Professional news agencies should know better than to swipe a photo from Twitter without permission, critics say.
Let’s say you’re an overworked journalist (is there any other kind?) on a tight deadline for a big story about a natural disaster. You find the perfect photo of said disaster on Twitter. Without asking the owner of said photo, you repost it to your news organization’s website, but you give the photographer full credit. No problem, right?
Not so fast. In a landmark copyright judgment on Monday, a Manhattan district judge ruled that two major news outlets infringed on the copyrights of Daniel Morel, the photographer whose horrific images of the 2010 Haiti earthquake were disseminated to various news organizations, without his permission, after he posted them on Twitter. The French newswire Agence France-Presse (AFP), which first obtained the photos from Twitter and shared them with the stock-photo service Getty Images, was cited in the judgment, along with the Washington Post.
The ruling brings a bit of closure to a highly watched three-year legal battle, one of the first to address issues of ownership surrounding photos uploaded to social media. Throughout the case, the AFP steadfastly contended that by uploading the photos to Twitter, Morel was making them publicly available and therefore fair game. For many photojournalists who have been following the case, that contention was seen as not only unfounded but downright bizarre, especially as it was coming from one of the world’s oldest and most respected news agencies.
Twitter’s terms of service do say that users who post to the site are “authorizing us to make your Tweets available to the rest of the world and to let others do the same,” but the agreement says nothing about third parties redistributing content for commercial use, which was the case with Morel’s photos. Moreover, the terms affirm what Twitter has been saying all along: Twitter users own their own content, plain and simple.
It’s that hands-off ethos that has allowed Twitter, which was not a party in Morel’s lawsuit against AFP, to hold its position as a neutral observer of the often-chaotic informational environment its ubiquity fosters.
Wedged at the intersection between citizen journalism, boots-on-the-ground reporting and 21st-century copyright law, the case of AFP v. Morel has been under close scrutiny by a media industry struggling to codify fast-but-fair newsgathering methods in the age of social media. At some point in the last six years, traditional media outlets found their position as “you-heard-it-here-first” news breakers usurped by legions of everyday Twitter users who tweet photos of breaking news events the instant they happen.
For eager journalists, Twitter has emerged as a veritable treasure trove of temptation, a vast repository of easily copied digital photos depicting the news events that journalists are desperate to cover.
It’s an issue confronting journalists around the world, and it isn’t likely to end with the Morel case. Just this week, following a fatal helicopter crash in London, major U.K. media outlets were criticized after they posted photos of the accident taken by Twitter users. One Twitter user posted a photo taken from his apartment, which was struck by the helicopter. The photo ended up on the website of the London Evening Standard. The next day, a representative for the Evening Standard told the Guardian that the paper was unable to contact the Twitter user at the time, but had offered to compensate him after the fact.
Osterreicher acknowledges the challenges journalists face in a light-speed news climate, but he said the cutthroat atmosphere shouldn’t excuse lax efforts to obtain permission before a photo is used. “News organizations need to do their due diligence,” he said. “You have a situation now where everybody’s rushing to be first. Everybody’s like, ‘Forget accuracy. Let’s get it out there. We’ll sort it out later.'"
In Morel’s case, the news event that would change his life was a major earthquake near Port-au-Prince in his native Haiti in January 2010. In an instant, proximity became his greatest asset, and the heartbreaking images he captured in the heat of the devastation -- children covered in rubble, local businesses collapsed in on themselves -- became a valuable news commodity the moment they appeared on Twitter. The problem? Morel was smack in the middle of a disaster zone. While he managed to find a secure Internet connection long enough to upload to his TwitPic account, he was not readily available to grant his consent for the photos’ commercial use.
The details of what happened next are disputed, but according to court documents, AFP obtained Morel’s photos on Twitter after they were reposted by another user, Lisandro Suero, who claimed them for his own. Unable to verify the photos’ origin and under pressure to offer visual coverage of the devastation in Haiti, the agency forwarded the photos to Getty Images, with which it has a licensing agreement.
Once on Getty’s system, the photos were picked up and published by several major news outlets, including ABC, CBS, CNN and the Washington Post. Most of the outlets incorrectly attributed the photos to Lisandro Suero. It was only later that Morel found out his work was being reproduced around the world under someone else’s name.
The Post was the only other news outlet to be named in the lawsuit. According to court documents, Morel’s photos remained on the Post’s website even after lawyers for Morel made several email requests to have them removed. The Post contends that it never received the requests.
As for Getty Images’ role in the copyright infringement, it too was named in the lawsuit, but District Judge Alison Nathan, who heard the case, has not yet ruled on Getty’s liability. The Seattle-based stock-photo service has maintained that it could not have known that the images in question were not cleared for use. Many critics of Getty see this stance as blatantly hypocritical, given its reputation for aggressively pursuing infringement against its own photos.
Getty has long been known to police the Internet for unlicensed use of its photos. It frequently sends hostile letters (known as extortion letters to its critics) to perceived offenders, threatening litigation if they don’t pay a licensing fee. Getty’s tactics are so pervasive, in fact, that editor Matthew Chan launched a website -- Extortion Letter Info -- specifically set up to advise victims of Getty’s aggressive saber-rattling.
That Getty is now on the opposite side of a copyright battle has been seen as no small irony to anyone who follows issues of fair use, but most legal analysts see Monday’s ruling in the AFP v. Morel case as a positive step toward establishing a protocol for photojournalists and social media. For Morel, it was a mixed victory. According to the ruling, the photographer will only be able to collect damages based on each photo that was used -- not based on each time the photos were copied, as his lawyers had hoped. Berger said that, as the first high-profile case to tackle this issue head on, the ruling is a “fair interpretation of Twitter’s terms of service,” and of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Hater Nation: Is Twitter Making Us Meaner?


USA TODAY Network looks back at key facts, figures and images from the scandal that changed American history.
Forty years ago, on Aug. 8, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon announced he would resign the presidency the following day, becoming the first American president to do so.
USA TODAY Network looks at key facts, figures and images from the scandal that changed American history.


Total Municipal Aid: How Did Your Town Do? - Hartford Courant Total Municipal Aid: How Did Your Town Do?
Speaker of the House Joe Arisimowicz and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides sum up their views on the budget that passed 126-23 in the House.
State aid to municipalities – which tops $2.6 billion a year – is reduced by more than $30 million in each of the two years of the newly approved budget. The largest reduction is a five-percent across-the-board cut in the first year in educational cost-sharing funds for all but the state’s poorest districts. Much of that money is restored in the second year under a new funding formula, while other municipal grant programs are cut.


