (name of person waiving privacy), hereby waive my right to secrecy in all bank accounts and all financial records I have with you. “This waiver and/or authority shall remain valid and binding until I overrule or set it aside.” It should be signed by the person waiving bank secrecy, Palabrica stressed. Lacking these elements, the “waiver” signed by Duterte and Cayetano is “empty,” the lawyer said. Palabrica said that if Duterte wanted to prove that the allegations of Trillanes were false and the purported BPI account was fabricated, he should give the senator a true waiver. The lawyer said, “The best way to prove it is fabricated (is) I will give him my authority: ‘Here, go to BPI.’ And BPI comes back and says: ‘We wish to inform you that Mr. Duterte does not have any account.’” “Balik ako ngayon at isasampal ko sa mukha ni Trillanes: Heto, what you said is a fabrication,” (I will then go back and slap it on the face of Trillanes: Here, what you said is a fabrication) Palabrica said.

2016-04-28 18:03 Cenon B newsinfo.inquirer.net

8 Biyaheng Malakanyang: Jejomar Binay Posted at Apr 28 2016 06:56 PM Importanteng malaman natin ang mga posisyon sa mga isyu ng bayan ng mga tumatakbo sa pagka-presidente at ang kanila mga paninindigan sa harap ng mga batikos at intriga, bilang gabay sa ating magiging boto sa Mayo a- nuwebe. Narito ang kay Vice President Jejomar Binay. Share

2016-04-28 18:03 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

9 Breaking into Bollywood is one of my dreams: Dwayne Bravo New Delhi: West Indies cricketer and singer Dwayne Bravo says that one of his dreams is to "break into Bollywood". "Breaking into Bollywood would actually be one of my other dreams so I would definitely like to give that a shot at some point," Bravo told IANS in an e-mail interview. Dwayne Bravo. Pic/ AFP Bravo, whose song "Champion" got viral on the internet, also mentioned that he wants to "inspire his fans to never stop believing in their dreams". The cricketer added that his "management has already got some offers (from Bollywood)". But for Bravo, "cricket comes first and always will". "Music was one of my childhood dreams that I have fulfilled," Bravo added. Asked who is he a fan of from the Hindi film industry, Bravo said: "It’s Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. " He also mentioned that he has watched Hindi films and can speak a few words in the language. How does it feel to see "Champion" song becoming so popular? "It feels great when I hear people say 'Champion' is the next 'Gangnam' and now everywhere I go I see fans breaking into dance," Bravo responded.

2016-04-28 14:41 By IANS www.mid-day.com

10 Thane: Cop held for rape and abduction of 20-year-old girl A 30-year-old sub inspector associated with the Mumbra police station was arrested yesterday for repeatedly raping a 20-year-old girl in Kalwa (Thane). The survivor knew the accused, as she was a friend of his wife. Even their families were close to each other. PSI Santosh Sonawane She was rescued from a rented flat in Kalwa yesterday. The officer has been booked for rape, cheating and kidnapping. Since both, the accused and the survivor, are residents of a complex based in Mohammed wadi in Hadapsar in Pune, the case has been transferred to Wanawadi police station now. Wife and son of the accused, identified as Santosh Sonawane, live in the complex while he works in Mumbra. On April 13, which was the survivor’s birthday, the accused came down to Pune from Mumbra. When his wife went to work, he called the girl to his home and raped her. The girl did not file any FIR, after Sonawane promised to take care of her further studies. The survivor’s father said, “I am a farmer. It was impossible for us to afford her education. My daughter just finished her diploma in pharmacy and wanted to study BSc. When Sonawane assured her, she got a glimmer of hope. He also repeatedly threatened her flashing his gun.” Later on April 17, the accused came to Pune taking leave of four days from work. “On April 18, the girl claims that she was sleeping in her bedroom when he raped her again,” said a police officer from Kalwa police station. This time, he asked the girl to write a letter to her family. “The accused threatened her to write the letter saying that she is heading to Mumbai for further studies. If she did not comply, he threatened to commit suicide and name her in the suicide note. The girl left her residence at 2 am on April 23, after leaving the letter. An auto- rickshaw driver, arranged by Sonawane, took her to the Pune railway station. He gave a call to the accused after settling her down in the train,” said J Babar, senior police inspector, Kalwa police station to mid-day. The train reached Kalyan station at 7 am. Sonawane took the girl to a lodge in Kasarwadavli area on Ghodbunder road. “He assured the girl that he would marry her. She was made to wear a mangalsutra, to make her look like his wife. She was again raped there,” added Babar. On that same day, Sonawane rented a flat at Kharegaon in Kalwa. “He took away her mobile phone. He went to work locking her inside and after returning, raped her,” added Babar. Missing Complaint The survivor’s parents went to the Wanawadi police station to lodge a missing complaint on April 23. “Her phone was switched off but the last location showed her to be in Kharegaon in Kalwa. We checked her call records, which gave us a clue. The maximum number of missed or received calls came from Sonawane. We tracked his phone too and the location was the same as hers,” said a senior police officer of Wanawadi police station. A police team was sent to the flat. “We rescued the girl from there, yesterday. We also found the accused there,” added Babar.

2016-04-28 17:55 By Faisal www.mid-day.com

11 Union seeks to halt Memorial Hospital maternity unit closure PAWTUCKET, R. I. (AP) - A union representing staff at Memorial Hospital is asking the Rhode Island Health Department to take measures to prevent the Pawtucket medical center from closing its obstetrics unit. The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1rAWYVo ) United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5082 has argued that shutting down the unit would violate conditions established by the health department when Memorial affiliated with Care New England in 2013. The union says that Memorial would no longer be “an acute-care community hospital” if it closes its maternity unit. Stephen Morris, an attorney representing the health department, claims that the union has no legal right to seek a declaratory judgment and agreed to a public meeting where arguments can be presented. Judge Jeffery Lanphear ordered both parties to return before him on Thursday to resume discussions. ___ Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com

2016-04-28 12:48 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

12 San Miguel Corp. denies giving P500-M to Trillanes MANILA – San Miguel Corp. on Thursday denied giving P500 million to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, saying the check, a photo of which is now making the rounds on social media, is fake. ''This is nothing more than a fabrication and a blatant disinformation. SMC does not have an account in the said bank branch and has never issued such check to Sen. Trillanes,'' SMC said in a statement. A post by Facebook page ''Erstorm'' posted a photo showing the supposed Banco de Oro check worth P500 million issued by SMC to Trillanes. The Facebook post accused Trillanes of being paid by SMC to lead a smear campaign against Duterte for the benefit of presidential race contender Senator Grace Poe. ''Ano ito Trillanes? San Miguel Corporation check payable in your name in the amount of Php 500M! OMG, is this enough proof showing that you are a Poetector? Ngawa at sira pa more kay Mayor Duterte at napakabilis bumalik ng isyu sayo! " the Facebook post read. Poe, whose candidacy is being supported by Trillanes, is being accused of having ties with SMC chairman Eduardo ''Danding'' Cojuangco. In its statement, SMC said BDO itself has ''attested in the attached certification that it does not have any record of any account maintained by SMC with the bank's Tandang Sora branch and that the alleged account number 001168795215 'does not exist in the Bank's system and records.''' ''Having said that, we denounce, in the strongest terms, this apparent effort to deceive the public and drag our company's good name in current political issues,'' SMC said. ''As a responsible corporate citizen, we enforce a strict code of ethics that ensures The Company does the right thing and that it safeguards the long-term interest of its customers and stakeholders. " Trillanes recently accused Duterte of not declaring P211 million in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. The money is supposedly contained in an account in a branch of BPI along Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig City. READ: Trillanes: Duterte a 'fraud,' didn't declare P211M in SALN Duterte's camp initially denied the existence of the bank account. However, the mayor eventually admitted on Thursday that he has two BPI accounts but these only contain P50,000 and P17,000 each. READ: Duterte confirms existence of bank account

2016-04-28 17:43 ABS-CBN news.abs-cbn.com

13 Pingree, Poliquin want new rules for Cuban-bound flights BANGOR, Maine (AP) - Maine’s two U. S. representatives are proposing new legislation that they say will help create jobs by updating regulations that cause American airports to lose business to Canada. U. S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin say the measure would allow Cuban-bound flights to make technical stops at American airports for refueling and restocking. Passengers would not be able to clear immigration or legally depart from the U. S. Pingree and Poliquin say airlines prefer to use the same airport for their technical stops, and because of that many have moved their flights to Canada. Pingree and Poliquin say the bill would benefit airports such as Bangor International Airport.

2016-04-28 17:14 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

14 Interview process for Ohio’s state superintendent advances COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio’s state school board is zeroing in on finalists for the state superintendent’s job. The state Board of Education scheduled an executive session Thursday to discuss the list of finalists prepared by a search firm and any additional nominations from board members. They will also develop interview questions. The search firm Ray and Associates recommended five of 44 applicants as finalists, including Republican Gov. John Kasich’s (KAY’-siks) former education adviser. Board members also were able to nominate candidates. Richard Ross vacated the position Dec. 31 and Lonny Rivera has been serving as interim superintendent. Thursday’s executive session is closed. An Ohio Department of Education spokeswoman says the board will vote on each nomination separately. The five or fewer candidates with the most votes will move onto the interview phase.

2016-04-28 17:14 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

15 UC Davis chancellor placed on leave over “missteps” SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The chancellor of the University of California’s Davis campus was put on paid leave amid an uproar over her service on corporate boards and the school’s hiring of consultants to improve its image online, following the widely criticized pepper-spraying of protesters by campus police, the university’s president announced. UC President Janet Napolitano plans to appoint an independent investigator to examine the “serious and troubling” questions raised by the actions of Chancellor Linda Katehi and to determine if they violated any university policies, Napolitano’s office announced in a statement Wednesday. In the meantime, Napolitano has removed Katehi from the post she has held for nearly seven years until the inquiry is completed. The campus provost, Ralph Hexter, will fill the chancellor’s shoes on an acting basis. “I am deeply disappointed to take this action,” Napolitano said in the statement. “But Davis is a strong campus, nationally and internationally renowned in many academic disciplines. I’m confident of the campus’s continued ability to thrive and serve California students and the Davis community.” Katehi did not immediately reply to emails seeking comment. Along with probing whether Katehi has been truthful about her role in the hiring of the online image consultants, the investigation will evaluate if there were irregularities surrounding the hiring and compensation of three of her close relatives, Napolitano said in a letter to Katehi released by the president’s office. Katehi’s husband is a chemical engineering professor at Davis, while her daughter-in-law works as chief of staff to the vice-chancellor for student affairs. Her son is a graduate student in epidemiology. Chief among the potential conflicts of interest about which Napolitano said she is concerned was a raise of over $50,000 and series of promotions the daughter-in-law received over 2 ½ years while reporting to an administrator who in turn reported to the chancellor. Katehi recommended that the vice-chancellor’s pay go up by 20 percent during the same period, according to the letter. Napolitano also expressed concern that the academic program where Katehi’s son has a paid research position was put under his wife’s supervision and that student fees may have been used inappropriately to finance the move. “You have verbally assured me that all matters relating to the employment of your husband, son and daughter-in-law have been consistent with policies and procedures, but documents and other information appear contrary to that assurance,” Napolitano wrote to Katehi. Napolitano’s announcement ended two days of tense speculation at the Davis campus over Katehi’s status. A petition to Napolitano circulated among faculty members and signed by more than 300 professors earlier Wednesday stated they believed Napolitano had asked Katehi to resign and voiced objection to “this peremptory action carried out without any consultation.” Katehi added to the intrigue with a midday email to her deans and vice-chancellors in which she said she was “100 percent committed” to staying on as chancellor. “I very much look forward to continuing to lead the campus to greater levels of success and excellence in the future,” she wrote. Katehi, 62, an electrical engineer who has advocated for women in the sciences, came under fire early in her tenure at Davis when campus police officers used pepper spray on seated demonstrators during a November 2011 Occupy movement protest. Story Continues →

2016-04-28 17:14 FILE www.washingtontimes.com

16 Senate considers under-21 ban on tobacco sales BOSTON (AP) - A bill before the state Senate seeks to make Massachusetts the second U. S. state to outlaw the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to people under the age of 21. The measure scheduled for debate on Thursday would hike the minimum age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21 statewide. That same age restriction is already in effect in dozens of cities and towns, including Boston. If passed, the law would take effect Jan. 1 but would exempt anyone who has already turned 18 by that date. Retailers caught selling tobacco to minors could face fines of $100 to $300 under the proposal. Supporters hope to discourage more young people from taking up smoking. Hawaii is currently the only U. S. state with a tobacco purchase age of 21.

2016-04-28 17:14 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

17 Group launches voter registration push in Ohio ahead of fall COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A progressive nonprofit group says it plans to register 150,000 voters in swing state Ohio and focus on getting them to the polls this fall. Leaders with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative say they plan to have about 100 paid canvassers registering voters or ensuring that voter registrations are up to date ahead of the presidential election. The effort is mostly focused on urban areas and neighborhoods around the state where eligible voters have not registered. The coalition of faith-based organizations, labor unions and others says it also wants to engage new voters on issues affecting their communities and will be asking them about their interests. The group’s organizers say they also plan to remind voters about the impact local races have on their lives. Ohio has more than 7.5 million registered voters.

2016-04-28 17:14 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

18 Toxic plant kills 4 cows in Yellowstone County GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - Agricultural scientists are warning Montana livestock producers to be on the lookout for a slender green plant that has killed at least four cows in Yellowstone County in a one-week period. The Great Falls Tribune reports (http://gftrib.com/1TfgBs4 ) the cows were found to have eaten lethal amounts of the toxic plant known as Death Camas this past week. The plant also has a significant presence in Custer County, but no livestock deaths have been attributed to it there. Scientists say the plant, which contains a steroidal toxin called Zygacine, is highly toxic in the spring due to warmer weather and moist soils. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Death Camas is a member of the lily family and can be found growing in pastures and fields from Texas to Alaska. ___ Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com 2016-04-28 17:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

19 Vermont to host first blood draw for those exposed to PFOA BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Vermont’s Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen will be on hand at the first blood draw clinic for Bennington residents who have been exposed to the chemical PFOA in their drinking water. The Health Department is teaming up with the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center to offer blood tests. The first clinic is set for Friday at the Health Department’s Bennington regional office. More than 100 private water wells in the area around the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington have been found with PFOA levels as high as nearly 3,000 parts per trillion. Vermont has set an advisory level for PFOA of 20 parts per trillion for drinking water. The blood tests will measure the level of PFOA in an individual’s blood. It will be several months before the results are known.

2016-04-28 17:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

20 China’s HNA to buy Radisson operator Carlson Hotels HONG KONG (AP) - A unit of Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has agreed to buy Carlson Hotels, which owns brands including Radisson and Country Inns and Suites, the latest in a flurry of overseas investments by Chinese companies. HNA Tourism Group will acquire all of Carlson Hotels Inc., the companies said in a joint statement released late Wednesday that did not disclose the purchase price. They said that Carlson’s headquarters would remain in Minnetonka, Minn., after the deal is completed. HNA Tourism Chairman Bai Haibo said buying Carlson Hotels will help the Chinese company “establish our presence in the U. S. market and expand our footprint in hospitality internationally.” He added that HNA would “accelerate growth by investing substantially in the business.” The purchase is the latest in a string of global transactions by Chinese companies as they diversify abroad to counter slowing growth at home while also scooping up foreign expertise and technology. Other deals this year include Haier Group’s acquisition of General Electric’s home appliance business, conglomerate Wanda Group’s purchase of Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment, and state-owned ChemChina’s mammoth $43 billion bid for Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta. It also comes weeks after China’s Anbang Insurance Group was thwarted by Marriott International in its attempt to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As part of the deal, the Chinese company will also acquire a 51.3 percent stake in Brussels- based Rezidor Hotel Group AB, which operates Carlson hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Under Swedish takeover rules, HNA is required to either buy the remaining shares of Rezidor it doesn’t own or sell its stake down to 30 percent. Carlson has 1,400 hotels in 115 countries and territories and employs about 90,000 staff worldwide. HNA Group, based in southern Hainan province, operates hotels, airlines, airports and financial services and real estate businesses. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016.

2016-04-28 17:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

21 Man sought after allegedly shooting pregnant ex in head PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) - Police are looking for a man who shot his pregnant ex- girlfriend in the head outside an apartment in Northern California. Pacifica Police Capt. Joe Spanheimer says a manhunt is underway for 25- year-old Ricardo Colindres who allegedly shot the unidentified woman Wednesday outside an apartment building in Pacifica. Spanheimer says the woman was rushed to the hospital and that both she and her baby are in stable condition. Spanheimer tells the San Jose Mercury News reports (http://bayareane.ws/1SQLoRF) did not give birth as reported earlier by police. He wouldn’t say whether Colindres is the child’s father. Nearby schools were temporarily locked down while police searched the immediate area. Police say Colindres should be considered armed and dangerous. They ask anyone with information about Colindres’ whereabouts to contact Pacifica police. ___ Information from: The San Jose Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com

2016-04-28 17:03 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

22 Needle exchange bill facing opposition in Senate CONCORD, N. H. (AP) - An effort to remove criminal penalties for possessing syringes with trace amounts of illegal drugs is hitting a wall in the New Hampshire Senate. The legislation aims to pave the way for needle exchange programs by also allowing hypodermic syringes to be sold or dispensed in places other than pharmacies. It’s up for a vote in the Senate on Thursday, but a key committee recommends turning the bill into a study committee, effectively preventing any changes this year. Needle exchange programs are meant to stop drug users from sharing dirty needles and potentially spreading diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s proposed study committee wouldn’t report its findings until late 2017. More than 400 people died from drug overdoses in New Hampshire in 2015.