In early discussions that began in the last several weeks that apparently included a face-to-face meeting last week, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer are finally talking about search and also advertising partnerships the companies could possibly strike, said several sources with knowledge of the situation.
According to a variety of sources, the talks between the pair (pictured here) and other execs at both companies are preliminary and wide-ranging, focused on what kind of commercial relationship Yahoo and Microsoft could have in the future.
But, cautioned sources close to Yahoo, the discussions are not about a renewed acquisition attempt by Microsoft and also might not result in any deal.
In any case, investors will likely cheer any kind of productive re-engagement between Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT), which has been lacking since a tense takeover effort by the software giant went south last year after an ugly battle that soured relations between the two companies.
Both Yahoo and Microsoft declined to comment about the talks.
The change in leadership at Yahoo has helped, especially since Bartz–a Silicon Valley veteran with much deal experience–has none of the baggage from the takeover battle that previous management was carrying.
Microsoft seems to have also moved on, working on a massive redesign and relaunch of its search brand, under the internal name Kumo, an effort that has included the hiring a whole lot of talent in the arena, mainly from Yahoo, in fact.
That includes Qi Lu, a former Yahoo tech star, who is leading all of Microsoft’s online efforts.
All of this means that a relatively green-field approach is now possible.
Thus, sources said, the talks include many scenarios, such as one in which the companies swap online advertising assets and deliver services to each other.
In that interesting plan, Yahoo might take over all of Microsoft’s display and premium advertising business to sell along with its own, while Microsoft would run the search advertising business for the pair.
Such a deal, which plays to each company’s strengths, would bind the two closely together, even though they still compete on many other fronts in the Internet space.
It also joins their forces, creating a sale that is much more attractive to advertisers and allows for better competition against search powerhouse Google (GOOG).
And while Ballmer has publicly said repeatedly that Microsoft is interested in buying either Yahoo’s search advertising business or search outright, sources close to Yahoo said the company is still determined to maintain control of the important search business and the massive traffic and critical data it provides.
That is especially true, given that Yahoo is the No. 2 player, with a much larger share than third-place Microsoft. According to recent surveys, for example, Google has a 63 percent share, while Yahoo has 20.6 percent and Microsoft eight percent.
But it is also in Yahoo’s interest to move fast, since its search traffic could be declining soon.
According to a story by Dow Jones yesterday, citing a comScore (SCOR) report, recent toolbar distribution deals with computer makers Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Acer by Microsoft and Google respectively, will have a negative impact on Yahoo.
But even as he directs aggressive moves to put even more competitive pressure on Yahoo, Ballmer has been unusually deferential in giving Bartz a lot of time to come to the table.
Nonetheless, he cannot seem to stop talking about it either.
But, in that interview, Ballmer also said that he had only talked to Bartz briefly since she was hired in January–congratulating her on the new job and mentioning that he’d love to talk about a deal.
In contrast, Bartz has played her hand very close to the vest so far, at least publicly, often discounting any effort to split up Yahoo.


Sheboygan County prosecutors charged Jesse L. Lider Jr. with attempting to flee or elude an officer.
SHEBOYGAN – A motorcyclist who police say popped a wheelie before leading an officer on a 60-plus-mph chase through residential Sheboygan neighborhoods this weekend is facing a felony.
Sheboygan County prosecutors charged Jesse L. Lider Jr. with attempting to flee or elude an officer on Monday, a day after police reported chasing him across the city’s north side. If convicted, the 26-year-old Sheboygan man could face up to 3½ years in prison and on extended supervision, along with as much as a $10,000 fine.
Lider, whose license police said was suspended at the time of the chase, could also face a 6-month revocation if convicted.
An officer first noticed the red-and-white Honda motorcycle traveling at an estimated 50 mph along the 1700 block of Martin Avenue on Sunday morning. Near the intersection of Martin Avenue and 18th Street, the officer said he saw the cyclist perform a wheelie, driving on just its rear tire.
The officer tried stopping the cyclist, whom prosecutors allege accelerated rapidly and failed to stop at several stop signs. At one point, the officer clocked his own speed at about 63 mph, and told prosecutors that even at that speed, he wasn’t catching up.
The pursuit covered several north-side residential streets before the officer reported eventually losing sight of the driver and calling off the chase.
Officers with the Plymouth Police Department and Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office later reported stopping the suspected motorcycle near the corner of County Highways O and E.
Lider told police he’d fled and that he knew his license was suspended, but otherwise “had no other explanation for his behavior,” prosecutors wrote in their complaint.


The author from Florida wants to encourage people to rise above their adversity and work towards their goals.
A book of quotations to jumpstart a positive attitude.
Alene Sheffield knows what it’s like to grow up poor and in the ghetto. She also knows how to deal with the hardships and changes in life in a positive way. Learning from her experiences, she thrived and even went on to author a motivational book titled “If I Can, You Can Too: A Book of Inspirational Sayings” (Xlibris, 2018).
Though a well-written, illustrated biography could have served Sheffield’s noble purpose of inspiring others with her story, a book of motivational quotes will speak volumes. But unlike most quotation references, “If I Can, You Can Too” highlights not the quotes but the way she lived her life and the way she would handle life’s tough situations.
A compact book with a tremendous impact for anyone who will take the moment to reflect on the quotes and the reflections that accompany them and learn from the author’s examples, “If I Can, You Can Too” will do more than just provide readers new quotes to live by. It will push readers to act today and take charge of their life.
Alene Sheffield’s “If I Can, You Can Too: A Book of Inspirational Sayings” will soon be displayed in the upcoming 2018 Frankfurt International Book Fair on October 10-14, 2018.
Alene Sheffield is a native of Fort Myers, Florida. She moved to Sarasota, Florida, where she continued her teacher-counselor career in 1988, following the death of her beloved husband, Dr. Arthur Sheffield Jr. Following her retirement in 2010, she returned to work, where she felt a close connection to her adult students who had dropped out of school and were facing a difficult life without a high school diploma or GED.
During the course of that training, Alene saw the need to motivate her students to share their life experiences and how they had turned their lives around, some from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse and back to the schoolhouse.
As their teacher, Alene saw the need to share her life experiences from a poor ghetto community and not having made the poor or bad decisions most of them had made. Both, she and the students, were encouraged to have their life stories placed into a book. Hopefully, it will not only encourage them to carry on and live successful lives but also motivate others to have faith that if others can do it, they can do it too. May their lives reflect the peace and happiness they all deserve.


GAINESVILLE �Given the Gators� rich draft history, last year�s dismal showing in the NFL Draft was equal parts stunning and revealing.
GAINESVILLE � Given the Gators� rich draft history, last year�s dismal showing in the NFL Draft was equal parts stunning and revealing.
Florida had only two players taken: defensive tackle Jaye Howard in the fourth round; running back Chris Rainey in the fifth.
The same elite program that was the story of the draft only two years earlier � with three players going in the first round and nine overall � fell to irrelevant in 2012.
The Gators could have one player among the first three selected � defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. Following Floyd, eight or nine more Gators could hear their names called in New York City.
Floyd might not be the only Gator taken in tonight�s first round. Safety Matt Elam�s stock has been rising over the past few weeks and some are projecting he�ll go late in the first round.
�Really, the only downside is his height, and there�s nothing you can do about that,� Mayock said of Elam. �The only downside with Elam as far as teams are concerned is there�s nothing they can do about 5-10, and occasionally you�re going to have to live with that. But on the positive side you get a kid that tackles, a kid that�s tough, a kid that cares.
�He�s a guy I think you�re going to like, the way he plays the game,� Kiper said. �I have him slotted to go either in the second or third round. He�s a nice football player. He really put together a heck of a year. He made some really good plays.
Two UF offensive players are expected to get drafted � tight end Jordan Reed and tailback Mike Gillislee, who rushed for 1,152 yards. Both project to go in the mid-rounds.
�(Gillislee) doesn�t have great top-end speed,� ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. �But with the lateral quickness that he has and the determination that he has and the competitiveness with which he runs, I just like him.


(dpa) - The US Justice Department Wednesday said it was convinced that a top government scientist who committed suicide last week was the sole person responsible for the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks that terrified the nation.
Bruce Ivins was set to be indicted last week for the anthrax-laced mailings, sent only weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The department earlier Wednesday unsealed hundreds of court documents it believed proved that Ivins had sent the letters.
"We believe that, based on the evidence we have collected, we could prove his guilt to a jury beyond reasonable doubt," said Jeffrey Taylor, US attorney for the District of Colombia.
Ivins, 62, worked as an anthrax researcher at the government's elite bio-defence laboratory in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He had never been officially named as a suspect, but the court documents reveal that search warrants for his property were issued as early as October 2007.
The documents provided extensive details of the growing case against Ivins, who died last week of an overdose of prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine.
"We were able to prevent (Ivins) from harming anyone else. Unfortunately, we were unable to prevent him from harming himself," Taylor told reporters.
Letters containing anthrax spores were sent to media outlets and members of Congress in September and October 2001, killing five people and infecting dozens of others. Nobody has been charged in the seven-year investigation.
Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had a two-hour meeting Wednesday with family members and victims of the attacks to detail the findings of the case, which could be formally closed in the near future.
According to the court documents, at the time of the mailings, Ivins owned a "large flask of highly purified anthrax spores that possess certain genetic mutations identical to the anthrax used in the attacks."
The FBI said that new scientific breakthroughs were required to link the anthrax mailings to a single flask in Ivins lab. The link was only successfully established in 2005, four years after the attacks.
"We faced a weapon which we have never, ever faced before in our life," said Joseph Persichini of the FBI's Washington field office.
Ivins provided investigators with false samples of anthrax from his laboratory and could not provide an "adequate explanation" of his work at the lab on the nights the letters were sent, according to the documents.
Until last week, the only publicly known suspect in the anthrax case had been one of Ivins' colleagues. Steven Hatfill, who was cleared of any involvement, won a 5.8-million-dollar settlement from the Justice Department after his name was leaked to the media as a "person of interest."


Monica Popp just wants to win.
After more than a decade climbing the rungs of American politics, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn’s chief of staff said muscling legislation across the Senate floor is what gets her blood flowing.
Senate Republicans have a razor-thin majority. Popp — and Cornyn (R-Texas) — are charged with building internal coalitions to push legislation through the chamber. She started as Cornyn’s chief of staff almost three years ago, and her job is to understand what makes her conference’s members tick and what they want in a bill for them to vote for it.
Popp is the daughter of Portuguese immigrants and grew up in both New York and Shreveport, La. Early in her studies at Texas A&M, she wanted to be a doctor. She worked as a public-school math teacher for a year before moving to Washington, where she ended up working for then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s Washington office for a couple of years before “turning the lights off” at Health and Human Services at the end of President George W. Bush’s second term.
Popp has always liked being in the middle of the action. As a staffer for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, she enjoyed negotiating with Democrats, drafting bills and getting them passed. In her current role, she spends three-quarters of her time talking to other Senate Republican offices to accomplish that goal and the rest studying policy so she can understand what she’s selling.
“The most important thing in this job is to preserve the relationships, and the No. 1 thing I care about here is having a trust with people and maintaining the confidentiality so on a person’s worst day, we’re not going to talk about it, and on a person’s best day, we’re not going to talk about it,” she said.
Popp frequently talks with White House legislative affairs director Marc Short, which sometimes requires “brutal honesty” to tell him what is possible to do on the Hill.


Charlottesville police say two men picked the wrong students to rob at gunpoint and are behind bars, badly beaten by their victims.
Charlottesville police say two men picked the wrong students to rob at gunpoint. The robbery suspects are behind bars, badly beaten by their victims.
Both suspects have severe injuries to their faces, but the victims - we're told - are doing just fine. The pair who allegedly attempted an armed robbery had the tables turned on them Tuesday night, becoming victims themselves, so to speak.
Johnny Calderon Jr., 19, is facing four charges: two for attempted robbery, one for pointing a firearm and one for using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Calderon has a lot of bruising on his face, but he was not as badly injured as Gerald Allen. Allen's right eye is swollen shut. Allen, 18, is facing a pair of attempted robbery charges.
Police say the suspects, both from Charlottesville, had to be taken to the hospital before going to jail Tuesday night.
The robbery happened along the 2300 block of Fontaine Avenue. When police arrived on the scene, they found two University of Virginia students had beaten up the suspects and detained them.
Police say they do not encourage victims to take matters into their own hands.
Calderon is due in General District Court Friday morning for a hearing. Allen is due in court on October 3.
Update: According to Calderon's defense attorney Lloyd Snook, the men who detained the suspects were not University of Virginia students. This contradicts the information we received from police.