2016-04-28 12:22 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

23 Wedding bells for Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth? The pop icon and Hunger Games star might be a married couple in the future. According to US Weekly, Miley Cyrus, 23, who still flaunts their engagement ring, wants to have a lavish ‘summer wedding’ with Liam Hemsworth, 26. Another insider tells US Weekly, “It’s possible they’ll just run off to Vegas and tie the knot!” Reports speculated that Cyrus’ mother, Tish, is helping her daughter prepare for her romantic event. The couple was previously engaged back in 2013 but broke away. Last December the hot duo was spotted in Australia, Hemsworth’s birthplace. Since then, the “Wrecking Ball” singer posted the sparkling diamond ring on her social media accounts. On the other hand, Hemsworth denied in an interview with TV Week Australia that they are engaged again. Gianna Francesca Catolico, INQUIRER.net RELATED STORIES Miley Cyrus is newest ‘The Voice’ Judge Miley Cyrus looks back at Hannah Montana

2016-04-28 16:50 INQUIRER.net entertainment.inquirer.net

24 PH wants coordinated patrols to protect ships from rebels MANILA - The Philippines has been discussing coordinated naval patrols on its southern maritime borders with Indonesia and Malaysia to protect shipping after attacks and kidnappings by Islamist militants, its foreign minister said on Thursday. Indonesia is trying to free about 14 of its citizens seized from tugboats by Abu Sayyaf rebels from the southern Philippines and has called for joint patrols. Four Malaysians seamen are also being held. The Islamist rebels, who are raking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom, decapitated a Canadian on Monday and are still holding 23 hostages. Citizens of the Netherlands, Japan, Norway and the Philippines are among them. Philippine Foreign Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said his country was only proposing separate but coordinated patrols to identify safe corridors where ships can travel. Indonesia last week called for joint maritime patrols with the Philippines and Malaysia. Joint patrols would involve ships from the three navies patrolling together and crossing into each other's territorial waters. Officials from the three sides are due to meet in Jakarta on May 5 to discuss cooperation. "The issue is safety and security," Almendras told Reuters after signing an infrastructure loan agreement with South Korea. "It's called coordinated patrols, we'll do our patrols and they will have their own patrols in their own territorial waters so there will be no more threats to the movement of ships, including the kidnapping of sailors. " Two Indonesian coal ports have blocked ships from leaving to the Philippines and Malaysia's eastern Sabah state due to security concerns The growing frequency of maritime attacks has affected coal trade between the Southeast Asian neighbours Indonesia, the world's largest thermal coal exporter, and the Philippines, which, relies on Jakarta for 70 percent of its coal imports. Abu Sayyaf, known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and extortion, is one of the most brutal militant groups in Muslim south of the largely Christian Philippines. Outgoing President Benigno Aquino has promised to devote his remaining days in office to crushing the militants. Fourteen rebels have been killed in bombing of the stronghold of Jolo island since Tuesday, a military spokesman said. Since 2006, the United States has provided nearly $200 million in military aid to strengthen naval forces of the three Southeast Asian countries to combat piracy and militancy.

2016-04-28 16:50 Manuel Mogato news.abs-cbn.com

25 Roxas calls Duterte ‘liar’ over bank account exposé “You are a liar,” Mar Roxas said of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday after the administration presidential candidate showed in public what he said was proof that the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account of Duterte was existing. “Mayor Duterte, tell the truth, our people deserve no less,” Roxas said in a press conference at the Liberal Party headquarters, moments after the mayor confirmed the existence of his account at BPI Julia Vargas Avenue branch in Ortigas, Pasig City. READ: A fabrication, says Duterte who will not issue waiver Duterte earlier denied owning the account in 2014, saying it was “fabricated and non-existent.” Later he said that, contrary to the claims of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that his account contained millions of pesos, Duterte said his bank accounts only have about P50,000 and P17,500. READ: Duterte admits existence of BPI accounts Roxas said his camp had received a tip sent in an e-mail that the account was indeed existent. To verify, someone from Roxas’ camp then deposited P500 to the said account from the BPI New Farmers Market branch. The deposit slip showed it was owned by “Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Sara Z. Duterte.” Flashing the bank deposit slip to the media, Roxas said: “Ang punto, sabi niya gawa gawa. Ngayon totoo naman?” “Anong pwedeng panghawakan? Bakit natin papaniwalaan na ‘yon lang ang laman ng account eh nagsinungaling ka na dati, sabi mo fabrication ito. The account is non-existent, tapos ngayon it exists?” he said. (The point is, he said that it was fabricated. Now [he says], its’ real? (What guarantee do we have? Why would we believe that that’s all the account contains when you [Duterte] have lied before, you said it was a fabrication. The account is non-existent, and now it exists?) Trillanes, who recently figured in verbal war with Duterte, said the mayor did not declare this in his 2014 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), where he reported a net worth of P21,971,732.62—assets worth P22,971,732.62 and a liability of P1 million. READ: Trillanes: Duterte didn’t declare P211M in SALN In front of the media, Roxas also signed the notarized affidavit of transparency authorizing the Office of the Ombudsman and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to scrutinize all his accounts. Roxas also waived all his rights and privileges to bank secrecy under the Bank Secrecy Law. The affidavit of transparency will cover all his accounts starting from the year he first assumed office in government. Duterte maintained that he would not issue a waiver for the said account. CDG RELATED VIDEOS

2016-04-28 16:49 Julliane Love newsinfo.inquirer.net

26 Etihad Airways 2015 profit hits $103 million ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways said on Wednesday its net profit for 2015 surged 41 percent to $103 million on the back of rising passenger numbers and cargo volumes. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said its consolidated revenues reached $9.02 billion, compared with airline-only revenues of $7.55 billion the year before. Revenues from partner companies amounted to $1.38 billion, compared to $1.13 billion in 2014. Etihad acknowledged that the inclusion of non-airline revenues, such as catering and ground handling, in the 2015 figures meant they were not directly comparable with the previous year’s. The carrier said it transported 17.6 million passengers in 2015, up 18.9 percent from the year before, while cargo tonnage increased to 591,000 tonnes from 569,000 tonnes in 2014. “Our mandate is to build a sustainably profitable airline. A fifth year of net profits, with our best annual financial performance to date, shows that we are delivering against that goal,” Etihad Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said in the statement. “As well as operating profitability, we are building enterprise value across the airline and its many additional business streams.” Launched in 2003, Etihad is expanding rapidly and has bought minority stakes in several carriers around the world as it increases its share of global travel along with larger Gulf rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways. Etihad owns 49 percent of Alitalia, 29 percent of Air Berlin, 40 percent of Air Seychelles, 19.9 percent of Virgin Australia and three percent of Irish carrier Aer Lingus. It also has a 24-percent stake in India’s Jet Airways. It operates a fleet of 122 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 planes on firm order. RELATED STORIES Etihad flew record number of passengers, cargo in 2014 US preclearance now available to Etihad passengers from Abu Dhabi

2016-04-28 16:43 Agence France business.inquirer.net

27 Video shows fight between 2 students at special needs school READING, Pa. (AP) - The district attorney and police are investigating after video surfaced of two students fighting at an eastern Pennsylvania high school for children with special needs. Alex Jackson, the father of one of the boys, tells WFMZ-TV (http://bit.ly/1qWU38v ) that he’s upset that staff members don’t appear to stop the fight at Northwestern Human Services School in Reading but let it continue for “four or five rounds.” Jackson says, “The only thing they were missing was the ring girl.” He’s referring to women who hold up cards telling the crowd what round of a fight is about to begin. School spokesman Kevin Feeley says two staff who were present are on administrative leave during the investigation. Feeley says the school has “zero tolerance” for these kinds of incidents. ___ Information from: WFMZ-TV, http://www.wfmz.com

2016-04-28 16:27 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

28 Honoring the Mayor: Joe Riley joins Hall of Fame CHARLESTON, S. C. (AP) - The longest-serving mayor in Charleston history is now a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Media outlets report that Charleston’s Joe Riley was honored Wednesday night during an induction ceremony at The Citadel. Riley served for 10 terms as mayor before retiring earlier this year. He is largely credited with leading an urban renaissance that has made Charleston a worldwide tourist destination. But Riley said that any recognition he receives is really recognition for the people of Charleston. He says anything that was done was done by the citizens. A 19th century slave from the Edgefield area, David Drake, was also inducted. Drake’s pottery is on display in numerous museums. The Hall of Fame is at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

2016-04-28 16:27 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

29 2 Kansas men plead guilty after taking deal in Iowa slaying NODAWAY, Iowa (AP) - Two Kansas men have pleaded guilty in what authorities say was the drug-related slaying of an Iowa man. The Creston News Advertiser reports (http://bit.ly/1NCr2cD ) that 42-year-old Jon Rubendall and 40-year-old James Bost were convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder Tuesday after prosecutors lowered their charges. The Hiawatha, Kansas, men are scheduled to be sentenced May 16. Authorities say they killed 44-year-old Allen Pafford last June. A court document says authorities found Pafford tied up in a workshop near his mother’s home in Nodaway, with a bedsheet wrapped around his head and neck and a bullet wound in the back of his head. The document says Bost told authorities that Pafford owed Rubendall $3,000 for drugs. ___ Information from: Creston News Advertiser, http://www.crestonnewsadvertiser.com

2016-04-28 16:18 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

30 IPL 9: Jasprit Bumrah reveals the secret behind mastering his yorkers As far as the head-to-head record goes between hosts Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), MI have the upper hand over the visiting team as KKR have beaten MI in their den only once (in 2012) in six outings at the Wankhede Stadium. MI pacer Jasprit Bumrah KKR have lost to Mumbai Indians 12 times overall — the most number of losses for KKR against any opponent in the IPL. Defending champions MI have lost four out of seven games they have played so far and earned six points to be fifth on the points table. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who has supported fellow MI pacer Mitchell McClenaghan (11 wickets is seven games) well with eight wickets in seven matches this season, with an economy rate of 8.15, revealed the secret of mastering his yorkers. “I used to play a lot of tennis-ball cricket where you bowl a lot of yorkers so maybe that could be a reason I bowl many yorkers. You cannot master anything, but I practice a lot,” said the 22-year- old pacer.

2016-04-28 16:18 By Subodh www.mid-day.com

31 House committee votes to require women to register for draft WASHINGTON (AP) - Just a few months ago, the Defense Department lifted all gender-based restrictions on front-line combat units. Now, a House committee has narrowly approved a measure that would require women to register for the military draft. The 32-30 vote Wednesday night came with a twist: The proposal’s author didn’t back it, a clear sign that more contentious debate is ahead. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a former Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, does not support drafting women into combat and opposes opening infantry and special operations positions to women. Hunter, R-Calif., said he offered the measure in the House Armed Services Committee to prompt a discussion about how the Pentagon’s decision in December to rescind gender restrictions on military service failed to consider whether the exclusion on drafting women also should be lifted. That’s a call for Congress, not the executive branch, Hunter said. “I think we should make this decision,” he said. “It’s the families that we represent who are affected by this.” At times, Hunter evoked graphic images of combat in an apparent attempt to convince colleagues that drafting women would lead to them being sent directly into harm’s way. “A draft is there to put bodies on the front lines to take the hill,” Hunter said. “The draft is there to get more people to rip the enemies’ throats out and kill them.” But if Hunter was trying to sway people against his amendment, his plan did not work. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said she supported Hunter’s measure. “I actually think if we want equality in this country, if we want women to be treated precisely like men are treated and that they should not be discriminated against, we should be willing to support a universal conscription,” she said. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., a retired Air Force fighter pilot, said draftees aren’t exclusively sent to the front lines. There are plenty of other useful, noncombat positions for them to fill, she said. Hunter’s amendment was part of a defense policy bill that authorizes the defense spending plan for the budget year that begins Oct. 1. The committee passed the legislation by a 60-2 vote early Thursday. Action by the full House awaits. “I look forward to bringing the bill to the House floor in short order,” said the committee chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. ___ Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner.

2016-04-28 16:16 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

32 DNA don’t lie: Paternity suit involves bullfighting legend MADRID (AP) - A Spanish court held a hearing Thursday into a decades-old paternity dispute over whether two of Spain*s most well-known bullfighters - men who share the same show name “El Cordobes” - are really father and son. Among the evidence, a DNA test that came back 99.9 percent positive. Manuel Diaz, 47, says he’s the son of retired bullfighting legend Manuel Benitez, 79, something the elder bullfighter has never recognized. Diaz’s lawyer Fernando Osuna says the case is mere formality after the results of the court-ordered DNA test came back. Many Spaniards have long been convinced of the relationship, given the two men’s likeness. The southern Cordoba court agreed to consider the suit after Diaz last year presented DNA tests taken from a restaurant napkin used by the elder Cordobes that was picked up by a private detective. Benitez did not appear at Thursday’s hearing. It was not immediately possible to get comment from his lawyer. Born near Cordoba, Benitez was once one of Spain’s most popular and best-paid matadors and also starred in several films. He has five other children, including another bullfighter son, Julio, also known as “El Cordobes.” He reportedly met Diaz’s mother when she was a maid in Madrid. Diaz followed in his father’s footsteps and although popular in the ring, he gained just as much publicity from his TV appearances. Diaz told Hola magazine that after years of trying to get Benitez to admit the relationship voluntarily, he decided to take legal action after his own kids saw Benitez purposely ignoring a question about it on TV. Diaz says he is not interested in any inheritance but simply wants recognition of his family origin.

2016-04-28 16:16 FILE www.washingtontimes.com

33 Police find 2 kids badly hurt at motel, 1 hidden by blanket MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) - Police say officers responding to a report of a possible dead child at a southwest Ohio motel found a pair of young siblings with serious injuries and arrested their mother and two other adults. Middletown police say they found a 5-year-old child with life-threatening injuries Wednesday night, and while investigating, they discovered the child’s 6-year- old brother seriously hurt and hidden under a blanket. Police didn’t release details about the children’s injuries or how they were hurt. Both were taken to hospitals. Investigators say their 26-year-old mother was arrested on two counts each of child endangering and felonious assault. A 29-year-old female friend and her 56-year-old mother also staying in the room were jailed on the same charges. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they have attorneys. They’re scheduled for arraignment Friday.

2016-04-28 16:16 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

34 Opponents of proposed oil pipeline holding 500-mile relay CANNON BALL, N. D. (AP) - Plains American Indians and others are taking part in a 500-mile spiritual relay to show their opposition to a proposed $3.8 billion oil pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois. Opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline are running from Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers district office in Omaha, Nebraska, where they will deliver a petition asking the Corps to conduct a more thorough environmental study of the planned pipeline. The relay began Sunday and is expected to end next Tuesday, The Bismarck Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/1T6IBh5 ). The 1,130-mile pipeline planned by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners would pass through the Dakotas and Iowa on its way to Illinois. It would carry nearly half a million barrels of oil a day. Regulators in all states have approved the project, but it still needs approval from the Corps because it would cross public waterways including the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Tribal officials fear contamination to drinking water. Jasilyn Charger, a runner from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said she’s running not just for herself. “I run for every man, woman and child that was, that is, and for those who will come to be,” she said. Energy Transfer Partners maintains the pipeline will be a safe and cost-effective way to transport oil, and will create jobs and boost the economy. Standing Rock Sioux officials also plan to meet with a Corps official Friday in Mobridge, South Dakota, to express their concerns. ___ Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

2016-04-28 16:16 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

35 Praxair to add a new carbon monoxide purification unit GEISMAR, La. (AP) - Industrial gas firm Praxair Inc. will spend more than $100 million to add a new carbon monoxide purification unit at its Geismar plant. The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1T6JMgx) the expansion will add 13 million cubic feet of carbon monoxide purification capacity to the facility. Praxair said the unit will help meet accelerating demand in the Mississippi River corridor. Carbon monoxide is used in making a number of specialty chemicals, including The Geismar facility has more than a dozen customers ranging from large refineries to biofuel companies. ___ Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

2016-04-28 16:15 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

36 Judge asked to reconsider 50 year sentence on heroin charge BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A 32-year-old Baker man is asking a Baton Rouge state judge to reconsider the 50-year prison term he dealt him last month for attempting to sell heroin. The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1VUobiv) Kedric J. Williams must serve the maximum term for possession with intent to distribute heroin without benefit of parole. District Judge Mike Erwin handed down the sentence on March 15. Williams’ attorney, James Rothkamm, argues in a motion to reconsider the sentence that Williams was employed at the time of his arrest, has two small children and has expressed sincere remorse for his crime. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said Wednesday that the sentence was appropriate. ___ Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

2016-04-28 16:15 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

37 Video: Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Transcript for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Tomorrow but many companies around the country parents are going to take their daughters to work it's the idea of women's organization called ms. foundation. And the point is to show girls their future value in the workplace it. Was the second annual take our daughters to work program. Sponsored by the ms. foundation for women from a trading floor in New York City to Mattel's toy factory in Los Angeles doctors reported to work. We want us women. Decided. Whose team and in. But what seems like it fairly simple idea has suddenly become tangled up in political correctness. And gender politics I thought it ought to be available both justice and I got. Holy depends in part due to. That's like showing that he had to navigate to show us that we can do things moment argument that we have the ABC version we're saying bring your child to work day. Harry. Daughters sons we've made gender neutral is that a good deal visits Anderson you're good get together. I mean with the press because it's great fun for me in this press. I had my. Floors across the country including the White House will participate in take our daughters and sons to war. Together we can help more kids participate. Too late to bring bigger dreams about her. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

2016-04-28 16:15 ABC News abcnews.go.com

38 Residents upset after stopped train delays response to fire NEW BOSTON, Mich. (AP) - Residents of a southeastern Michigan community are upset after stopped train delayed crews from responding to a fire. No one was injured in Wednesday’s fire at an unoccupied home in New Boston. WJBK-TV reports firefighters were forced to take a longer route to the house. Neighbors say that resulted in a delay of roughly 20 minutes in responding. The house was destroyed. Residents used cellphones to record video and take photos. Stephanie Layne, who lives near the home that burned, tells WXYZ-TV that she worries a 911 call for an injury or illness might see a similar delay. She says: “It makes me mad, it makes me very scared.” Rufus Thames, who also lives nearby, says trains “sit there for hours at a time” blocking the route to their neighborhood.