Gains made in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) could be eroded, if they were not sustained, Professor Abraham Kwabena Anang, Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), has said.
He explained that the TB bacteria (mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms) were developing resistance to the first line drugs used in fighting the disease.
Prof. Anang said the TB situation in the country was under control but Ghana has to be careful and active in conducting surveillance as well as ensuring a rigorous screening of patients.
He said this at the opening ceremony of a three-day retreat organised by the West African Network for TB, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS) and Malaria (WANETAM) at the NMIMR in Accra on Monday.
The retreat, themed: "Empowering African research Institutions through capacity building, partnership and networking," brought together participants from Ghana and other African countries.
"We are beginning to have extremely drug resistance tuberculosis which we have identified one of them. Those kinds of organisms are very difficult to treat and if not lucky we will not be able to fight the infection," he added.
Prof. Anang said the situation called for further action to ensure that information gathered was translated into a policy to help experts control and manage the TB situation.
He was of the view that diagnosis and treatment of the disease should be modified and more care taken in screening the mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms to ensure that the second line drugs used in treating the disease were effective.
"If not, we should be able to find its equivalent or a better treatment for affected individuals otherwise they will spread more dangerous organisms that will become a public health problem," he said.
The Director of NMIIMR said with the work of the institute, it was able to empower the Ghana Health Service to detect, diagnose and treat diseases more effectively.
He said the institute now had the Advanced Research Centre for Infectious Diseases and it is a regional hub for enhancing, detection, diagnosing, treatment and management of TB, AIDS, Yellow Fever and Ebola.
With the new facility, he said, the capability of the institute had been broadened and working with its West African partners to achieve its expected objectives.
The coordinator of WANETAM, Professor Souleymane Mboup said this year's programme brought together 20 institutions from nine African countries including Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Ghana.
He said the objective of the retreat was to strengthen collaboration and optimise the use of resources and infrastructures within the network.
"It is also to promote professional development and scientific leadership in clinical trials through training and mentorship and organise training programmes and platform for exchange of expertise in key skills," he said.


The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is an association of oil-producing nations set up in 1960 with the express purpose of influencing oil prices by controlling supply.
Things have changed a great deal for the cartel in recent years.
In 2000, it adopted a price band of between $22 and $28 a barrel, levels a world away from current prices.
If the price went below $22 a barrel, production quotas would be cut. If it went above $28 a barrel, production would be raised.
Opec abandoned the price band in 2005 and now has no official price target.
When its members meet, they try to co-ordinate future production with their predictions for demand.
While there have been increases in production recently, the price of oil has continued to soar.
Opec's official position is that there is plenty of supply in the market. It says rising prices are the fault of investors in the financial sector, who are buying oil contracts in order to sell them on without ever planning to take delivery.
Clearly there are limits to the amount production can be raised, and Opec also sees dangers in increasing supply further.
"Producers fear that the financial sector will decide that there is over-supply in the market and move into other investments," says Manouchehr Takin from the Centre for Global Energy Studies.
"If there is a sudden change in sentiment like that, then the price could collapse."
That problem is exacerbated by the time delays in the system.
If producers in the Gulf, for example, decide to increase production, it will be about three months before any extra oil reaches the market.
If the announcement of extra production caused a big fall in prices, then the extra oil actually hitting the market three months later would exacerbate the problem.
And the members of Opec have a great deal at stake.
Many of the oil-rich states are rich in very little else.
Crude oil is their only export, making them uniquely vulnerable to world oil prices.
When prices fell to $10 a barrel in 1998, their economies were hit hard.
"In the US, Opec is viewed as a cartel and therefore something to be smashed, which is not a helpful way of thinking about it," says Tony Scanlan of the British Institute of Energy Economics.
"The one thing the Opec countries all have in common is their absolute reliance on one product - oil."
According to Mr Scanlan, the Opec countries cannot afford to treat oil "as just another commodity".
"When the price falls, it creates real pain. They have to feed and give welfare to their people, the same as Western countries," he says.
On the other hand, of course, when Opec members decided to stop supplying oil to countries they said were supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, a great deal of damage was done to the economies of the targeted countries.
More recently, Opec has improved its reputation, with attempts made to provide some stability to the oil market.
But since the 1970s, Opec's power has waned, with its control over oil prices being questioned.
There have been continuing disputes about whether member countries are actually sticking to their agreed quotas.
Also, strategies favoured by countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which have enormous oil reserves and relatively small populations, are often at odds with those of countries such as Iran and Nigeria, that have bigger populations and few other exports.
Indonesia has announced that it will leave Opec when its membership expires later this year.
The official reason is that it is no longer a net exporter of oil. But the cartel's only South East Asian member is also understood to have been upset that there have not been greater increases of production to try to bring prices down from their record levels.
Another factor weakening the cartel is that as oil prices have risen, reserves that were not previously worth tapping in non-Opec countries have now become viable and Russia has become a particularly significant supplier.


Iraqi forces have captured a key airbase from the Islamic State group that can serve as a launchpad for retaking the jihadist-held city of Mosul, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday.
The Qayyarah airbase in the Tigris valley 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul would be "an important base for the liberation of Mosul," Abadi said in a statement.
He called for the people of Iraq's northwestern Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, to "prepare for the liberation of their cities."
Iraq's Joint Operations Command said two army divisions and members of the country's counter-terrorism forces took the base with air support from a US-led international coalition.
Security sources said jihadists had fled towards Mosul after the base was taken.
An officer taking part in the operation said bomb disposal teams were removing booby traps and mines left behind by IS fighters.
No further details were immediately available on the scale of fighting for the base.
At the end of last month, Iraqi forces recaptured Fallujah, a city 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, in a major setback for IS.
That focused attention on the battle to remove IS from the northwest of the country.
In recent months, IS has lost significant parts of the territory north and west of Baghdad which it seized in 2014.
The fighting to get into Fallujah was initially fierce, particularly on the southern side, and Iraqi forces were supported by more than 100 US-led coalition air strikes.
On June 26, Abadi stood outside a hospital in Fallujah and vowed that the Iraqi flag would soon be raised over Mosul.
In his statement on Saturday, he said government forces had advanced 100 kilometres (60 miles) in the past few days.
"This is important revenge against the terrorist gangs, which we will crush and cleanse from all of our land very soon," he said.
Rights groups have raised concerns about alleged abuses carried out by Iraqi forces during the fight for Fallujah, including executions of civilians.
Human Rights Watch called on the government on Thursday to be transparent about an enquiry into the alleged abuses, which it said was "mired in secrecy".
More than 80,000 people have been displaced since the start of the Fallujah offensive, bringing to more than 3.3 million the number of Iraqis forced from their homes by conflict since the start of 2014.
The Sunni extremist group has responded to its battlefield setbacks by hitting back against civilians, particularly Shiites.
Experts have warned there may be more bombings as the jihadists continue to lose ground.
IS said it had carried out an attack on a Shiite shrine north of Baghdad that started Thursday evening and killed 30 people.
That came just days after a devastating bombing in the capital that killed 292 people.


A landmark deal was signed on Nov. 9 for the mass production of Turkey’s first domestically made main battle tank, Altay.
The state Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) and armored vehicle maker BMC signed a contract for the Altay, a next-generation battle tank in Ankara. The financial value of the agreement was not revealed.
The contract includes the mass production and life-cycle logistical support for 250 units.
The first Altay tank will roll off the assembly line within 18 months and will be delivered to the Turkish Land Forces, SSB President İsmail Demir said.
“BMC won this tender with a competitive price. The tender was concluded after the prices were renewed in a competitive manner,” he added.
Regarding the engine of the tank, Demir said Turkey’s main aim was to maximize the local production rate in such defense projects.
“We need to overcome obstacles that obstruct Turkey to move independently. We are, of course, closing the doors to foreign partners. Our doors remain open to any firms which want to cooperate with us. However, we will not allow any limitations,” he said, referring to Turkey’s demand to obtain the intellectual property rights of the final defense products.
The company will however use foreign engines in the first Altay tanks due to “time limitations,” Demir noted.
Meanwhile, at the ceremony, BMC chair Ethem Sancak said a partnership was made with a foreign company when making the bid, but they later “ceased the deal to an end” while continuing to benefit from the consultancy services of this company.
Sancak did not mention the name of the company, as reported by Reuters.
The Altay, Turkey’s first main battle tank development program, includes electronic command and control systems, a 120-mm gun, and armor, made by Turkish companies, including Roketsan, Aselsan and Havelsan.
The prototype of the tank was developed by Koç Holding’s Otokar in line with an agreement, which came into effect in 2009. Otokar later on made a bid for mass production.


Unlike temporary Obama-era deficits due largely to recession, Trump's are permanent and will grow if he gets a Space Force and other expensive programs.
Though no one in Washington will admit it, our nation's finances are in deep trouble. Spending is up, revenue is down, and this will only get worse.
It became very clear this month that neither the Trump White House nor its allies on Capitol Hill want you to know that the federal budget is already in very bad shape ... and getting worse.
It happened when the Treasury, the official keeper of Washington’s financial results, issued its monthly statement for the first 10 months of fiscal 2018 about federal revenue, spending and, therefore, the budget deficit.
Treasury showed what no president ever wants to admit: The deficit is spiking. The federal government’s red ink this year is already 21 percent above what it was in 2017, and there are few prospects that the bottom line will improve anytime soon.
Except with infrequent and unsubstantiated platitudes about how the situation is going to get better, the Trump White House and Republicans in Congress have been doing everything possible not to talk about the budget this year. To avoid tough questions and politically embarrassing votes, the House and Senate have even refused to consider a budget even though they are required by law to adopt one.
But this year isn’t the real issue.
Unlike the trillion dollar budget deficits that occurred during the Obama administration that were temporary and largely the result of the Great Recession, the Trump deficits that will soon reach and exceed $1 trillion are permanent and will only get worse in the years ahead.
The Trump deficits are the result of changes in federal spending and revenue that will continue to be in place until some president and Congress decide to reverse them, that is, to increase taxes and make cuts to popular programs.
Not only has there been little appetite to do that, many in Congress and the Trump administration seem to be hellbent on ignoring the deficit and national debt and increasing spending and reducing revenue even further.
For example, the White House last week proposed a new Space Force that would likely add billions, if not hundreds of billions, to the Pentagon’s budget. Trump has asked for $25 billion for the wall he wants to build between the U.S. and Mexico. His much talked about but still unseen infrastructure plan would cost countless billions more.
When the House returns to Washington in September, it is set to consider another tax cut that could reduce revenue by an additional trillion dollar. None of this includes the natural and man-made disasters — everything from earthquakes, forest fires and hurricanes to military, terrorist and foreign policy situations — that occur each year and cost more than planned.
Nor does it include interest on the national debt. The combination of big increases in federal borrowing from the very large deficits and the need for Washington to roll over its sizable short-term debt at higher interest rates will make this the fastest growing spending of all.
And all of this is happening when the economy is doing well. The relatively mild economic downturn that many are now saying will occur over the next few years will lower revenue and increase the deficit even further.
That makes the Trump administration’s extreme reluctance to comment on the deficit report from its own Treasury understandable: The news, which is already bad on its watch as a result of its policies, is only going to get worse.
►It obviously doesn’t want to talk about how big the annual deficit could get in the years ahead. The Congressional Budget Office is already projecting it will exceed $1.5 trillion by 2028, and that assumes no changes from existing taxes and spending laws and no recession.
►It also doesn’t want to talk about how it will pay for more tax cuts, a Space Force, the wall, infrastructure or anything else ... including reducing the deficit.
►The Trump administration doesn’t want to explain how it’s going to manage the U.S. economy out of a recession if one happens on its watch. The traditional federal response of tax cuts and spending increases might not be as politically palatable as it has been in the past given that it could drive the annual deficit to close to $2 trillion.
The budget policymakers on Capitol Hill and in the Trump White House obviously aren’t focusing on much beyond 2018 and 2020. But they should at least be willing to admit there’s a problem that will continue long after the votes have been counted in those elections.