2016-04-28 16:15 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

39 The Latest: Jane Sanders: Open primaries ‘more democratic’ WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times Eastern): 7:45 a.m. Bernie Sanders’ wife and adviser Jane Sanders says his campaign will do well in the remaining contests because they are open primaries, which she describes as “more democratic.” In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday, Jane Sanders noted that Bernie Sanders won Rhode Island on Tuesday, which was an open primary, allowing independents as well as Democrats to vote for her husband. “If you close the primary and you only have people who have been in the Democratic Party for years, what you are doing is effectively shutting the door on the millions of people that Bernie has brought in to the political process during this election,” she said. She also said that his campaign intends to continue through the final contest in California, despite a revelation Wednesday that the campaign plans to lay off hundreds of field staffers and other aides. ___ 3:00 a.m. An astonishing Republican presidential primary season has taken another unusual turn. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has picked Carly Fiorina as his running mate - even though he’s mathematically unable to become the GOP nominee through the regular voting process. It’s the move of a candidate desperate to block front-runner Donald Trump, who is growing only stronger as the primary contest presses deeper into the spring. Trump now has 80 percent of the delegates he needs for the Republican nomination, though he could still fall short and have to battle Cruz at a contested convention. Trump must win 48 percent of the remaining delegates to avoid that scenario. Cruz’s White House hopes now rest largely on Tuesday’s primary in Indiana. That’s where he announced Wednesday that he is tapping Fiorina as his vice presidential pick.

2016-04-28 16:15 In this www.washingtontimes.com

40 Springfield man cleared of child rape charge NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) - A Springfield man has been acquitted of charges that he raped a 15-year-old girl at the facility for troubled teens where he once worked. Alphonso Cintron sank to the floor, rose, clenched his fists, thanked the heavens and turned to smile at his mother after the verdict was read Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court. Prosecutors said the 35-year-old Cintron raped the girl in 2009 while he was night supervisor at the Grove, a now-closed residential program in Northampton. The girl, now 22, took the stand at trial to describe sexual encounters with two staff members. But her roommate at the facility testified that while the woman mentioned a sexual relationship with another staffer, she never said anything about Cintron. Cintron had been held in jail for 19 months awaiting trial.

2016-04-28 16:15 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

41 Donald Trump planning to give immigration policy speech soon Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Thursday he’s going to be giving a policy speech on immigration fairly soon, the day after delivering a speech on foreign policy in Washington, D. C. “I’ll be doing a big speech on immigration very shortly,” Mr. Trump said on NBC’s “Today” program. Mr. Trump had been asked about not touching on the U. S.-Mexico border wall he has pledged to build and make Mexico pay for in his speech on Wednesday. SEE ALSO: 20,000 illegals with criminal convictions released into U. S. communities in 2015 “I’m talking about that more in [the] form of immigration - the wall, undocumented immigrants having to be brought out of the country, and we will do that,” he said. “It’s never been a worse situation than we have right now.” “You look at the crime, you look at the tremendous impact they have on our country economically, you look at what’s pouring across the border,” Mr. Trump said. “But I consider that really immigration as opposed to foreign policy. And I’m going to be doing a policy speech on immigration fairly soon.”

2016-04-28 16:15 In this www.washingtontimes.com

42 Hearing for man accused of killing Saints player Will Smith NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Prosecutors will have to present witnesses against the man accused of killing retired New Orleans Saints player Will Smith at a hearing Thursday, unless a grand jury indicts him first. Police say 28-year-old Cardell Hayes shot the star defensive end and Smith’s wife late April 9, killing Smith and hitting Racquel Smith in both legs. Felony defendants who have not been indicted are entitled to a probable cause hearing at which witnesses must be brought forward and can be cross-examined by defense attorneys. Defense attorney John Fuller has subpoenaed five New Orleans homicide officers and two emergency medical technicians, online court records show. However, an indictment before 10 a.m. Thursday would cancel the hearing scheduled at that time, said Dane Ciolino, a criminal law professor at Loyola University-New Orleans. “I would be surprised if that didn’t happen,” he said. Hayes, who had played defensive end in high school and, last year, in a semiprofessional league, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond. Police say Hayes admitted shooting Smith. Defense attorney John Fuller has said Hayes was not the aggressor and was trying to get the license number of a vehicle that had hit his from behind when his Hummer hit Smith’s Mercedes SUV. He has repeatedly pointed out that Hayes stayed at the scene until police arrived. An attorney for Smith’s family has described Hayes as enraged and portrayed the Smiths as the victims. Smith was a leader on the Saints team that won the Super Bowl after the 2009 season. The New York native and Ohio State star stayed in the New Orleans area after his 2012 retirement.

2016-04-28 16:14 This Sunday www.washingtontimes.com

43 Honasan, Sotto blast Duterte’s brand of justice vs criminals CEBU CITY, Philippines—Vice presidential candidate Senator Gringo Honasan and reelectionist Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday said extrajudicial killings of alleged criminals are not the solution to end criminality in the country. The senators aired this message in their speeches before students of the University of Cebu. The two candidates seemed to be taking a swipe at the brand of swift justice of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to end criminality in three to six months partly by killing alleged criminals. READ: Duterte on criminals: ‘Kill all of them’ Duterte is also alleged to be behind the vigilante group Davao Death Squad, believed to be responsible for a spate of summary killings in Davao City. Honasan and Sotto campaigned together in Cebu City, the capital of Cebu province, the country’s most vote-rich province with 2.7 million registered voters. In his speech, Sotto, a reelectionist senator under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said eight of 10 drug cases in the last four years have been dismissed. He added that there is only a four percent conviction rate among drug offenders. He said the long-term solution to drugs is education, not summary killings of alleged drug pushers and users. “The problem of drugs is such a complex crime you can’t just say you’re going to kill the pushers. This is the only crime where the victim is the criminal and the criminal is the victim,” Sotto said. Sotto cited prevention and rehabilitation as more important than enforcement “You cannot just kill. As I said earlier, in a presidency, (killing drug pushers) is easy to do. But you will not solve the problem. Your problem will become larger,” Sotto said. For his part, Honasan, the vice presidential candidate of Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, cited Article III of the Constitution which states that no person shall be deprived of right to life, liberty and property without due process of the law. He said criminals should not be summarily killed because even they have the right to life and innocence until proven guilty. “Killing everybody will not solve the problem… Even criminals have rights. Suppose you make a mistake? Ano sasabihin mo sa umiiyak na nanay? Oops, I’m sorry, nagkamali kami, suspek lang pala (What will you tell a weeping mother? Oops, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, your child turns out to be a suspect only)?” Honasan said. He said a candidate promising to end criminality in three to six months should instead focus on fighting poverty, which he said is the root cause of criminality. READ: Escudero: Fight vs criminality a fight vs poverty “We’ll solve crimes in so many months, ‘pag sinabi mong ganun, siguraduhin mong masosolve din ang poverty (if you say that, you should also make sure that you address poverty),” Honasan said. After the visit, Honasan and Sotto took a drug test in the Cebu Regional Police District to show that they were willing to present themselves to public scrutiny to prove that they are clean from drug influence. They were accompanied by Sotto’s brother actor host Vic Sotto and basketball player Marc Pingris, the husband of Vic’s daughter Danica Sotto. IDL/rga

2016-04-28 15:52 Marc Jayson newsinfo.inquirer.net

44 44 AgustaWestland chopper scam: Here's what the fuss is all about The AgustaWestland deal, also being referred to as the VVIP Chopper scam, has been rocking Parliament for the last few days. What’s exactly is the scam all about? We tell you. The deal In February 2010, India signed a contract worth Rs 3,546 crore with AgustaWestland to supply 12 AW-101 helicopters to the Indian Air Force. These aircrafts were procured to fly VVIPs like the President, the Prime Minister, the Vice President and others. Why where they purchased? The AW-101s were supposed to replace Soviet Mi-8 helicopters, which were being used to transport the VVIPs, as they had completed their technical life. What went wrong? In February 2013, allegations of corruption and kickbacks to the tune of Rs.360 crore started doing the rounds, following the arrest of Giuseppe Orsi, the CEO of Finmeccanica, by Italian authorities. Finmeccanica is AgustaWestland's parent company. Termination of contract On January 1, 2014, India terminated the Rs 3,600 crore-deal on allegations of payment of kickbacks and involvement of middlemen in the acquisition process by the Anglo-Italian firm. AgustaWestland had already supplied three choppers to India and the delivery of the remaining nine was put on hold after then Defence Minister AK Antony ordered a CBI probe. According to Antony. “The then UPA government instituted proceedings for encashment of securities/bank guarantees. This litigation finally succeeded in June 2014 and the Indian government recovered an amount of Rs.2,068 crore against payment of Rs.1,620 crore.” Finmeccanica former CEO jailed Earlier this month, former chief executive officer of Italian group Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, and former head of AgustaWestland, Bruno Spagnolini, were sentenced to jail for false accounting and corruption in connection with the chopper scam. How Sonia Gandhi’s name cropped up The BJP has alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s name crops up four times in an Italian court judgment that observes bribes were indeed paid to Indian authorities to secure the AgustaWestland deal. The 225-page judgment on page 193 mentions Sonia Gandhi's name, apart from other places," claimed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Sambit Patra.

2016-04-28 15:46 By A www.mid-day.com

45 AMLC files money laundering complaint vs PhilRem The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Thursday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a money laundering complaint against PhilRem Service Corporation, the money remittance firm at the center of a controversial scheme involving some $81 million taken by hackers from an account of the Bangladeshi Bank in February this year. Facing a complaint for violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, specifically Sections 4(a), (b) and (f), are top officials of PhilRem, namely Salud Bautista, president; Michael “Concon” Bautista, chairman of the board and treasurer; and Anthony Pelejo, PhilRem’s anti-money laundering compliance officer. Sections 4 (a), (b) and (f) refer to money laundering acts, including transacting the monetary instrument or property, converts, transfers, disposes of, moves, acquires, possesses or uses said monetary instrument or property and performs, or fails to perform, any act as a result of which he or she facilitated the money laundering offense. AMLC said that the unauthorized access to Bangladesh Bank’s system amounts to “hacking” or “cracking,” which is punishable under Section 33 (a) of the Electronic Commerce Act. Based on an investigation by AMLC, the stolen funds were credited to the fictitious bank accounts of Michael Cruz, Jessie Christopher Lagrosas, Alfred Vergara, and Enrico Vasquez, which were all opened on May 15, 2015 at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Jupiter, Makati Branch. Also, AMLC said the dollar and peso accounts under the name of “William So Go” doing business as Centurytex Trading, which were opened February 5, 2016 and July 30, 2014, respectively, are also fictitious. Of the stolen funds, $65,668,664.37 withdrawn from the accounts of Cruz, Lagrosas, Vergara and Vasquez were transferred to Go and eventually to PhilRem. According to AMLC, of the $65-million that was transferred to Go, $13-million was transferred to the RCBC account of Abba Currency Exchange Inc. (Abba) on Feb. 9, 2016. That same date, $3,230,000.00 was transferred from the Abba account to the RCBC account of Beacon Currency Exchange Inc. (Beacon). On Feb. 5, 9 and 10, 2016, the balance of $52,668,664.37 was transferred from the RCBC account of Go to the RCBC-Unimart Greenhills account of PhilRem. At the same time, $15- million from Vasquez’ account was also transferred to PhilRem’s account. Both Abba and Beacon also transferred a total of $13-million to PhilRem’s RCBC account in Pasig. AMLC said Pelejo submitted a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) to AMLC. Under the STR, PhilRem said the transactions made were upon the instructions of “Go” but during the Senate investigation, Salud said the transactions were made upon the instructions of former RCBC Jupiter branch manager Maia Deguito. AMLC said it is highly irregular that PhilRem would deal with Deguito and not the owner of the “Go” account. “The foregoing circumstances clearly show that respondent spouses were aware that the funds were not legitimate when they deliberately ignored the AMLA requirements…Had they done so, respondent spouses would have personally interviewed the real William Go and discover that that the latter was not aware of the existence of the RCBC Account Nos. 9016455240 and 9010270206,” AMLC said. “Worse, respondent spouses converted and transacted the stolen funds with another fictitious account: Centurytex,” the complaint stated. “Philrem acting as a remittance agent actually commingled the funds and acted as a ‘cleaning house.’ Philrem’s role was to make it extremely difficult to trace the source and flow of the funds by avoiding all anti-money laundering measures set by laws and regulations. The participation of Philrem is really to ‘wash’ the funds and conceal the money trail,” AMLC added in its complaint. JE/rga RELATED STORIES DOJ summons RCBC branch manager DOJ assigns prosecutor to probe RCBC branch manager Deguito lawyer dares RCBC chief to ‘man up’ instead of filing case RCBC president sues Deguito for P32-M

2016-04-28 15:46 Tetch Torres newsinfo.inquirer.net

46 Maine DOT workers repair US Route 1 viaduct guardrails BATH, Maine (AP) - The Maine Department of Transportation has begun repairing guardrails along the U. S. Route 1 viaduct in Bath about a month after a sport utility vehicle crashed through one and fell onto a pickup truck below. The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1UiT0eU ) approximately 15 to 20 DOT employees worked on the guardrails as the roadway was closed Wednesday from 8 p.m. until about midnight. Workers checked and tightened bolts along the guardrails of both the north and south sides of Rt. 1. Transportation officials conducted an inspection of the bridge rail after Melissa Medina lost control of her Mercury Mountaineer on April 4, crashed into the bridge railing and flipped over top to the road below. The inspection found numerous faults, including loose or missing bolts and damaged segments. ___ Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

2016-04-28 15:27 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

47 Woman, 34, who ran network of brothels is heading to prison NEWARK, N. J. (AP) - A New Jersey woman who illegally managed a network of at least eight brothels across the state is heading to prison. Thirty-four-year-old Elizabeth Rojas Rojas was sentenced on Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison. The New Brunswick woman pleaded guilty last May to conspiring with her husband and others to harbor unauthorized aliens for financial gain. Authorities say Rojas and her husband managed the brothels in private houses and employed women in the country illegally as prostitutes. Authorities argued for more prison time because the brothel operation was linked to several murders. Rojas apologized and says she didn’t realize how serious the crimes were until she was arrested in September 2014. Her husband faces charges in the case and is also charged in two slayings in Bridgeton.

2016-04-28 15:26 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

48 'Meldonium count in Sharapova's blood sample exceeds permissible levels' Moscow: The Meldonium concentration in the blood sample of Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova exceeds the permissible level, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said. "Masha’s case is more complicated. The Meldonium concentration in her blood is above the norm. Masha took the formula for several year on her doctor’s prescription. I am not going to announce if she will be able to avoid punishment or not. We just want her to restore her position in sport," Mutko stressed, in an interview aired by Match TV on Wednesday, reports Tass. Maria Sharapova. Pic/ AFP Early in March, Sharapova announced that her 2016 Australian Open blood sample contained Meldonioum, which the World Anti-Doping Agency (WASA) had blacklisted as a prohibited formula as of January 1, 2016. The formula refers to S4 class in the WADA list (hormones and metabolism modulators). Athletes use Meldonium to strengthen endurance to physical strains during training sessions as well as for easing emotional, nervous and psychological stresses at competitions. Sharapova was temporarily suspended from tennis competitions as of March 12. She received a letter of notification about a positive doping test on March 2. The maximum term of disqualification for meldonium use is 4 years. The disqualification period is calculated from the date of temporary suspension - as of March 12 in Sharapova’s case. A tennis player, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and WADA have the right to appeal the decision in the course of 21 days since the moment the notification is received. Sharapova is the winner of five Grand Slam tennis tournaments. She has also won a Federation Cup final as part of the Russian national team. She is also a woman singles silver medalist at the London Olympic Games. All in all, Sharapova has won 38 tennis tournaments, including 35 in singles. The 2016 Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5-21.