And report about a contest for a September eleventh memorial in New York City.
Officials in New York City have announced an international competition to design a memorial to honor those who died at the World Trade Center. The memorial is part of a larger plan for the rebuilding of the area. Shas more.
The seven buildings known as the World Trade Center complex in New York City were built between nineteen-sixty-two and nineteen-seventy-three. The buildings known as the Twin Towers were the tallest in the world at the time they were finished.
On February twenty-sixth, nineteen-ninety-three, a terrorist bomb exploded in the parking area below the World Trade Center. Six people were killed. Thousands were injured. The bomb damaged the buildings but people were able to return to work three weeks later.
On September eleventh, two-thousand-one, hijackers flew two passenger airplanes into the Twin Towers. The attacks caused huge explosions that started fires in the buildings. Pieces fell all over the area. The Twin Towers fell down.
Five other buildings in the World Trade Center were also destroyed. Almost three-thousand people were killed.
The international competition to honor those killed is open to anyone over the age of eighteen. The competition will be carried out in two parts. The first designs must be sent to the judging committee by June thirtieth. The judges will select five to further develop their designs. The judges will announce a winner later this year. The fourteen judges on the committee include designer Maya Lin, architecture professor Enrique Norton, and Paula Grant-Berry. Her husband was among those killed.
Officials say they are seeking the most creative designs for the memorial to honor all those who died. Anyone seeking to take part in the competition must register by May twenty-ninth. The cost is twenty-five dollars. To register for the competition, you must use the form found on the Memorial Competition Web site. It provides all the necessary information about the contest and how to send in the design. That address is www.wtcsitememorial.org. Again, the address is wtcsitememorial -- that's all one word -- dot o-r-g.
Our VOA listener question this week comes from two different people. Nguyen Than Duc of Vietnam and Ibrahim Abdulkarim of Nigeria both ask about the American holiday, Mother’s Day.
This Sunday, May eleventh, is Mother’s Day in the United States. Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always on the same day. Some history experts say the holiday comes from ancient spring festivals in Greece and Rome. A more modern Mother's Day began in the seventeenth century in Britain.
The writer Julia Ward Howe made the first known suggestion for a Mother’s Day in the United States. That was in eighteen-seventy-two. She said it should be a day to celebrate peace.
Mother’s Day as it is celebrated today began with a woman named Anna Jarvis. In nineteen-oh-seven, she held a ceremony to honor her mother at a church in the state of West Virginia. She held the ceremony on the anniversary of her mother’s death. Later, she and others wrote thousands of letters to public officials urging that the second Sunday in May be declared Mother’s Day.
President Woodrow Wilson and the United States Congress finally agreed in nineteen-fourteen. The second Sunday in May became a day of public expression of love for mothers throughout the country. It became popular for people to send gifts of flowers and candy tot their mothers on Mother’s Day.
Today, children of all ages still give their mothers special gifts on Mother’s Day. Older children may travel to visit their mothers. If they cannot, they usually send a special card with a message of love. Or they send flowers.
They also usually call their mothers on the telephone to wish them a happy day. Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for American telephone companies.
Fleetwood Mac has produced a big album. There are eighteen songs on “Say You Will.” Singer Stevie Nicks joked that a person needs two days to listen to it.
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. Write us with your questions about American life. We will try to answer them on future programs. Listeners whose questions are chosen will receive a gift.
Write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, USA. Or send e-mail to mosaic at v-o-a news dot com. Please include your name and mailing address.
Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Rick Barnes. And our producer was Paul Thompson.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC -- VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.


A charity has said it is faced with closure after its Arts Council (ACNI) funding was completely cut.
Planning Landscape Architecture Community Environment (PLACE) has an office in Belfast city centre.
It was one of a number of groups to have its annual funding withdrawn by the ACNI this year.
ACNI said it had to make "difficult strategic funding decisions" due to decreasing income from the National Lottery.
PLACE has been in existence for 15 years and runs a programme of tours, talks, exhibitions and festivals on architecture and the built environment in Northern Ireland.
It also works with community groups and public bodies to advise on urban planning.
In 2018-19 PLACE received £86,626 through ACNI's annual funding programme.
ACNI was its main source of income for its office, running costs and three full-time staff.
However, it has now been told that it will not receive any annual funding in 2019-20.
A spokesperson for PLACE said the cut was "shocking and disappointing".
The vast majority of arts organisations here would not exist without some form of public subsidy.
The Arts Council distributes millions of pounds of funding towards the running costs of arts groups every year.
About two-thirds of that funding - more than £8m this year - is from the government through the Department for Communities.
The other third - more than £4m - is from the National Lottery.
In recent years government funding to the arts has been cut, but this year it is National Lottery money which the Arts Council says has declined.
That has led to them having to make difficult decisions as demand for funding always outstrips the money they have available.
Groups like PLACE have suffered as a result.
"We were notified without warning that we have been offered three months of funding in order to 'exit' Arts Council of Northern Ireland support," they said.
"This puts PLACE at immediate risk of closure."
"There is no other organisation delivering the same unique mix of activities that PLACE does."
ACNI said they had provided £12.8m of annual funding to 97 arts organisations, a reduction from 102 in 2018-19.
While funding from the Department for Communities to ACNI was the same as last year, lottery funding had reduced by almost 5%.
The ACNI chair John Edmund said they did not have the resources to meet demand.
"Thirty-four organisations were offered standstill funding, five were offered strategic uplifts, while the remainder received cuts," he said.
"Within the context of reducing public funding, this year in particular from the National Lottery, the board had to make the difficult decision to reduce the number of annually funded organisations."
"It is with regret that we had to refuse annual 2019 funding to five current clients."
Among the organisations who have also confirmed to BBC News NI that they have lost ACNI funding this year are Voluntary Arts Ireland - who received £54,580 in 2018/19 - and Terra Nova Productions, who received £19,890 last year.
ACNI has said they will also be offered three months funding to help them exit from its annual funding stream.


WASHINGTON, D.C. – A former top aide to a Republican president and a left-wing senator have both blasted the White House for its response to the feud between Canada and Saudi Arabia, calling it weak and evidence of President Donald Trump’s affinity for autocrats.
In an article earlier this week, Elliott Abrams, who was deputy national security adviser to George W. Bush, said the Saudis’ aggressive response to human rights criticism from Canada was “an unforced error,” and the lack of U.S. back-up for the Canadians indefensible.
From the other side of the political spectrum, Sen. Bernie Sanders told the National Post Trump himself should have defended Canada and echoed its criticism of the Saudis.
The States’ strategic alliance with the Arab power is no reason to go easy on its human rights transgressions, he said.
“What the United States government should have done is joined Canada in telling Saudi Arabia that it is not acceptable in a country that has received huge amounts of support and military arms from the United States to be imprisoning human rights activists,” he said in an interview.
The diplomatic clash started when first Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, then Global Affairs Canada issued tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia for jailing rights activist Samar Badawi and others. Badawi’s brother Raif was earlier sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for running the website “Free Saudi Liberals.” His wife and children live in Canada and recently became citizens.
In response, the Saudis threw out Canada’s ambassador, ordered a halt to further trade and called back thousands of students and medical patients from Canada.
The Canadians violated “basic international norms” by meddling in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs, its government said.
Trump, who made his first foreign trip as president to Riyadh, has not made any comment on the affair. He has touted the Saudis as an important ally in opposing Iran and fighting extremism, and a lucrative trading partner. He has also praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de-facto leader, for the liberal reforms he has spearheaded.
The U.S. State Department said it has asked the Saudis about the situation with Canada, and encouraged it to respect due process and be transparent about the fate of people taken into custody. But it has not publicly criticized the arrest of the activists, nor the aggressive response to Canada.
The European Union has taken a similarly neutral stance.
Abrams, who now heads the Council on Foreign Relations, dismissed the Saudis’ contention that other nations have no right to criticize its domestic affairs.
And the initial State Department response to the affair was “indefensibly weak,” Abrams wrote. It ought to have stated that no country should suffer when it voices support for human rights, especially involving the family of its citizens, he said.
“That would have been a mild brush-back of the Saudi overreaction, and would have been a useful suggestion to the Saudis that they were going too far,” said Abrams.
As for Sanders, it’s little surprise that one of the more left-leaning members of Congress would criticize Trump. But he has also been part of a bipartisan effort opposing Trump’s position on another controversial policy of the Saudi kingdom.
He and Republican Mike Lee co-sponsored a resolution — eventually defeated after heavy lobbying by the White House — that called on the administration to halt its support of the Saudis’ war in Yemen.
A State Department spokesman said Thursday the agency would not comment on Sanders’ remarks.


I live in the Broom Hill area of Ingleby Barwick and have no problem getting out of the estate as I am on the doorstep of the new bypass.
I live in the Broom Hill area of Ingleby Barwick and have no problem getting out of the estate as I am on the doorstep of the new bypass. When I use the other exits, however, it's a different story.
It all seems to be caused by vehicles trying to get access to the A19.
The traffic backlog on Sober Hall and the main traditional entrance to Ingleby via the Teesside Industrial estate is clogged because of the incompatible road system that runs past the Total Garage and gives access to the strip of Tarmac which takes you to the A19/ Parkway roundabout.
Traffic queuing here is the root cause of those exits being blocked.
There is no hold up on the new bypass, its dual carriageway up to the A66, no potential bottlenecks.
Ingleby Barwick needs a new and fast way of hitting the A19. One road would do it. No traffic lights, just simple straight access on to the A19.
Perhaps cut through Teesside industrial estate to do it. I am sure there are other places where it can be positioned.
It would cost a bit, but a few extra quid a month on the council tax would surely suffice to put an end to traffic stress and happier days.
Having lived on the Sober Hall side of Ingleby Barwick for eight years and suffered years of congestion getting on to Low Lane, finally we get the by-pass we wanted. Then Stockton Council comes along again with the hare-brained scheme to build a second school on the only piece of green land we have left on this side.
They have made a complete mess of this estate. Have we been sold our houses under false pretences?
Our village is established, so why should we residents put up with more building work and excessive traffic? Also what about the wasted money over the years on expanding Ingleby Mill?
It's all about development and making money, so let's all get together on this and stop Stockton Council walking all over us.
Regarding the proposed plans for the future traffic requirements of Ingleby Barwick, I believe Stockton Council must have totally lost its tiny mind.
If these plans go ahead, the whole thing will descend into anarchy. On a morning people will not go backwards and the whole place will come to a stop.
I am disgusted at how the people in Ingleby Barwick are treated by the council after the amount of money it must make for them.
Some serious protest needs to be made and I would welcome the proposed meeting as and when it takes place.
I live off Blair Avenue in Ingleby Barwick and I would not want to see a return of the terrible traffic congestion that was once characteristic of Ingleby Barwick.
I implore those responsible for taking decisions concerning the closure of Lowfields Avenue extension to please leave it open.
It poses no more risk to residents and schoolchildren than the Lowfields/Beckfields end poses to Whinestone Primary School and residents living around there.
Aren't the council elections due soon? If so, maybe we should mobilise votes against the current council?


Lewis Mudge is Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, focusing on Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. Before joining Human Rights Watch he was based in Goma, eastern Congo, as the field manager for Interactive Radio for Justice, an organization dedicated to creating local radio programs that concentrated on International Criminal Court proceedings. He has lived in Africa for over 13 years, the last 9 of which have been focused on Central Africa. He has written several Human Rights Watch reports and his op-eds have appeared in major papers and news outlets, but his true love is field research and getting to understand the individual cost of human rights abuses. He has a Masters in International Politics from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.


There are many Americans in this day and age that have no clue about history, nor do they understand the realities that have shaped American history.
Some of these individuals, even as the Confederate flag was being removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, do not recognize that the African-American community and other communities of color view the Confederate Flag as a racist symbol that has historically been used to promote hate.
On Friday, Roland Martin, Activist/Filmmaker Bree Newsome, and the NewsOne Now panel featuring Catalina Byrd, Media Consultant & Host, WEAA 88.9FM Baltimore, Dr. Wilmer Leon, Political Scientist/Syndicated Columnist, SiriusXM Radio, and Daniella Gibbs Léger, Senior VP, Communications & Strategy, Center For American Progress, discussed the history of the Confederacy, the Confederate flag, and America’s denial of the history of hate associated with it.
She added, “I think we really need to take a look at what is being taught in schools.” Newsome explained that people still do not understand what the Civil War was fought for, they do not understand the Civil Rights movement, and have “no understanding “ that historically, the Confederate flag was used to “terrorize people” since the end of the Civil War.
Watch Roland Martin, Bree Newsome, and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the denial of the history associated with the Confederacy, Confederate flag, and racism in the video clip above.


Officials of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (below are airport director Ron Mathieu and Airport Commission members Kay Arnold, Jim Dailey and Virgil Miller) celebrated the nearing completion of the first phase of an airport improvement project, the $67 million expansion of the ticket lobby and a baggage handling system. The image at top is the future of a plan that currently calls for an expansion by 2020. The Clintons will be on hand May 3 for a dedication ceremony.