2016-04-28 15:18 By IANS www.mid-day.com

49 AAP, Delhi Police face off over Kanhaiya Kumar's bail violation plea New Delhi: The hearing on pleas seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday witnessed a confrontation between the AAP government and Delhi Police in the Delhi High Court over the issue of representing the state. Kanhaiya Kumar During the hearing before a bench of Justice P S Teji, Delhi government's senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra objected to the presence of advocates Shailendra Babbar and Anil Soni, who were appointed as special public prosecutors (SPPs) for representing the Delhi Police in the matter. "I am objecting to their presence," Mehra told the bench after which Babbar said they have been appointed as SPPs by the Lieutenant Governor to represent police in the matter. The court, however, directed both of them to file their replies within four weeks on the pleas seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to Kanhaiya for allegedly violating bail conditions. "Say whatever you both want to say in your replies. I want everything in black and white," the court said. "It would be in the interest of justice that replies be filed by both Rahul Mehra and Shailendra Babbar within four weeks," the court said and fixed the matter for hearing on July 19. During the hearing, Mehra told the bench that the petitioners have to first satisfy the court about their locus in filing such petition. After Mehra raised the issue of locus of the petitioners, the bench said, "Let us have the replies first. Whatever you want to say, say in your replies. " "These objections (raised by Mehra on the locus of petitioners and presence of SPPs appearing for the police) cannot be entertained orally," the bench said. AAP government had earlier told the court that there was no violation of any bail condition by the student leader. The police had earlier said that it cannot comment on the pleas seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to Kanhaiya without verifying facts and they were investigating whether any bail condition was violated. Separate pleas have been filed in the high court seeking cancellation of interim bail to Kanhaiya on the ground that his speech after his release from Tihar Jail here in March was "anti-national" and he had violated the bail conditions. Besides seeking cancellation of interim bail, one of the petitioners has moved another plea for initiation of perjury proceedings against Kanhaiya alleging that he had "deliberately and wilfully filed a false affidavit" before the court while securing the relief. Kanhaiya, who was granted six months interim bail on March 2 by the high court, is facing sedition charge in connection with an event at JNU on February 9 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru hailed as a 'martyr'.

2016-04-28 15:18 By PTI www.mid-day.com

50 Rockefeller legacy exhibit open at West Virginia University MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (AP) - The West Virginia and Regional History Center is chronicling the legacy of former Sen. Jay Rockefeller in Wise Library’s Rockefeller Gallery at West Virginia University. The center’s assistant curator and congressional and political papers archivist Danielle Emerling is curating the exhibit, using the Rockefeller Legacy Memos, a collection of 12 memos, to show Rockefeller’s work in the areas of health care reform; West Virginia jobs, economy and industry; children, families and education; and veterans’ affairs. Items on display come from Rockefeller’s papers donating his 30-year tenure in the Senate. He donated the collection to the West Virginia University Libraries in 2014. Jay Rockefeller: A Legacy of Leadership can also be seen online at http://rockefeller.lib.wvu.edu/ .

2016-04-28 15:16 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

51 51 Deadly airstrikes hit MSF-supported hospital in Syrian city BEIRUT (AP) — A wave of nighttime airstrikes hit a hospital in Syria supported by Doctors Without Borders and nearby buildings in the rebel-held part of the contested city of Aleppo , killing at least 27 people as the U. N. envoy for Syria appealed early Thursday on the U. S. and Russia to help revive the peace talks and a cease-fire, which he said “hangs by a thread.” Six hospital staff and three children were also among the casualties. The strikes, shortly before midnight Wednesday, hit the well-known al-Quds field hospital in the rebel-held district of Sukkari in Aleppo , according to opposition activists and rescue workers. The chief Syrian opposition negotiator Mohammed Alloush blamed the government of President Bashar Assad for the deadly airstrikes. He told The Associated Press that the latest violence by government forces shows “the environment is not conducive to any political action.” The Civil Defense, a volunteer first-responders agency whose members went to the scene of the attack, put the death toll at 30 and said the dead included six hospital staff. Among those slain was one of the last pediatricians remaining in opposition-held areas of the contested city and a dentist. The agency, also known as the White Helmets, said the al-Quds hospital and adjacent buildings were struck in four consecutive airstrikes. It said there were still victims buried under the rubble and that the rescue work continued. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 were killed, including three children. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said in a series of tweets also emailed to the AP that at least 14 patients and staff were among those killed, with the toll expected to rise. “Destroyed MSF-supported hospital in Aleppo was well known locally and hit by direct airstrike on Wednesday,” it said. A video posted online by the White Helmets showed a number of lifeless bodies, including those of children, being pulled out from a building and loaded into ambulances amid screaming and wailing. It also showed distraught rescue workers trying to keep onlookers away from the scene, apparently fearing more airstrikes. Alloush , who was one of the leading negotiators of the opposition in the Geneva talks, described the airstrikes as one of the latest “war crimes” of Assad ’s government. “Whoever carries out these massacres needs a war tribunal and a court of justice to be tried for his crimes. He does not need a negotiating table,” Alloush told the AP in a telephone interview. “Now, the environment is not conducive for any political action.” The Feb. 27 cease-fire has been fraying in the past weeks as casualty figures from violence mount, particularly in Aleppo and across northern Syria. Airstrikes earlier this week also targeted a training center for the Syrian Civil Defense, leaving five of its team dead in rural Aleppo. Since April 19, nearly 200 people have died, including at least 44 in an airstrike on a market place in rebel-held area in northern Idlib province, as well as dozens of civilians in government- held areas from rebel shelling. The U. N. envoy for Syria , Staffan de Mistura, briefed the U. N. Security Council via videoconference about the largely stalled indirect talks between the Western- and Saudi-backed opposition and envoys from Assad ’s government, which has the backing of Moscow. He said that after 60 days, the cessation of hostilities agreed to by both sides “hangs by a thread.” Story Continues →

2016-04-28 15:15 In this www.washingtontimes.com

52 After hostage beheading, is Philippines facing ISIS threat? MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Months before Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded retired Canadian mining executive John Ridsdel in the tropical jungles of the southern Philippines, they showed him pleading for life in a video with three other hostages that demanded a record-high ransom. The scene was all too familiar in a Southeast Asian nation that has struggled with ransom kidnappings by the Islamic militants for years, except for two things. In the video that appeared in November, two black flags with Islamic State group symbols were displayed by the heavily-armed Abu Sayyaf fighters in the backdrop of lush foliage. Then after a deadline for ransom lapsed on Monday, they killed the 68-year-old Ridsdel — instead of waiting patiently for the money as the mostly impoverished rural fighters have done in the past. Shocked by the outcome, many in the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia are asking if this is same band of militants the government has long dismissed as ransom-seeking bandits. Or, has the Philippines fallen into a growing list of countries that are now grappling with the spread of the Islamic State group from Syria and Iraq? The Philippine government has insisted the IS still has no presence in the country’s south, homeland of minority Muslims who rose up to seek a separate state in the early 1970s. In his first remarks following Ridsdel’s killing, President Benigno Aquino III, who is left with two more months in office, ran a history of the Abu Sayyaf’s brutal attacks, describing it as a group of outlaws and vowing “to devote all my energies toward ensuring that, at the very least, this will be a very seriously degraded problem.” “Even as it poses as a group of Islamic freedom fighters, the Abu Sayyaf has behaved as criminals focused on enriching themselves by taking hostages for ransom,” he said, describing them as opportunists who want to “align themselves with ISIS to gain access to the funds and resources of ISIS.” Terrorism experts, however, believe that a key Abu Sayyaf faction and at least two other small armed groups have gone beyond pledging allegiance to the Middle East-based jihadis on video and have struck a new alliance under the IS flag. Some foreign militants from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East helped forge the union under an overall leader, Isnilon Hapilon, a veteran Filipino militant who was among those who founded the Abu Sayyaf on southern Basilan Island in early 1990s, said Rodolfo Mendoza, a retired police general who helped lead counterterrorism efforts. It’s not yet clear if the foreign militants, three of whom were killed in military offensives last year and this year, were IS fighters or sympathizers who wanted to recruit Filipinos into the IS fold, according to the Philippine military. In November, Abu Sayyaf gunmen beheaded a Malaysian hostage despite ongoing ransom negotiations. It happened while Manila was hosting an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit attended by world leaders, including President Barack Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Another armed group, which has brandished the IS group’s black flag in southern Butig town but is not yet known to have joined Hapilon’s alliance, recently posted a picture online of two kidnapped villagers in orange garb before they were beheaded as suspected military spies. It’s the first known instance local militants dressed their captives in orange, as IS extremists do. An unusual surge in kidnappings, including daring attacks on three tugboats in and around the Sulu Sea that captured 18 Indonesian and Malaysian crewmen starting last month, along with recent beheadings, may be a way by the emerging bloc of militants to dramatize their capability and brutality and convince the IS group to fully recognize them as an affiliate entitled to funds and training support, Mendoza told The Associated Press. Earlier this month, an Abu Sayyaf ambush in Basilan killed 18 soldiers in the military’s largest single-day combat loss so far this year. “They’re now able to project internationally that they deserve the serious recognition of mother ISIS,” Mendoza said. “The kidnappings that they do shouldn’t only be seen as plain banditry.” Story Continues →

2016-04-28 15:11 This image www.washingtontimes.com

53 Video: Trailblazer Becomes Army's First Female Infantry Officer Well US army captain is making military history today Kristen gripes has become the nation's first female aren't. Army infantry officer shall be commanding units made up a 300 soldiers and organizing combat missions. Christ had already broken one barrier last summer as one of only two women to ever graduate from army ranger school. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

2016-04-28 15:10 ABC News abcnews.go.com

54 Video: Man Says He Was Punched for Looking Like Shia LaBeouf Transcript for Man Says He Was Punched for Looking Like Shia LaBeouf A 26 year old man and Manhattan claims that he was targeted for his resemblance to actor Shia LaBeouf. Mario you can't help told police that he was a walking up the stairs. At the F train station in the lower east side Saturday night when it was sucker punch the suspect allegedly shouted this is because you look like Shia LaBeouf. He got out was knocked unconscious and suffered cuts and bruises police are now investigating. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

2016-04-28 15:09 ABC News abcnews.go.com

55 Ford’s 1Q net income doubles on truck, SUV sales DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Ford Motor Co.’s net income more than doubled to $2.5 billion in the first quarter on strong sales of trucks and SUVs in North America. The company’s pretax profit of $3.8 billion was a record. Worldwide sales rose 10 percent to 1.7 million. Demand for SUVs and trucks offset lower sales in South America. U. S. sales of the Ford Explorer SUV rose 39 percent in the first quarter. Ford’s results trounced Wall Street’s forecasts. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker earned 61 cents per share in the January-March period, up from 29 cents a year ago. Excluding one-time items, Ford earned 68 cents per share. Analysts polled by FactSet forecast earnings of 47 cents per share. Ford’s revenue rose 11 percent to $37.7 billion. Analysts had forecast revenue of $35.59 billion.

2016-04-28 15:06 This Thursday www.washingtontimes.com

56 Asheville commits to building more than 300 affordable homes ASHEVILLE, N. C. (AP) - Officials in Asheville say federal funds will help build more than 300 affordable homes in and around the city. The Asheville Citizen-Times reported (http://avlne.ws/1rkaZq3) that the move by city council on Tuesday awarded federal funds to help build 336 affordable homes. The $1.2 million will be used in Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Madison counties. Officials say they had requests totaling $1.9 million for the affordable housing projects. The council also approved nearly $900,000 in federal funds for programs ranging from urban agriculture to drop-in child care for poor people who are looking for jobs. ___ Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com

2016-04-28 15:06 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

57 Indiana University student named Indy 500’s official poet INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana University student who is a poet and a performer has been named the Indianapolis 500’s first official poet since the early 20th century. Adam Henze of Bloomington beat out more than 200 others who submitted Indy 500-themed poems for the contest co-sponsored by Indiana Humanities. The competition revives an Indy 500 tradition from the 1920s, when an official poem was included in the race day program. Henze is an educator and a doctoral candidate at IU. He receives a $1,000 cash prize and two tickets to the 100th running of the race on May 29. His poem is titled “For Those Who Love Fast, Loud Things.” It will appear in the official race program. Henze also will have a chance to read his winning poem at the Speedway during qualification weekend.

2016-04-28 15:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

58 4 University of Georgia students killed in car crash WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Four female University of Georgia students have been killed and another student critically injured in a car crash on a two-lane road south of the Athens campus, authorities said. The crash occurred Wednesday night when two mid-sized sedans, one driving northbound and the other southbound, collided just after 9 p.m. on Georgia State Route 15 just outside Watkinsville, Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry told local news outlets. “For an unknown reason, a vehicle crossed the center line and struck another vehicle,” Georgia State Patrol Sgt. Scott Andrews told Atlanta station WSB-TV. The five students were in one of the cars, Berry said. The driver of the other car was taken to a hospital, but their condition wasn’t available. The student in critical condition was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the heartbreaking and tragic loss of four students and critical injuries to another student in a terrible car accident last night outside of Athens,” University of Georgia President Jere Morehead said in a statement early Thursday. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of our students who were victims,” Morehead said. “We ask that you keep these students and their family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.”

2016-04-28 15:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

59 Eastern Illinois University investigates mumps outbreak CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) - An outbreak of mumps at Eastern Illinois University has affected about a dozen students. University spokeswoman Vicki Shaw Woodard said Wednesday that the current outbreak started around April 11. Sick students have been asked to isolate themselves for five days and return home if possible. The university in Charleston is working with state and local health officials to evaluate and manage the outbreak. Mumps is a viral infection that causes swelling in the salivary glands and cheeks. It spreads through saliva or mucus when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can spread by sharing eating utensils or touching surfaces with unwashed hands. Mumps cases have been reported on campuses across the United States, including at Harvard University where about 40 people have been affected.

2016-04-28 15:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

60 Mother accused in death of infant ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A St. Paul mother has been charged with manslaughter in the smothering death of her infant daughter. A criminal complaint filed by the Dakota County attorney says South St. Paul police were called to the home of Jessica Grass last June where they found an unresponsive 5-month-old girl. The complaint says the 31-year-old mother initially told police she found Vaida Rose unconscious with her face against a pillow on a bed. Prosecutors say Grass later said she might have rolled on her daughter while they were asleep. The complaint says controlled substances were found in the mother’s system. Grass appeared in court Wednesday in Hastings and has been released on $25,000 bail. She’s due back in court May 10. It’s not immediately clear if Grass has retained an attorney.

2016-04-28 15:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

61 Bristol-Myers 1Q sales jump but costs keep its profit flat TRENTON, N. J. (AP) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. trounced Wall Street’s first- quarter profit expectations as soaring sales of key new medicines offset higher expenses and a big hit from generic competition. Those factors left the drugmaker with a nearly flat profit despite revenue jumping 9 percent, a sales trend that bodes well for the future, and Bristol-Myers hiked its profit forecast significantly. The company’s hot new cancer drugs, Opdivo and Yervoy, posted combined sales more than 160 percent higher than a year ago. Sales more than doubled for Eliquis for preventing heart attacks and strokes, which is marketed jointly with partner Pfizer Inc. And sales of Bristol-Myers’ hepatitis C drug Daklinza also are rising quickly, giving the company strong positions in three of the hottest drug categories today. The New York-based company said Thursday that its net income amounted to $1.2 billion, up 0.8 percent from $1.19 billion in 2015’s first-quarter. Earnings per share in the latest quarter amounted to 71 cents, or 74 cents excluding one-time items. That was 9 cents above what analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting. Surging revenue was offset by a higher tax bill, slightly higher research spending and increased manufacturing costs due to the growing product sales. Revenue totaled $4.39 billion, up from $4.04 billion in the year-ago quarter and above the $4.27 billion analysts were expecting. Excluding the impact of unfavorable currency exchange rates, revenue rose by 11 percent. The sales increase was driven by the company’s growing cancer medicine franchise, heart drug Eliquis, Orencia for rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis C drug Daklinza. On the flip side, recent generic competition for schizophrenia drug Abilify slashed its revenue by 94 percent to just $33 million, generic copycats hurt sales of older antiviral medicines and Bristol-Myers no longer gets revenue from older cancer drug Erbitux after transferring away its rights. Opdivo and Yervoy are leading the feverish race to dominate in the nascent and extremely lucrative field of immuno-oncology - medicines that fight cancer by stimulating the immune system to better recognize and attack tumor cells. These drugs have been significantly increasing survival times in many patients with some of the deadliest cancers. Opdivo posted $704 million in first-quarter sales and Yervoy added $263 million. Opdivo is approved to treat melanoma and lung and kidney cancers, awaits approval for treating Hodgkin lymphoma and is being tested, alone and together with Yervoy, against other cancer types. Cal. Meanwhile, another type of cancer drug that the company is developing with partner AbbVie Inc., called Empliciti, posted $28 million in U. S. sales and is likely to be approved soon in Europe. “We had a very good first quarter, highlighted by strong sales growth and significant progress in bringing the promise of immuno-oncology across multiple types of cancer to patients,” Dr. Giovanni Caforio, the company’s chief executive, said in the statement. Bristol-Myers raised its 2016 earnings-per-share forecast from a range of $2.30 to $2.40, to a range of $2.50 to $2.60, excluding one-time items. ___ Follow Linda A. Johnson at https://twitter.com/lindaj_onpharm

2016-04-28 15:05 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

62 German manufacturing company to open plant in Auburn AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - A German manufacturing company is planning to open its first U. S. plant in Auburn, creating 100 jobs. Media outlets report that the Berghoff Group announced Wednesday that it will invest $30 million to build its new plant. Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, says the plant is expected to create 100 precision machining jobs over the next five years. The Auburn plant will be the company’s fifth global manufacturing location. The Berghoff Group specializes in the mechanical processing of highly complex workpieces.

2016-04-28 15:04 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

63 Cow worship more to do with rural economy than religion: Union Minister New Delhi: The Indian trait of worshiping cows should not be strictly linked to religiosity as this had more to do with creating a strong rural economy, union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said. "Even these days, any rural family that breeds a cow will never die of starvation. It will be wrong to link cow worship to religious feelings alone. The religious sentiment is one side of it, it should be respected. But cow breeding as an habit must be understood as a basis of traditional India's rural economy," Singh said at a book release function on Wednesday night. "Numerous studies and experiences in rural India have shown that even cows which stop giving milk can be helpful in economic sense when the urine and cow dung can be used for making medicines and other utilities," he said. The book, 'Kamadhenu: Cows of India', penned by civil servant Rajni Sekhri Sibal, at present an additional chief secretary with tbe Haryana govenment and published by Wisdom Tree was released by the agriculture minister in the presence of a distinguished gathering including former chief election commissioner S. Y. Quraishi and NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy. It is billed as the first coffee table book on the country's diverse genetic cattle resources, with special sections on buffaloes and mithuns. Speaking on the occasion, Debroy said Sibal, a former joint secretary (Dairy Development), "has made a right mix of folklore, local tales and myths along with scientific data and economic significance of indigenous breeds". Sharing her experiences of working on the project that started in 2012, Sibal, a 1986 batch IAS officer, said: "Every breed of Indian cow has a story to tell. " She said the idea of the book first came to mind during her stint in Sikkim when she had been to a monastery and found that a particular variety of butter from Sikkimese Siri cows was used to light lamps. "There was a unique fragrance and locals also believed that the use of Siri milk butter brought in good luck to the village," she said. Moreover, Sibal said, dairy farming is probably only sector of rural employment that ensured that the benefits of growth goes directly to "poorest and marginal farmers". "Dairy farming is the only sector that helps 70 per cent of landless people and marginal farmers," she said. Radha Mohan Singh said the government is trying to encourage dairy farming and especially promote "desi" cows as "it is found that with climatic changes and temperature going up on average by one degree, foreign breeds are getting more and more vulnerable". The Centre has started the National Gokul Mission with an allocation of Rs 500 crore, he said. India has 32 breeds of cattle which have been characterised as milk breeds. "In order to encourage breeding of indigenous cows, the centre has come up with the idea of national cow breeding centre and one such centre will soon come up in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Praesh," the minister added. The government policy is also to increase milk production with A2 protein (beta-casein protein) present in the milk of indigenous cows as against the A1 protein present in the milk of foreign breeds which is often not good for health. The Utar Pradesh government, which was initially reluctant, has now agreed to set up a Gokul Gram at Mathura, he said.

2016-04-28 15:00 By IANS www.mid-day.com

64 Ground broken for solar energy facility in Hattiesburg HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Officials have broken ground on a new solar energy facility in Hattiesburg. Mississippi Power Co. and Silicon Ranch Corp. are partnering to build the $100 million, 50 megawatt solar farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to supply power to about 6,500 homes. The groundbreaking was held indoors Wednesday at Lake Terrace Convention Center. Silicon Ranch President and CEO Matt Kisber tells The Hattiesburg American (http://hatne.ws/1XWR3Ur) the project, which will be located near Timberton, is expected to generate around 400 jobs during construction. It will sit on approximately 450 acres and feature more than 600,000 solar panels that will produce more than 100 million kilowatt-hours annually. Silicon Ranch will fund, own and operate the facility. Mississippi Power will receive all the electricity from the solar farm for the next 25 years. ___ Information from: The Hattiesburg American, http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com

2016-04-28 14:59 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

65 SA’s take-home salaries taking strain “Last month the increase in disposable salaries of 6.5% on a year ago barely beat inflation‚ which sits at 6.3%‚” says Dr Caroline Belrose‚ Head of Knowledge and Risk Services at BankservAfrica. The BDSI average monthly take-home pay for March 2016 was R12‚501. The BankservAfrica Private Pensions Index increased by 7.4% for the year. Its average pension in the month was R6‚075. The trend in total payments of disposable salaries and pensions shows that the consumer will not be in a very strong position this year‚ the company said in a statement. The slowdown in disposable salary growth is also impacted by personal income taxes that were effectively raised again by not compensating for inflation. This is called bracket creep and means that as people’s salaries or pensions go up to compensate for inflation‚ they enter a higher tax bracket‚ therefore in real terms they are taking home the same amount. The salary of those in the middle of the salary spectrum outpaced those at the higher end due to more people slowly moving up the employment ladder. The median salary shows a growth of 7.2%‚ which is again better than the average salary. Mike Schüssler‚ Chief Economist at Economists dotcoza‚ said: “Within the next few months we believe that retail sales will no longer be growing at a real rate of 4% or even 3%. Interest rate hikes and slower salary increases based on last year’s low inflation numbers will limit the employee’s ability to spend. This is bad news for large item sales like cars and furniture. It is likely that retailers will struggle for real growth in the next few months.”

2016-04-28 14:59 Tmg Digital www.timeslive.co.za

66 Video: Jane Doe Found Near Manson Killings Identified Jane doe from a 47 year old cold case has been identified. And Mets hitters are now looking into whether her murder may be connected to Charles Manson. Read your Robertson who was nineteen years old when she moved from Montreal to Los Angeles. Her body was discovered in November 1969. A few miles away from one of the Manson murder scenes. And like other Manson murders puritans was savage she'd been stabbed a 150 times. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

2016-04-28 14:59 ABC News abcnews.go.com

67 Video: American Airlines Aircraft Returns to Airport After Bird Strike A Dallas bound American Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Seattle after a midair collision with a bird take a look at the impact strong enough to leave a crater on the jet's nose. That measure two feet across bird strikes as you know fairly common but this one seemed more serious than usual so. Typically at Hamburg dark. Operating a back at the airport yet. Well the damage of Airbus A 321 was limited to that dent on the nose but a new plane was brought in to resume the flights. It was carrying a 150 passengers and six crew members none of whom are injured with a strike. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. 2016-04-28 14:59 ABC News abcnews.go.com

68 Atlanta weather | Showers, 81-degree day in Thursday’s forecast

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2016-04-28 14:58 Lauren Foreman www.ajc.com

69 New York man gets 21 years for drug trafficking in Lewiston PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A Brooklyn, New York, man has been sentenced to serve more than two decades in prison for trafficking crack cocaine and heroin throughout the Lewiston area. James Winbrone was sentenced to 21 years behind bars Wednesday in federal court in Portland. The 32-year-old was found guilty of drug possession and distribution charges in September 2015. Prosecutors say Winbrone faced an enhanced sentence due to his position of leadership in the trafficking ring and for his role in “an act of violence” involving a customer who owed a drug debt. Winbrone’s indictment states that he was part of the drug conspiracy at least from April 2014 to October 2014. A wire-tap investigation of the drug ring led police to Winbrone’s Bartlett Street apartment, where cocaine and heroin was seized by officers.

2016-04-28 14:58 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

70 Natural birth takes centre stage at new midwife-led hospital in Cape Town The Origin Family-Centred Maternity Hospital is in Panorama‚ Parow. It aims to facilitate low- risk natural birthing methods. “Midwives are a dying breed in South Africa. Unfortunately many of the good ones have gone overseas‚ but we are particularly fortunate to have got back from overseas – especially the Middle East – some wonderful‚ highly skilled midwives. We will make 100% sure that the values that Florence Nightingale instilled into the profession of nursing and nursing science will be maintained in our hospital‚” says Chief Operations Officer of Origin‚ Sydney Grové. Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Howard Manyonga‚ accredited facilitator for risk management for the Professional Protection Society and member of the independent Clinical Governance Committee of Origin‚ said: “All of my life I have been learning from midwives‚ and the Clinical Governance Committee will ensure that Origin has a just culture and gives patients the care that they deserve. Origin is a trailblazer in the industry.” Nursing consultant Lydia Botha‚ also a member of Origin’s Clinical Governance Committee‚ stressed the crucial role of midwives‚ saying: “It has been shown that women who have access to midwives experience fewer pre-term births‚ less intervention in labour‚ shorter hospital stays‚ breast feed more often and for longer‚ and are more likely to use contraception and to space their families. Extending this partnership to all pregnant women would save millions of lives each year. "If all women delivered with a midwife in a facility capable of providing basic emergency care‚ is it estimated that 56% of maternal‚ foetal‚ and newborn deaths could be prevented.” Grové said Origin has received its Department of Health licence‚ and been given the green light by the independent Clinical Governance Committee to open its doors as soon as the Board of Healthcare Funders inspection is complete. Opening is set for late May 2016. Late last year‚ a report by UN agencies and the World Bank said that 303‚000 women had died as a result of complications during pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth in the year‚ down from 532‚000 in 1990. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for two out of every three deaths in the world. “But that represents a major improvement: Sub-Saharan Africa saw nearly 45% fewer maternal deaths” over the period‚ the report said. Executive director of the UN Population Fund Dr Babatunde Osotimehin told AFP: “Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress‚ or will fall behind‚ over the next 15 years if we don’t improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills.”

2016-04-28 14:58 Tmg Digital www.timeslive.co.za

71 Brief tornado that struck Omaha rated EF1, service says OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The National Weather Service says a tornado that skipped along a few blocks of northwest Omaha was rated EF1, packing winds of 86 through 110 mph. The service says the tornado stayed on the ground for about eight blocks and seemed to bob up and down after it struck around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. It toppled a few trees, damaged others and knocked down some fences before dissipating about four minutes later. No injuries have been reported. Golf ball-size hail fell near Valley and other Douglas County spots. Downpours accompanied the storms that developed Wednesday from the same system that brought rain Tuesday. The service has issued an alert for possible flooding along the Missouri River for Cass and Otoe counties. A flood warning was issued for Nemaha and Richardson counties.

2016-04-28 14:57 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

72 72 Golden Boys beat IC Extension 'B' to win Remedian rink football title Golden Boys won the Remedian rink football title at Our Lady of Remedy School ground recently beating IC Extension ‘B’ 3-1 in a pulsating final. Golden Boys with the Remedian rink football winners’ trophy Agnelo Picardo netted all three goals for Golden Boys, while Grenville Murzello pulled one back for the IC outfit. Golden boys’ Picardo and Franco D’Souza were adjudged best player, and best defender of the final respectively, while IC’s Ankit Rawat was named Player of the Tournament. Golden boys received a cash award of Rs 18,000 for their effort while IC Extn were richer by Rs 10,000.

2016-04-28 14:56 By PTI www.mid-day.com

73 Deputies find body of 2-year-old boy who wandered from home HUDSON, Fla. (AP) - A massive search for a 2-year-old boy ended tragically when deputies found his body in a pond about 150 yards from his home in Hudson. Pasco County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Melanie Snow said in a news release that Clayton Foskey wandered away from his home Wednesday evening. Some 60 law enforcement officers started searching for the child about 7:20 p.m. The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/1WsrGuQ ) reports deputies went door-to-door and found that a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured video of the boy walking about 7:04 p.m. A short time later they found a footprint near the pond and deputies saw the boy’s body about 15 feet from the shore. An investigation is continuing. Hudson is located north of Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast. ___ Information from: The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, http://www.tampatrib.com

2016-04-28 14:56 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

74 ‘Virtual Crim’ offers participation from afar in Flint races FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Organizers of an annual series of summer running races in Flint say people don’t need to be in the city to be a part of this year’s event. The Flint Journal reports (http://bit.ly/26wEfKp ) the “Virtual Crim” will allow people to show their support; run or walk a mile, 5 kilometers, 8 kilometers or 10 miles; or make a donation. It’s all linked to the HealthPlus Crim Festival of Races in August. Those who donate $50 or more get an “I Crim for Flint” T-shirt. Organizers say participants may also create virtual teams, competing for the top spot in their fundraising efforts. The Crim Fitness Foundation has said it’s hoping to boost participation by Flint residents in the races as the city faces a crisis with lead-tainted water. ___ Online: http://crim.org ___ Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint

2016-04-28 14:55 - Associated Press - Thursday, April 28, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com

75 Top colleges that accepted Houston ISD students From the Ivy League to top liberal arts colleges, students in the Houston Independent School District were granted admission for the fall 2016 semester into some of the best colleges in the country. READ MORE: The Texas colleges that give you the best bang for your buck HISD students received admission into 18 of the top 20 national universities ( as ranked by U. S. News & World Report ). That includes one at Princeton University, the top school in the country. Five students each received acceptance into tier one schools Yale, Duke, Columbia and Dartmouth. And 18 HISD graduates got into Houston’s own Rice University, the top program in the state. The University of Texas at Austin accepted the most HISD students (68 total), followed by the University of Houston (51) and Texas A&M, College Station (48). For some reason, several students applied to and were accepted at colleges in Massachusetts: Northeastern University, Brandeis University and Clark University admitted a combined 53 students. See the gallery above for the number of HISD students accepted at the top national universities.

2016-04-28 09:48 Matt Levin www.chron.com

76 3-alarm fire reported at NW Houston apartments Crews fought a three-alarm fire at an apartment building in northwest Houston on Wednesday night, reports say. The blaze started just before 9 p.m. at a complex in the 5100 block of FM 1960 Road West, according to KTRK and KPRC . KPRC identified the complex as the Providence at Champions. About seven units were damaged in the fire, KTRK reports, forcing about a dozen people out of their homes. No injuries have been reported, and it is unclear what started the massive fire.

2016-04-28 12:41 By Dana www.chron.com

77 Trupti Desai set to march into Haji Ali, AIMIM threaten to smear black ink After scoring victory for women's right to enter Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar temples, Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai will on Thursday try to enter the core area of Haji Ali Dargah in the city where women are not allowed. Trupti Desai. Pic/PTI A local AIMIM leader said they would not allow Desai to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the renowned Dargah and threatened to smear her face with black ink if she does so. "We will hold a peaceful march for women's rights at Haji Ali dargah today, pray there and later decide the future course of action," Desai told reporters in Mumbai. "I think (Bollywood actors) Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan too should lend us support for our cause as that will only help us in our fight for equality," she said. However, AIMIM leader Haji Rafat Husain said entering a graveyard is 'haram' (forbidden) in Islam, and added that his party supporters will not under any circumstance let Desai enter the shrine's sanctum sanctorum. Husain also threatened to smear Desai's face with black ink, even if he gets arrested for it. "Women are barred from entering graveyards and shrines. She cannot be allowed to play with Islamic traditions for cheap publicity gimmicks. Our women volunteers will be at the shrine to prevent her entry there," Husain said. "But, if she and her supporters forcefully try to enter the sanctum sanctorum, I will myself paint her face with black ink even if I have to face arrest for the act," he said. L ast week, Shiv Sena leader Haji Arafat Shaikh had said Desai would be hit with 'slippers' if she tried to enter the Haji Ali Dargah. However, after his remarks created a furore in various circles, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe rejected Shaikh's statement and even warned of action against him. Desai had recently led a successful campaign for women's entry into the temples like Shani Shignapur in Ahmednagar district and Trimbakeshwar in Nashik. The Maharashtra government had in February this year favoured the entry of women into the Haji Ali Dargah. The state government had then said before the Bombay High Court that unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that ban is part of their religious practice with reference to Quran, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali. The Dargah Board had said that the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah houses the grave of a male saint and in Islam it is sin for women to touch a male saint, and hence, women are barred from touching the tomb.

2016-04-28 14:50 By PTI www.mid-day.com

78 Maine Sunday Telegram Business Nova Star Cruises filed for bankruptcy protection April 13 in Canada, listing about $15 million in debts to more than 200 creditors and only $142,000 in assets with which to pay them. Its owner, Eliot resident Mark Amundsen, signed the court filing from Tarifa, Spain, a picturesque beach resort community on the Mediterranean Sea. Nova Star operated a cruise ferry service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, during the 2014 and 2015 summer tourist seasons. It received about $41 million (Canadian) in subsidies from Nova Scotia’s government, but ultimately failed to attract the number of passengers it needed to remain viable. Attempts to reach Amundsen, who had said in November that he intended to pay all outstanding obligations, were unsuccessful. Among the Maine companies most affected by the Nova Star’s failure is Westbrook-based Pratt Abbott Cleaners, a linen and dry cleaning company. Nova Star Cruises’ filing lists an unsecured debt of $16,214 to Pratt Abbott, and the company has said the ship owner, Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd., owes it $262,000. Pratt Abbott General Manager Thomas Gridley said he was not aware of the Nova Star bankruptcy filing, and that the company has been focused on its legal battle to recover the much larger sum from ST Marine in maritime court. “Our feeling is that the owners of the Nova Star really are being unfair,” Gridley said. “They had the resources to fulfill their obligations to us.” Even though Nova Star Cruises ended last season in debt and lost its charter rights to the vessel, federal law allows companies that sold it “maritime necessities” to seize the ship and force the ship owner – even if it was not the operator – to sell it at auction to raise money to pay them. The Nova Star was seized under that law because of debts owed to local companies such as McAllister Towing, Pratt Abbott and Sprague Operating Resources. The Singapore shipyard resolved most of those debts, and the ship was released from Portland Harbor in December, but ST Marine disagreed with some providers of supplies and services over whether they had provided “maritime necessities,” including Pratt Abbott, which supplied uniforms and linens to Nova Star Cruises. Gridley said Pratt Abbott never anticipated that such a high-profile ferry operation would skip town without paying its debts. “This has been an education,” he said. “It certainly affects people in Maine.” Another major creditor in the bankruptcy is the city of Portland. According to the bankruptcy filing, the city is owed more than $78,000 for port fees and other obligations. However, city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin said ST Marine paid that debt as a condition of releasing the ship in December. Although the city’s port fees and taxes were paid by ST Marine, Grondin said the city is still fighting the ship owner in Maine District Court over an outstanding $150,000 loan issued to Nova Star Cruises by the Portland Development Corp. ST Marine was required to post a $750,000 surety bond out of which the city-staffed economic development group’s loan could be repaid if it wins in court. Among the other Maine creditors is Portland Pilots Inc., which is owed nearly $200,000. Portland Pilots is also suing the ship’s owner in federal court. Also listed in the bankruptcy are Portland Tugboat ($12,030), the Portland Regional Chamber ($600), Publicover Security Service in Portland ($2,720), Troiano Waste Services ($2,784), the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau ($2,499) and Brown Ship Services ($43,225). Also among the creditors are several media companies: MaineToday Media, publisher of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, is owed $9,890; WCSH-TV, $18,590; WGME, $17,600; Maine Public Broadcasting Network, $3,150; Hartford Courant Media Group in Boston, $15,000; and The Boston Globe, $139,434. The operator’s own public relations firm, Savvy Inc., owned by Dennis Bailey, is owed $9,012. Melissa “MissE” Cloutier is among those whom the company failed to pay in full for their work. Cloutier’s dance studio and entertainment company in Portland, Red Hot & Ladylike, performed burlesque shows and taught dance classes on the ferry on weekends. The bankruptcy filing lists an unpaid debt of $1,000. Cloutier said she was caught by surprise when Nova Star Cruises failed to pay for the final weekend that Red Hot & Ladylike performed on the ship. “We didn’t know anything was going on,” she said, referring to the company’s financial problems. “I think it’s highly unlikely I’m ever going to see that ($1,000).” Cloutier said Red Hot & Ladylike was always paid for its work before that final weekend, and performing and teaching on the ship was a good experience overall. “The crew that they had was really awesome,” she said. “They kind of got the short end of the stick, too.” Another vendor of the Nova Star was Portland-based HR Distributors, which provided electronic parts and repairs. The Nova Star filing lists an unpaid debt of $432 to the company. HR Distributors owner Peter Horsman said his company did business with Nova Star during both years it operated. The ferry operator paid by credit card for services at the time they were rendered, he said, but last summer the ferry operator asked to open a customer line of credit. Horsman said the company agreed, but it later revoked the line of credit when Nova Star failed to make any payments. “They didn’t take us for much,” he said, adding that he feels bad for the many businesses that are probably out thousands of dollars as a result of the bankruptcy. “I don’t know how they could get away with it.”

2016-04-28 11:45 www.pressherald.com

79 Maxx2Racing Team Welcomes You To The 2015 SEMA Show This stunning example of a late model car, aptly named ‘Stealth’ , will again be featured at the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, featuring many of the top automobile builders, and 150,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries. Highly reconfigured and upgraded from the 2013 show, she shows off the ‘Race Bred’ features now incorporated into the car. This ‘Build’ is dedicated to the home shop builder, the gals and guys who have a passion for car building, not just buying that special car they have always dreamed of. The innovative ideas applied to this ‘stunning’ example, while not a trailer queen, do in fact show that one can build that dream car on a set budget, using only the best parts available from the aftermarket industry. Those include our sponsors: Covercraft Industries Inc, Axalta Coating Systems, Jet-Hot Performance Coatings, Dynamat, K&N, Spectre Performance, MagnaFlow, Accel Performance Group, Continental Tire, ARP Fasteners, Ron Francis Wireworks, Auto Meter, RideTech, OPTIMA Batteries, Wilwood, Design Engineering Inc, Brandmotion, Auburn Gear, US Gear/AxleTech International, Strange Engineeering, Dynotech Driveshafts, DJSafety, Deist Safety, Rocket Racing Wheels, SoffSeal, Ultra Shield Race Products, Mechman Alternators, H3R Performance, Inc, Comp Cams, Total Seal, Mahle/Clevite, Hellwig Products, Carillo, BowTieOverdrives, UMI Performance, RedLine LumTronix, CAVALLINOS Collision Center, CMF Fabrication, Tony Taylor- Distributor/Performance Lubricants, Graphics Unlimited, Total Flow Products, Applied Racing Components (ARC), ProSystemsRacing, OBPltd(UK), Made For You Products, GB PERFORMANCE LTD, Schoenfeld Headers, Wings West, Casazza Oil Company-VP Racing Fuels, Reno Buick/GMC/Cadillac, OldIron Media Blasting and Powder Coating, Shawn Natenstedt Racing, Zech Pursley/Twisted Metal Fabrication, City Auto Parts/Napa, Renner Equipment/Northern Nevada. Maxx2Racing Team Members/Sponsors/Drivers Tony Taylor, Ric Donofrio, James MacPherson, Steve ‘Hodgeman’ Hodge, Tony Nacewicz/TN Racing, Bob Lucas, Dane Buckley, Brian Lucas, Troy ‘The Toy Man’ Hancock, Ray Garcia A Very Special Thanks to Grafics Unlimited for their ‘Professional’ Rear Wing Wrap, Logos, and Car Hauler Wrap A Very Special Thanks to Valerie Thompson and Ray Garcia A Very Special Thanks to David Haas A Very Special Thanks to Chris and Sumer Gardner MEDIA COVERAGE: WorldNewsVine (WNV), BonnveilleRacing.com, Thom Bell/PSVideo, Auto Mutt Productions, Wally Cahill/President of G2G Productions, Russell Lovett/ Lovett’s Speed Shop, Ellen Richardson Exclusive Media Coverage Provided By WorldNewsVine Robert Grone, Owner/Editor, Brenda Hyatt, Chief Editor Don Scelzo, Photographer/Video Photographer TriboDyn Performance Lubricants Mooresville, NC 859-750-6299 [email protected] http://www.tribodyn.com/ TriboDyn on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/TriboDyn TriboDyn Performance Lubricants Facebook Page The Maxx2Racing Team [email protected] http://maxx2racing.com/ Follow us on WorldNewsVine, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, GoFundMe, and over 50 social media and racing related sites. Type in Maxx2Racing, and follow the links. 2015 SEMA Show https://www.facebook.com/events/1626513050959931/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/NascarBodiedLandSpeedRaceCars/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/408137802673551/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMaxx2RacingTeam https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maxx2Racing/216999411661610 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000228045787 https://www.facebook.com/groups/301988883341461/ http://www.gofundme.com/Maxx2Racing

2016-04-28 14:49 maxx2racing worldnewsvine.com

80 Centralized, Political Control No Way to Save the Planet By Leslee Kulba- The 46th annual Earth Day was ushered in by the coming together of 186 countries, well sort of. At a grand ceremony of the United Nations in New York, dignitaries committed their countries to signing on to the new Paris Agreement, a process that could take until 2020 or so. The agreement was described as each country setting its own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The targets would only be advisory, but they would have to be updated every five years. Today, China is responsible for 24 percent of negative global emissions; the United States, 12 percent. The talks were described as glowing rhetoric (a.k.a. hot air) and cherry-picked fact. Defying traditional definitions of climate, experts and non-experts alike told of these or those places where temperatures had increased last year. At least a couple studies were referenced to show national targets to ebb climate change were not strong enough to, as it were, save the planet. A few leaders talked not so much of starvation and overheating as the psycho-sociological consequences of the scarcity that would follow. Among the most notable speakers was Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio has special standing in the climate change debate because he starred in a famous movie in which a boat collided with a severed portion of a huge ice mass. “After twenty-one years of debates and conferences,” he said, “it’s time to declare no more talks, no more ten-year studies, no more allowing the fossil fuel companies to manipulate and dictate the science and the policies that affect our future. This is the body that can do what is needed.” Adjunct Cato Scholar Jason Scott Johnston was not present but disagreed, saying central planning for energy resources was as bad today as any centralized planning during the Soviet era. Johnston called attention to events the previous week, including the bankruptcy of Peabody Energy, the world’s largest privately-owned coal mining operation. Peabody followed Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources, Patriot Coal, and Walter Energy. Combined, the bankruptcies cost over 30,000 jobs. The government is also ordering the shut-down of coal-fired electrical plants, retiring operations described as being capable of powering everything west of the Mississippi except Texas. Johnston recalled President Obama telling the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008, “So if somebody wants to build a coal fired plant they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them.” Unelected, bureaucratic regulatory agencies have made the president’s vision reality with new rules limiting emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and particulates. The flip-side of Obama’s energy policy was to subsidize renewable sources of electricity. Subsidies of $13 billion in 2013 were nearly at the president’s stated goal of allocating $15 billion for wind and solar. The moral in Johnston’s story is, government can lead an industry to subsidy, but it can’t make it viable. Last week, in spite of an estimated $1.5 billion in corporate welfare, SunEdison, the world’s largest solar developer, entered into prebankruptcy negotiations. Perhaps the largest federally-subsidized renewable producer in recent years to enter insolvency proceedings is Abengoa. The Spanish multinational received $2.5 billion in US subsidies for a power plant in Arizona. According to Johnston, “In any industry, some plants will not be as productive as expected, and some firms will fail. What the massive federal renewable subsidies have done is to accelerate the pace of and increase the cost of such failures in the renewable market.” US taxpayers financed failed, moonshot experiments for Google’s Ivanpah as well as Abengoa. Johnston discussed a number of market distortions caused by energy subsidies. One could be the crowding out of superior technologies. Another might be the unsustainability of the subsidies, causing dependent green energy enterprises to go under when the plug is pulled. As for the triple bottom line, the environmental impact of renewable energy plants is not subject to the same level of scrutiny as traditional power plants public policy is attempting to phase out. Since in such matters political favoritism is outmuscling economic feasibility, Johnston foresees disruptions and cost increases from policy unchecked, “leading to a severe decline in US manufacturing.” Johnston’s warning is, “By aiming to replace the use of coal for power while mandating the use of renewables, Obama’s climate policy has surely destroyed coal, but it has impeded, rather than helped, investments to replace it.” Also celebrating Earth Day by saying centralized, political control is no way to save the planet was fellow Cato Scholar Randal O’Toole. Born with an interest in good stewardship, he tells the story of progressives joining the environmental movement with the fall of the Soviet Union, when Americans had come to confess, “Government was a poor solution to most problems.” Said O’Toole, “The Progressive goal was not environmental protection but government control. They believed they knew how every acre of land in the country should be managed, which forests should be cut, which crops should be planted on which farms, and how many urbanites should live in apartments instead of single-family homes.” But then, when economists in other sectors were reaching a consensus that incentives help solve problems, the climate change lobby went against the tide and, “demanded complete government control.” Back to New York, Greenpeace’s director, Jennifer Morgan, warned, “The decisions in the Paris agreement now need to be incorporated into government and corporate decisions by breaking free from fossil fuels.” She agreed with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remark, “The world is in a race against time.” One time element that had the eyes of the nations on the US was the standard withdrawal clause. Once a nation signed on, it would have to wait four years before it could opt out. While US Secretary of State John Kerry signed the treaty during the Earth Day ceremony, with his granddaughter in his arms to symbolize future generations; formal ratification by the world’s largest polluters is expected to occur later, but before Obama leaves office. Leaders of small island nations, like Fiji, Tuvalu, and Kiribati, expecting to be obliterated without corrective action, came to New York bearing fully ratified documents. 2016-04-28 12:42 By Leslee www.thetribunepapers.com

81 China passes new laws on foreign NGOs amid international criticism China has passed new laws on foreign non- governmental organisations (NGOs) state media said, amid criticism. The full text was not immediately available, but previous drafts stated that NGOs would have to submit to police supervision and declare sources of funding. Critics say the laws amount to a crackdown, but China has argued that such regulation is long overdue. There are currently more than 7,000 foreign NGOs operating in China. The bill has undergone several drafts after international criticism that it was too onerous. The White House has said the bill will "further narrow space for civil society" and constrain US-China exchanges. Amnesty International said on Thursday that the law was aimed at "further smothering civil society", and called on China to scrap it. "The authorities - particularly the police - will have virtually unchecked powers to target NGOs, restrict their activities, and ultimately stifle civil society," said William Nee, Amnesty's China Researcher. "The law presents a very real threat to the legitimate work of independent NGOs and should be immediately revoked. " The Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders described the law as "draconian" and said it would have "a profoundly detrimental impact on civil society in China". The group said police would be allowed to exercise daily supervision and monitoring of foreign NGOs. Officials in Beijing say that for too long overseas organisations have been operating in an unregulated environment and that the new system will set clear boundaries governing their behaviour. However some charities, environmental groups and aid organisations see this as a potential tool to crackdown on civil society in China. They fear that new regulations could provide a smokescreen for what is actually political decision making by giving officials a range of measures to clamp down on NGOs found to be in breach of various technical requirements. What was adding to stress levels prior to the introduction of the laws is that many were confused about the details. People are asking: Who do they cover? What will the laws mean for their day to day operations? What are they really designed to do? Xinhua reported the law had been passed by the national legislature on Thursday, without giving details of any amendments. The state news agency reported this week that some restrictions would be eased, such as allowing more than one office on the mainland, and removing a proposed five-year limit on operations. But other key features were likely to remain, said the Global Times , namely heavy police oversight where foreign NGOs must register with public security departments and must submit to their management. Previous drafts stated that police would have the right to check the offices of NGOs, seal their offices, question employees and cancel activities judged as threats to national security. Foreign NGOs would also be banned from recruiting members in mainland China, previous drafts had suggested. Critics had also raised fears that the definition of what constitutes actions that harm China's national interests was too vague. Correspondents said the ambiguity largely remained in the final version of the law. Officials who briefed reporters on Thursday declined to give specific examples of actions by NGOs that could constitute such violations, Reuters reported. "If there are a few foreign NGOs, holding high the banner of co-operation and exchange, coming to engage in illegal activities or even committing criminal acts, our Ministry of Public Security should stop it, and even enact punishments," said Guo Linmao, of the National People's Congress Standing Committee. The move comes after January's high profile detention of Peter Dahlin, a Swedish NGO worker who was accused of damaging national security. He made a state television confession - which is rare for foreign detainees - before he was deported. He and his group were accused of breaking the law by supporting the efforts of Chinese human rights lawyers. Local NGOs and activists are heavily policed and have been subject to increasing crackdowns under President Xi Jinping's rule. Last summer saw sweeping arrests of nearly 300 lawyers and activists.

2016-04-28 09:27 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

82 British family beaten unconscious by gang in Thailand tourist resort A British family have been punched and kicked unconscious during an attack in a tourist resort in Thailand. The holidaymakers needed hospital treatment after the vicious assault by a gang in Hua Hin during celebrations for the Thai New Year on April 13. The three victims have been named as Lewis and Rosemary Owen and their son Lewis (Jnr). Thai police earlier suggested the couple, believed to be aged 68 and 65, were from Scotland but neighbours said they were from Wenvoe, in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. John Miles, 65, a retired lecturer at Cardiff University, said he learned about the attack in the newspaper. He said: "I later saw Rose and Lew's daughter in the village - who told me that it was her mum, dad and brother who had been attacked. "It came as a big shock. She said she hadn't slept all night and looked so worried. It must be hell for her knowing this has happened and being on the other side of the world. "It is dreadful what has happened. "Lew and Rose are really well-liked people and everyone is thinking of them. I don't know how they are doing, but when they come back I know that everyone will do whatever they can to help. " Prof Miles added the couple often go to Thailand to visit friends and their son had flown out from Singapore to meet them. "Lew and Rose are a really lovely couple and very hard-working," he said. "They all know the lay of the land there and the local customs. "They are genuinely lovely people, I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to hurt them. " A spokesman for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said Royal Thai Police arrested six people and charged them with grievous assault on April 17. He said: "An investigation is in process and the suspects will soon be under the jurisdiction of the court. If found guilty, the perpetrators of this incident will face full justice under Thai law. "The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to express our deepest sorrow to the family who were subjected to the assault in Hua Hin during the Songkran celebrations. We hope that you recover from your injuries and make a swift and full recovery. "TAT would like to assure international travellers that this was an isolated incident, not targeted on any group of foreign tourists in particular. The situation was exacerbated by alcohol. " The family have now been allowed to leave hospital and Mr and Mrs Owen are expected to return to the UK next week, while their son has returned to Singapore, where he works, the TAT said. CCTV footage covering the entrance to the busy Soi Bintabaht district, which has been leaked online, shows a brief argument taking place before the attackers punch and kick the victims. Both men suffer blows to the face and body and when the woman, who was initially knocked flat by a punch, sits up, one attacker delivers a kick to her head. The images show all three being beaten unconscious and left on the pavement, as a large crowd watches the unfolding scene in the busy street. Police spokesman Chaiyakorn Sriladecho said the attack started after "the son accidentally bumped into one of the Thai men". He told the Associated Press: "The men say they are sorry and that they wouldn't have done this if they weren't drunk. " The father and son required stitches for head injuries, while the mother suffered serious head and eye injuries, Mr Chaiyakorn said. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it had no information on their condition. An FCO spokeswoman said: "Our staff have been in contact with the family to offer assistance and will remain in contact with the local authorities. " In the video, a passer-by appears to come under attack from several men after trying to intervene in the melee. A contributor to the Hua Hin internet forum said they had rushed to help the family, whom they recognised from a nearby bar. As revellers were leaving for the night, groups of Thai youths had gathered on the street looking for trouble. They wrote: "Within 20-30 metres of leaving the bar the Thais were punching the 65-year-old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor and their son was beaten very badly!!! "At this point I caught up to the scene and pushed one of the youths away from the woman... "I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady. " Hua Hin is one of Thailand's top five beach resorts and the country is increasingly popular with UK tourists, the TAT said, with 940,000 Britons visiting in 2015. The Songkran New Year celebrations are also known as the Water Festival, when Thai families splash water on each other as part of a religious ritual of renewal. The British Embassy launched its #SongkranSafe campaign ahead of the festivities and encouraged holidaymakers to take part while appreciating local customs and traditions. In the past tourists have been arrested for breaching decency laws by taking part without wearing T-shirts.

2016-04-28 14:25 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

83 US Election 2016: Bernie Sanders begins campaign lay-offs Bernie Sanders' campaign has begun laying off staff following several losses to Hillary Clinton in Democratic primaries in key states. His spokesman said that with many primaries over "we no longer require many of the loyal and dedicated state and national support staffers". After Tuesday's contests, Mr Sanders lacks a path to the Democratic nomination for president. He has vowed to continue on until the California primary in June. "We will continue to have a strong and dedicated staff of more than 300 workers who are going to help us win in California and other contests still to come," Mr Sanders' campaign communications director Michael Briggs said in a statement. The campaign originally had about 1,000 workers, the New York Times reported . Late on Tuesday, Mr Sanders' campaign said that he would be pushing for a greater role in drafting the Democratic platform. Many saw the statement as a signal that the Vermont senator would be winding down his campaign in favour of promoting his core issues of income inequality and Wall Street reform. The campaign will still compete in the coming weeks in contests including Indiana, where Mr Sanders is leading in some polls. The Sanders campaign boasts an impressive fund-raising operation, bringing in millions of dollars in small donations. Mr Sanders also has drawn thousands of new voters to the polls including large numbers of young people and independents. Mrs Clinton and the Democratic Party are hoping to tap into Sanders' fundraising operation and his coalition in the run-up to November's election.

2016-04-28 09:27 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

84 Former London mayor: Hitler supported Zionism 'before he went mad' The former mayor of London on Thursday accused the "Israel lobby" of executing a smear campaign against its critics by labeling them anti- Semitic and said that Hitler supported Zionism "before he went mad," according to the Telegraph. Ken Livingstone, who served as London's mayor from 2000 to 2008, made the comments during an interview on BBC one day after Labor MP Naz Shah was suspended by the political faction for posting anti-Semitic tropes on social media. “As I’ve said, I’ve never heard anybody say anything anti-Semitic, but there’s been a very well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticizes Israeli policy as anti-Semitic," Livingstone said. "I had to put up with 35 years of this," he added. Shah was suspended from the UK Labor party on Wednesday after it was discovered that in 2014 she posted offensive messages to Facebook which included a call to "relocate Israel to America. " The post published by Shah shows a graphic that suggests a "relocation" plan and is accompanied by the text "solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. " The graphic shows a map of the United States with an inlaid outline of Israel pictured in the middle of the North American country. "Problem solved and save u bank charges for £3 BILLION you transfer yearly!," Shah wrote in the caption to the post republished by the UK's Independent. Livingstone insisted that Shah's actions were merely "over the top" but not anti-Semitic. "The simple fact in all of this is that Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians," Livingstone said. Livingstone also offered Hitler's policy of removing Jews from Europe after his 1932 election as justification for Shah's comments. "Let’s remember when Hitler won his election in 1932, his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism – this before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews. " Ken Livingstone has form on antisemitism and has been tolerated for far too long. He should be suspended immediately. — Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) April 28, 2016 His comments immediately engendered a rash of harsh criticism from Labor members who called for Livingstone's suspension from the party. Labor's mayoral candidate for London, Sadiq Khan, said that Livingstone's comments were "appalling and inexcusable" and that "there must be no place for this in our Party. " Labor MPs Jess Phillips and Wes Streeting called for him to be suspended from the Labor party, the Telegraph added. Ken Livingstone must be suspended from the Labour Party — Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) April 28, 2016 The Campaign Against anti-Semitism called on the Labor Party to immediately expel Livingstone. "Today he has claimed that Hitler was a Zionist and that anti-Semitism is not racism. Enough is enough. He should not be suspended, he should be expelled today. " The group referred to Livingstone as "a hardened politician who has spent his political career accommodating anti-Semitic extremists and making anti-Semitic gaffes. Jeremy Corbyn should understand that zero tolerance for racism is all or nothing, and it is time for Ken Livingstone to be banished or for Corbyn to stop pretending to oppose racism. "

2016-04-28 14:23 Jpost Com www.jpost.com

85 Mars mission by 2018 says SpaceX's Elon Musk Billionaire Elon Musk is planning to send his Dragon spacecraft to Mars as early as 2018. Mr Musk has long targeted a trip to Mars and has previously said he can get humans to the red planet by 2026. His company, SpaceX, is planning "Red Dragon" missions to Mars to test technology for bigger missions. In a tweet, Mr Musk said that its Dragon 2 spacecraft is "designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system". But Mr Musk "wouldn't recommend transporting astronauts beyond Earth-moon region" as the internal area of the spacecraft is only the size of a large car. "Wouldn't be fun for longer journeys," he said in a tweet. SpaceX has been developing rockets and has a $1.6bn (£1.08bn) contract with Nasa to supply the International Space Station. On Wednesday it won an $83m contract from the US Air Force to launch a satellite for GPS navigation services. It is a significant win for the company as, for the last decade, Lockheed Martin and Boeing have been supplying space launches for the military. Last December SpaceX had another breakthrough, landing its Falcon-9 unmanned rocket upright. That was an important development in its plan to cut the cost of space launches by re-using rockets.

2016-04-28 02:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

86 Pope Francis approves Irish priest for beatification Pope Francis has approved the beatification of a Jesuit priest from Dublin for his work with the sick and dying in the early 20th century. Fr John Sullivan (1861 - 1933) was one of 39 to be named in a decree signed by Pope Francis to be beatified - officially recognised as 'Blessed'. He was declared a 'Servant of God' in 1960 and in 2014 he was made a 'Venerable' by Pope Francis. In certain circumstances beatification can later lead to sainthood. Fr Sullivan was brought up by a wealthy protestant family and was a later teacher at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare. Since the 1940s Fr Sullivan's supporters have been campaigning for him to be made a saint. The attribution of a miracle is given to those who have died for the faith, while receiving a sainthood requires a miracle. Those named on the decree include Albanian Bishop, Vincens Prenushi, who died in prison in 1949 after being tortured for demanding the formation of a breakaway Albanian church under the country's former communist regime. Albania was declared as the world's first atheist state in 1967. Pope Francis also recognised a further 37 Albanian clerics and aspiring clerics, who were killed between 1945 and 1974, as martyrs. During a visit to Albania in 2014, Pope Francis paid tribute to all those who died.

2016-04-28 02:47 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

87 Student accused of having a gun at Cullen Middle School A Cullen Middle School student was arrested and charged on Tuesday with possession of a prohibited weapon, the Houston Independent School District confirmed. The weapon was a loaded gun, according to KTRK . "HISD takes these situations very seriously, as the safety of students and staff is always the district's top priority," the district said in a statement. The student will also face disciplinary action, the district said. Possession of a firearm is a level-five disciplinary violation that leads to required expulsion, according to the HISD code of student conduct .

2016-04-28 12:26 By Emma www.chron.com

88 'Economists for Brexit' back campaign to leave EU A group of eight influential economists have thrown their support behind the Leave campaign in the UK's referendum on EU membership. The group, Economists for Brexit, claim the UK economy would be boosted by 4% outside the EU. But the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign said their economic model would be "the worst possible alternative". It is the first time a group of economists have publicly backed Brexit. The economic arguments follow several warnings against the UK leaving the EU from organisations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The report's authors include Patrick Minford, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, and Gerard Lyons, a former chief economist at Standard Chartered and now an adviser to the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, who is campaigning for Britain to leave the EU. Prof Minford, professor of applied economics at Cardiff University, said: "Our analysis shows that walking away from the EU, not negotiating a new agreement with the EU while getting rid of EU trade barriers will bring about a 4% of GDP gain to the economy, consumer prices will fall about 8%, and our hugely competitive services sector will take the place of diminishing manufacturing output. " He argued that the UK would not need a new trade agreement if it left the EU because 70% of exports were traded outside the bloc under WTO rules. "The remaining 30% would also become subject to WTO rules and would be sold to the EU subject to its general tariffs which average around 4%, in the same way as exports from Japan or the US," Prof Minford said. The group, which also includes Roger Bootle, founder of Capital Economics, said that leaving the EU could cut unemployment by 75,000. Dr Lyons said that staying in Europe would increase risks for financial services and the City of London. A spokesperson for Britain Stronger In Europe said: "Treasury analysis shows that trading under WTO rules would be the worst possible alternative to EU membership, seeing households £5,200 worse off and a public spending black hole of £45bn. "The Treasury also says this model will see the sharpest price rises, as new tariffs on goods, including 10 per cent on cars and 36.1 per cent on dairy products, would be imposed. "

2016-04-28 12:17 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

89 TV-radio listings: April 28 Television Col. baseball LSU at Mississippi SEC 6 p.m. Golf LPGA Texas Shootout Golf 11 a.m. Golf Zurich Classic Golf 2 p.m. Pro baseball Oakland at Detroit MLB noon Pro baseball Atlanta at Boston MLB 6 p.m. Pro baseball Miami at L. A. Dodgers MLB 9 p.m. Pro basketball Atlanta at Boston TNT 7 p.m. Pro football NFL draft ESPN, NFL 7 p.m. Pro hockey Pittsburgh at Washington NBCSN 7 p.m. Soccer Liverpool at Villarreal FS1 2 p.m. Soccer Sevilla at Shakhtar Donetsk FS2 2 p.m.

2016-04-28 12:15 Staff reports www.chron.com

90 Sony profits boosted by Playstation sales Japan's Sony has swung into profit for the year to March, helped by strong sales in its games division. Net profit was 147.8bn yen ($1.33bn; £934m), compared with a 126bn yen loss a year earlier. Strong demand for its Playstation 4 console and games led to an 11.8% jump in sales for Sony's Game and Network Services division. That helped to offset a 20% plunge in smartphone sales. Sony's Pictures segment - which covers films and television programmes - saw a 6.8% jump in annual sales. The boost came partly from higher subscription video-on-demand revenues for television series such as Breaking Bad, The Blacklist and Better Call Saul. Sony did not offer a forecast on future performance, as it is still assessing the impact from this month's twin earthquakes which took place in south-west Japan and affected Sony's supply chain. The region where the earthquake struck - Kumamoto - is a manufacturing hub for many Japanese companies, including Sony and carmakers Toyota and Honda . Sony said, "With aftershocks continuing and employee safety the foremost priority, inspections of the facility and the development of a recovery plan remain ongoing. " The Kumamoto Technology Center is the main manufacturing site of image sensors for the firm's digital and security cameras, as well as micro-display devices. Last year, Sony decided to spin off its video-and-audio business into a separate company as part of a three-year plan to return to profit. Chief executive Kazuo Hirai said the company must not be afraid to change if it hoped "to grow in a Sony-like way". He said the Japanese electronics firm would no longer pursue sales growth in areas such as smartphones where it has suffered competition from rivals Apple and Samsung. Mr Hirai said instead it would focus on profitable businesses areas, including entertainment operations such as TV programming and the PlayStation game business.

2016-04-28 12:16 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

91 Texas festival for drag queens aims to inspire people from around the world Austin's International Drag Fest is proof that drag has become more mainstream than ever. It's not just a lifestyle, but performance art and a business. The yearly event is a convention type atmosphere that pulls in crowds from all over the world, according to co-founder Jamie Steward Bancroft. The three day event runs from April 28 through May 1. And it's not just for local drag performers. Folks from the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Germany, China, Japan, and Canada are expected to touch down in Austin, according to Bancroft. In all, some 10 countries will be represented. CRITICIZING POPULAR SHOW: 'RuPaul's Drag Race' called out for stereotyping Hispanic queens Drag Fest bills itself as the first 501c3 nonprofit that's dedicated to educating, supporting and advancing the art of Drag. Performers who attend the fest get to exchange pro tips on performing and will get to see workshops and panels led by drag artists. The public discussion over LGBT rights makes it a perfect time for a festival that celebrates drag, Bancroft says. "Drag goes back to the very beginning of the modern day LGBT movement. In 1969, a drag queen at the legendary New York City bar, Stonewall Inn, was part of the riots held for several days and marked the beginning of the modern day LGBT movement. The acceptance of drag artists in entertainment has led to a greater acceptance of the LGBT community as a while," he said. SEE MORE: Transgender prostitute's life in Venezuela examined in new video Tickets to the event range from $15 to $99, and the proceeds will go to charities including the Transgender Education Network of Texas. And don't expect your run-of-the-mill drag celebration, said Bancroft. "Be prepared to have your ideas of drag challenged. Drag is more than a boy in a dress. Drag encompasses all genders, races and sexual orientation. Aside from the fabulous drag queens, we will also have drag kings, and bio queens (or faux queens). For those that don't know yet, a bio queen (or faux queen or lady queen) is a female that performs drag. They are amazing. " Click on the slideshow to see what last year's Drag Fest looked like. 2016-04-28 12:16 By Camilo www.chron.com

92 Papa Wemba's body arrives home in DR Congo Hundreds of mourners have welcomed the body of Papa Wemba, one Africa's best known singers, back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was flown into the capital, Kinshasa, from Ivory Coast, where he died on Sunday after collapsing on stage in Abidjan. Ivorian fans attended an all-night concert held in his honour in the city. He is due to be buried on Tuesday after lying in state in a stadium in Kinshasa, on Monday. After Papa Wemba's coffin left the airport it was taken to a morgue, reports the BBC's Poly Muzalia from Kinshasa. Africa Live: More on this and other news stories What made Papa Wemba so influential? African stars pay tribute to Papa Wemba In photos: Congo music legend Papa Wemba Papa Wemba, who died aged 66, was considered one of Africa's most influential musicians of his generation. He pioneered modern Congolese soukous music, which spread through the continent. Many of Africa's top musicians have paid tribute to Papa Wemba, including Cameroon's Manu Dibango, who described him as the "voice of Africa". Ivory Coast's Culture Minister Maurice Bandaman said at a memorial service before the body left that "an artist never dies... Papa Wemba is dead, and now [he is] even greater than before," reports the AFP news agency. The BBC's Tamasin Ford in Abidjan says most of the audience at the all-night concert were dressed in white as a mark of respect. Papa Wemba's wife and his entire entourage were there, and his daughter read out a memorial prayer. Performers included Ivorian stars Magic System, Meiway, Espoir 2000, Zouglou Makers and members of his Viva La Musica group, who were on stage with him when he died.

2016-04-28 12:16 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

93 Costa Concordia captain Schettino's appeals trial to begin The appeals trial is to begin in Italy of the captain held responsible for the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in 2012, in which 32 people were killed. Francesco Schettino was given 16 years in jail last year, after a court found him guilty of manslaughter, causing a maritime accident and abandoning ship. At the trial in Florence, he is seeking to overturn the conviction, while the prosecution seeks a longer prison term. The Costa Concordia capsized after it hit rocks close to Giglio island. On Thursday, lawyers of the 55-year-old captain are expected to argue that the disaster off Tuscany's coast was a collective failure of the ship's crew and others should share the blame for the disaster. "We will ask that the responsibility of all the protagonists in this affair be redefined, not just that of our client," lawyer Donato Laino told the AFP news agency. Salvaging the Costa Concordia Schettino, who has not yet begun his sentence, also denies that he abandoned ship before passengers and crew had been evacuated. Meanwhile, the prosecution is seeking a 26-year prison term. If Schettino loses his appeal, he can try again at Italy's highest court - the Court of Cassation. In February 2015, he was sentenced to 10 years for multiple manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his passengers. Investigators had severely criticised his handling of the disaster, accusing him of bringing the 290m-long vessel too close to shore when it struck the rocks. More than 4,000 passengers and crew were forced into a chaotic evacuation. During the trial, Schettino said he had taken the ship so close to land for "commercial reasons" in a bid to please his passengers and those ashore. He had also rejected rumours that he had wanted to impress his lover, Domnica Cemortan, who was with him at the helm. Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, sidestepped potential criminal charges in 2013 by agreeing to pay a €1m ($1.1m; £779,000) fine. It is being sued by survivors, the Tuscany region and Giglio island for further damages. Five other employees, including the helmsman, were handed prison sentences ranging from 18 months to two years and 10 months in plea bargains concluded early in the investigation.

2016-04-28 12:16 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

94 Otto leads by 2 at 9 under after 1st round of China Open BEIJING (AP) — Hennie Otto had seven birdies and an eagle in an opening round of 63 on Thursday to lead the China Open at 9 under. It was Otto's lowest round in a European Tour event since he won the 2014 Italian Open. The 39-year- old South African started on the 10th and had three birdies before turning in 33, then added birdies at the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th before chipping in for eagle on the par-5 8th. "The first hole I saved a good par and I think that gave me momentum," said Otto, who has been working hard on his putting game. "You have to hit it in the right places and that's the thing I did today. I hit them close, that makes a big difference. " Bernd Wiesberger of Austria had eight birdies and a bogey for a 65 and was two shots behind. Gregory Bourdy of France, Sweden's Peter Hanson, Roope Kakko of Finland and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti had a share of third spot at 6 under. Joost Luiten, who has finished second in his last two events, including the Shenzhen Open last weekend, was in a three way share of seventh at 5 under. Rikard Karlberg won a Volvo car when he holed out with a seven iron on the 212-yard, par-3 16th for a hole-in-one during his 69. Defending champion Wu Ashun, who became the first Chinese player to win a European Tour event on home soil last year, opened with a 71.

2016-04-28 11:43 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

95 IPL 9: 82* against Gujarat Lions probably my best knock, says Chris Morris New Delhi: His whirlwind 82 brought Delhi Daredevils agonisingly close to victory and Chris Morris termed it as his "best innings in T20 cricket" but said it was "upsetting" to eventually go down by one-run against Gujarat Lions during an IPL match here. Coming out to bat at a difficult time with Daredevils tottering at 57-4 in 10.4 overs while chasing a challenging 173, Morris blasted 82 off just 32 balls studded with four boundaries and eight sixes. He notched up his fifty in just 17 balls, the fastest half century of the season. Chris Morris. Pic/ AFP The South African shared 87 runs for the fifth wicket with country-mate JP Duminy (48 off 43 balls) to take Daredevils on the brink of a sensational win before experienced Praveen Kumar and Dwayne Bravo produced brilliant final two overs to restrict Daredevils to 171 for five. "It probably was my best innings in T20 cricket. I could have missed a straight one first ball and looked like an absolute idiot but it was just one of those days for me when I got going from ball one. It was upsetting we lost but tomorrow sun will again come up," he said at the post-match press conference late last night. "There was a lot of pressure. We need almost 13 an over when I came out to bat. Before I came out to bat I told myself 'give yourself one or two'. It was quote obvious what we needed to do. I just played my natural game. If the ball is in my zone any day I would have gone after it even if we need five an over. It's just the way I play my game. Luckily it worked today. " Morris said it was a good wicket to bat on and they were targeting short boundaries and not any particular bowler during the chase. He also praised Duminy for lending him support from the other end. "We targeted the short boundary more than the bowlers. Like I said it was quite a good wicket. JP (Duminy) played hell of a knock in terms of rotating the strike and hitting his zones. Unfortunately he got out at a vital point of the game. Like I said if the ball is in our zone we will go after it no matter who the bowler is," he said. Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan's decision to put the opposition in after winning the toss backfired as openers Brendon McCullum (60 off 36) and Dwayne Smith (53 off 30) played explosive knocks before Daredevils bowlers pulled things back to some extent to restrict Gujarat Lions to 172 for six. The way McCullum and Smith were going at one stage, Gujarat were well on course for a 200 plus total. But Delhi bowlers, especially Imran Tahir (3/24) and Morris (2/35) bowled well in the middle overs to keep the total under check. "We were bowling to two of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket to be honest. If those two get going you can see what they can do. I thought they played beautifully. We gave them a few too many loose balls but that's the game of cricket. If you could bowl perfect six balls every time then you will be a legend. At the end of the day it was quite a good wicket and a serious game of cricket. Unfortunately we lost and that's quite upsetting," Morris said. Morris also came out in support of his skipper Zaheer, who was taken to task by McCullum and Smith yesterday. "That guy (Zaheer) is a genius. The way Zak's brain works is brilliant. It could have been a different day for Zak. Zak went for four off the first ball and he induced a nick that went between the keeper and slip fielder. When Zak makes a decision I back him 100 per cent. That's the reason he is the captain and that's the reason he has got so many wickets. " Morris, who turns 29 on Saturday, praised the back room combination of Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton, who were so far instrumental in turning Delhi's fortunes around this season. "That's the genius of Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton. They give you a lot of space to grow as a person. As a cricketer they let you grow as much as possible. They give you something to do about. They are brilliant together. " Meanwhile, Gujarat Lions pacer Praveen Kumar, who bowled a sensational penultimate over and conceded just four runs off the 18 needed in the final two overs, said he just focussed on bowling to his strengths. "The plan was to bowl as much dot balls as possible to increase the run rate and create pressure on their batsmen. My mindset was simple. My strength is that I can bowl good Yorkers and that's what was going on in my mind. You need to bowl according to your strength and my strength is yorkers," said Praveen, who gave away just 13 runs from his four overs but without any success. Out of the national team reckoning for a while now, Praveen accepted that a comeback is in his minds but what is more important for him is to contribute in his side's victory in any cicket match. "I take every match seriously. I play normally in every match whether it's IPL, domestic cricket or a match in my neighbourhood. I always try to give my best and contribute in the team's win. Yeah every cricketer thinks of making a comeback but I am satisfied with the fact that I am bowling well and the team is winning," he said. Asked why Ravindra Jadeja was not utilised after the left-arm spinner conceded 14 runs in his only over of the match yesterday, Praveen said: "There was plenty of dew in the ground and the fast bowlers were bowling well so our plan was to bowl more with the pacers. Spinners were not getting much turn with the ball. Even (Suresh) Raina tried two overs but the ball was skidding more because of dew. "

2016-04-28 14:09 By PTI www.mid-day.com

96 'Death of a Gentleman' cricket documentary all set for India release Death of a Gentleman, the cricket documentary, is finally set to release in India. The film, directed by two sport journalists Jarrod Kimber and Sam Collins, who set out to find out the reasons behind Test cricket’s dip in popularity, stumbled upon a larger plot which is hurting international cricket — the murky world of cricket administration and the politics being played by wealthier boards like India, England and Australia to keep the major chunk of revenue with them. Although N Srinivasan, former BCCI president and then ICC Chairman, stressed in his interview that, “the BCCI is very well-meaning organisation”, the film portrays a completely different picture of the Indian cricket board. It brings to light several instances of the BCCI muscling its way at the ICC and how it cut short the tour of South Africa in 2013 to show its displeasure at Cricket South Africa’s appointment of Haroon Lorgat with whom they had many differences while he was the ICC’s Chief Executive for four years. There have been major developments in the last few months with the Justice Lodha Commission recommending major changes in the way the BCCI functions and the UK Parliament questioning Giles Clarke to explain England’s role in the Big Three set up. “The Lord Woolf’s report started it all and we sort of kept it alive as much as we could. Justice Lodha Commission and the UK Parliament will probably finish it off now. If you notice, the Lodha Commission and Woolf’s report pretty much say the same things,” said Kimber via a video conference later on. The documentary is available digitally in India on TVFPlay.com at R99 per view.

2016-04-28 14:08 By A www.mid-day.com

97 Republican donors deny Cruz, Kasich needed funds, data show WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems like a logical pairing: Republican donors who despise Donald Trump, and two GOP presidential hopefuls sticking it out to keep him from the nomination. Yet such a financial cavalry never arrived for Ted Cruz and John Kasich, ignoring their impassioned pleas for financial help. Donors who gave as much as allowed by law to establishment darlings Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio have mostly disappeared from the political landscape, according to an Associated Press analysis of campaign finance records. Less than 3 percent of the nearly 14,600 donors who gave the $2,700 limit to Bush or Rubio have also ponied up the maximum amount to Kasich or Cruz. By not writing those checks, they're depriving Cruz and Kasich of as much as $39 million each in their final push to topple Trump, who has formidably deep pockets and has loaned $36 million to his own campaign. Trump trounced his competitors in Tuesday's elections, putting him in a stronger position to win the nomination outright in the next six weeks of voting. The quest to stop him has grown so dire that Cruz on Wednesday took the unusual step of announcing a running mate, Carly Fiorina. Earlier, he and Kasich agreed to divide up some remaining primary states to improve their chances of beating Trump. But donors' continued shunning of Cruz and Kasich is one reason they haven't had more success. "There are a significant number of major fundraisers in the Republican Party whose networks are exhausted and donors who are worn thin emotionally from the effort they made for a candidate who is no longer in the race," said Wayne Berman, a longtime Republican fundraiser. "That combination has led to many, many people sitting on the sidelines. " He's speaking from experience. Berman was the national finance chairman for Rubio and chose not to raise money for any other candidate after the Florida senator dropped out March 15. Both Kasich and Cruz have feverishly pitched themselves to donors as the candidate best able to unify the party. It has been a particularly tough fit for Cruz, a first-term Texas senator who has made his name as an unrelenting conservative fighter — even against those in his own party. He's had a healthy core of his own donors, including roughly 3,900 who have given the maximum amount. In fact, Cruz is the best Republican campaign fundraiser of the 2016 cycle, and started April with $8.8 million cash on hand. Still, this critical stage of the race has called for extra outreach, particularly with expensive contests such as California coming up and Cruz in need of better primary performances to derail Trump. Cruz has stepped up his requests of donors who might not have otherwise considered him. He and his wife, a Goldman Sachs manager on leave, talked to New York financiers last week at the Harvard Club of New York City. They're seldom responding, AP's analysis shows. Through the end of March, just 186 Bush-Rubio maxed-out donors gave the maximum to Cruz. Fred Zeidman, a Houston-based fundraiser for Bush's failed bid, is one of them. He said he felt he "owed" the donation to Cruz because of his strong support of Israel, Zeidman's top issue. "I wanted to show him my appreciation for that," Zeidman said. Still, Zeidman said he can understand why lots of former Bush and Rubio donors are reluctant. "At this point, many of them feel like the main objective should be to beat the Democratic nominee, so they're keeping their powder dry until the general election, in effect just letting the primary system sort itself out," he said. Kasich, the governor of Ohio, has attracted 174 maxed-out donors who also gave the maximum to Bush and Rubio. He's won over some of the party's top female donors, including Anna Mann, Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife; Lynne Walton, a Wal-Mart heiress; and Helen DeVos, wife of Amway founder Richard DeVos. But Kasich has been in desperate need of more donors willing to give as much as they can. He started April with just $1.2 million cash on hand. The AP analysis is based on reports of campaign contributions filed with the Federal Election Commission from the beginning of the 2016 presidential election cycle through the end of March. The AP looked at donors who gave the maximum primary amount to Bush or Rubio with those who had given the maximum primary amount to the Democratic and Republican candidates still in the race, comparing each donor's name, city, state and zip code. Because the analysis excluded donors if any of the information didn't match, it could result in a slight undercount. The analysis revealed another troubling finding for Cruz and Kasich: Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton attracted about the same number of Bush-Rubio donors as did their campaigns. About a dozen Bush-Rubio donors have also given to Trump. A tiny core of 15 Bush-Rubio donors continued to hedge their bets by maxing out to both Cruz and Kasich — continuing their spread-the-love approach this election cycle. Stanley Hubbard, a billionaire Minnesota broadcast executive, has doled out checks of $2,500 or more to Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie and John Kasich. Of his multi- layered giving, Hubbard told the AP a few months ago that he wanted anyone other than Trump or Cruz at the top of the GOP ticket because he saw either of them as devastating for the party's down-ballot prospects. Trump's continued dominance led him to revise that view: He gave Cruz a check of $2,700 on March 31. "He's not my first choice, no," Hubbard said last week. He said he has no regrets about his heretofore fruitless campaign gifts. "Not a bit. When you give to politicians, sometimes you lose. That's the way it works. " ___ Follow Julie Bykowicz and Chad Day on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/bykowicz and http://twitter.com/ChadSDay

2016-04-28 07:54 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

98 Jurgen Klopp has not had to stress importance of semi-final to Liverpool players Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he does not need to tell his players the importance of their Europa League semi-final first leg in Villarreal as they have more than proved their hunger for the competition. After dramatically beating Borussia Dortmund in the previous round Klopp's side were immediately installed as favourites. However, the Reds boss has stressed there has been no talk of a possible final appearance in Basle next month. "It is important to understand my players came into a semi-final because they were always ready for the moment and never thought about the next round," he said. "It is important I show the players the respect they earned, which means I don't need to speak to them about things they did well. "We are here because we respected this tournament each round. There is no doubt from my side. "Villarreal did the same until now so it is not about talking about the final. "Villarreal show the highest level of football each week; the Spanish league is unbelievably strong and they play with such balance, structure and discipline and if you let them they play football. " Liverpool's European campaign has been at odds with their domestic form and Klopp is undefeated in 10 European games as manager - only Joe Fagan (12) has a longer unbeaten run in Europe from the start of a managerial reign than the German. However, they will take nothing for granted in Spain and even a goalless draw away from home may not be enough for Klopp. "If we are really good and should win why should I be satisfied with a draw? " he added. "It is not one per cent preparation for the game thinking about the result. "It is always about the performance. The result is always the result of the performance, nothing else. "We only need to think about what we do and there is nothing to think about results. " Liverpool will again be without defender Mamadou Sakho as he remains sidelined - at his and the club's volition - after failing a drugs test. Klopp insists they have handled it the best way they can after Sakho, Press Association Sport understands, decided not to submit his B sample for testing after a 'fat-burning' substance was detected in his system following last month's Europa League tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford. "It is not that we could do anything or we could not force anything, we have to wait," said Klopp. "Until now we did what we thought was right, there is nothing else to say. " There is an outside chance Sakho could escape with a severe reprimand if there are extenuating circumstances but team-mate Kolo Toure was banned for six months while at Manchester City in February 2011 for a doping violation after taking 'water tablets' on the recommendation of his wife and it appears Sakho is more likely to incur a similar suspension.

2016-04-28 09:45 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk

99 Parks your kids will put their iPads down for The feeling that comes from jumping into a spring-fed pool can't be downloaded. And the stomach-flip that comes from sliding down a 70- foot sand down can't be retweeted. Some things are just worth putting your phones and iPads down for. Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine compiled a list of parks that kids will adore and it includes little (and not-so-little) treasures. From exploring the underground world at Longhorn Cavern State Park to the dinosaur footprints in Dinosaur Valley State Park, there's a lot for kids and adults alike to discover. >> Click the gallery above to see the parks kids will love.

2016-04-28 12:21 By Jessica www.chron.com

100 Indian rocket with navigation satellite blasts off from Sriharikota Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket lifted off successfully on Thursday afternoon with the country's seventh and final navigation satellite, IRNSS-1G, from the rocket port in Sriharikota. ISRO's seventh navigation satellite IRNSS-1G that would set up regional navigation system for India, a day before its launch from spaceport of Sriharikota. Pic/PTI The PSLV-XL standing 44.4 metre tall and weighing 320 tonnes, tore into the afternoon skies at 12.50 p.m. breaking free of the earth's gravitational pull. Named the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), it consists of a constellation of seven satellites of which six - IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1C, IRNSS-1D, IRNSS-1E and IRNSS-1F- have already been put into orbit. The seventh satellite in the series - IRNSS-1G - weighing 1,425 kg is expected to soon join the other six. Just over 20 minutes into the flight, the rocket would put IRNSS-1G into orbit at an altitude 497.8 km. The satellite's life span is 12 years.

2016-04-28 13:59 By IANS www.mid-day.com

Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-04-28 18:03