The Small Business Administration is putting together a plan to temporarily assemble enough acquisition employees to carry out the agency's usual contracting work as well as spending its Recovery Act work, according to a new memo.
SBA intends to add five extra private-sector employees to support its acquisition staff, with two of them dealing solely with Recovery Act contracting, Darryl Hairston, associate administrator of SBA’s Office of Management and Administration, wrote in a memo posted online April 13.
“Ensuring the proper oversight of the acquisition activity and its personnel is a critical function,” Hairston wrote.
Hairston wrote in response to the SBA inspector general’s concerns about overseeing acquisition work, specifically the demands on overseeing Recovery Act spending.
Debra Ritt, SBA’s associate inspector general for auditing, raised concerns in an April 9 memo about the number of SBA’s contracting employees handling a greatly increased workload due to Recovery Act contracts. Ritt’s concerns align with a theme resonating among the federal watchdog community.
SBA’s contracting staff has decreased as work increased, and, what’s more, SBA lacks strong leadership in its contracting office.
Ritt noted that since November, SBA has not had an Office of Business Operations director, a position that is also intended to be the agency’s senior procurement executive. Adding to the turmoil, the acting director does not have a great deal of contract knowledge to oversee contracts to avoid mismanagement, according to Ritt’s memo.
SBA’s contracting shop has last dropped from 13 employees in June 2009 to seven in February. Meanwhile the amount of work has grown significantly. In June SBA had awarded four contracts with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and processed 390 contract actions that included no stimulus funds. By February though, SBA had awarded 25 more Recovery Act contracts and processed 740 other contract actions, Ritt wrote.
“Consequently, SBA will not be able to provide heightened management attention of Recovery Act contracts, as required by [the Office of Management and Budget], or be able to effectively oversee other contracting activity,” Ritt wrote in the memo.
Hairston said he agrees with the IG's concerns and is working on building up its acquisition staff and improve its employees' skills to do the core operations.


(Left) Antioch Foot & Ankle Group Team displaying comfortable work shoes and foot care products to below wing (orange vest) and above wing (white shirt) Delta Employees.
Antioch Foot & Ankle Group continues its commitment to give back to Savannah and the Low Country. Antioch was on hand at the Savanah/Hilton Head International Airport, with other healthcare providers, at the Delta Air Lines FIT/Health and Wellness Event. Delta’s Frontline Involvement Team (FIT) is an avenue for frontline employees to get the latest information affecting them as Delta employees every day—from leaders to events, to new initiatives and best practices. FIT is working hard to make sure Delta Air Lines stays on its course as a leader and takes care of its employees. The Health and Wellness event was just one of the initiatives of the program. Antioch specializes in diabetic foot care and has a shoe shop, Sole to Soul Solutions Shoe Store, located in their office. Jacqueline Tomlin and Denise Johnson from Antioch talked to airline workers, and customers educating them about diabetes, foot complications associated with diabetes and living with diabetes. All were invited to visit Antioch Foot and Ankle Specialist, Dr. Kristian Jeffress, and let the Antioch Team be a “Blessing To Your Feet”.


The only problem, at least for those who were once overjoyed by his decision 3½ years ago to become a Terp, is that quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. will arrive for Saturday’s game with the rest of his Ohio State teammates.
Yet Haskins is certain to be reminded by the Maryland fans who show up for the team’s senior day about what happened after then-coach Randy Edsall was fired during the 2015 season and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley didn’t get the job.
And given the season the redshirt sophomore is having for the No. 10 Buckeyes, the Terps and their fans will likely be reminded of what might have been had the former Bullis School star followed through with his commitment to play at Maryland.
After eight games in which the outcome was not in doubt at the end — four blowout wins and four blowout losses — the Maryland football team finally had a close game Saturday in a 34-32 defeat to Indiana at Memorial Stadium.
For his part, Haskins told reporters he isn’t thinking much about why he wound up in Columbus rather than College Park, trying to continue the tradition of playing for championships under Urban Meyer rather than helping rebuild under DJ Durkin.
Asked how hard it was at the time to flip his commitment, Haskins said: “It was very hard just because of the relationships I built there at the university with the coaches, teachers, players and commits.
For its part, the Maryland defense will be trying to slow down Haskins in his pursuit of several Ohio State passing records and help the Terps pull off their biggest upset to date under interim coach Matt Canada to become bowl-eligible.
For Adam McLean, it’s a little more personal. The redshirt junior defensive tackle has long claimed that he was the one who came up with the idea of #TheMovement, the social media campaign to keep the local talent at home for the Terps.
McLean said that he and Haskins have remained close friends and are still neighbors in Gaithersburg, communicating by text message and on social media. McLean is looking forward to another chance to play against Haskins.
The two were on the field briefly last season in Columbus, when Haskins was doing mop-up duty for starter J.T. Barrett in a 62-14 win for the Buckeyes and McLean was finally getting a chance to play for the Terps.
Asked what it will be like to face Haskins, McLean chuckled.
Haskins is having a monster season for the Buckeyes. He is 51 yards from breaking Joe Germaine’s 20-year-old record of 3,300 passing yards and needs three touchdowns to surpass Barrett’s mark of 35 touchdowns, set last season.
Former University of Maryland football coach DJ Durkin continued to communicate with assistant coaches and develop game plans for the team after being placed on administrative leave amid media reports alleging abusive treatment of players, according to multiple sources.
But some of the luster has started to wear off.
Once touted as an early-season Heisman Trophy candidate, perhaps even a front-runner, Haskins has struggled of late, to the point where some Ohio State fans want to see his backup, redshirt freshman Tate Martell, get more snaps in the red zone.
The frustration began during a 49-20 loss at Purdue on Oct. 20 and continued when Haskins threw for season-lows of 252 yards and 227 yards the past two weeks in wins over Nebraska and Michigan State.
As the only team to have beaten Ohio State to date, the Boilermakers certainly provided even more of a blueprint on how to rattle Haskins than other teams that did it occasionally earlier this season.
“What we felt going into the game is that we had to create some pressure on him,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said during the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday. “You have to find ways to make him throw a couple [of interceptions]. You have to blitz, you max-blitz him.
Watching tape from that game, McLean took notice.
Meyer said in the Big Ten teleconference that Haskins plays with a focus and a fearlessness needed for his position.
Meyer is not concerned with the way Haskins will respond under the spotlight of this much-anticipated homecoming, the coach’s confidence derived from the way he saw Haskins respond in last year’s Michigan game coming in for an injured Barrett and throughout this season.
Given all that has transpired since the day he declared his love for being a Terp, #TheMovement is a memory. And not a pleasant one for Maryland. How much more unpleasant it becomes Saturday has a lot to do with the player who either started it or didn’t.


VoIP software developer Jajah has come out with new services for Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Symbian handsets that let consumers make VoIP calls from their mobile phones, either over Wi-Fi or a carrierÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s network.
Jajah offers the services as a white-label solution, so carriers and other service providers can launch the applications under their own brands.
The BlackBerry app, available as an over-the-air download, via the desktop manager or from a corporate BES server, adds “JAJAH Call” to the device’s phonebook menu. The Symbian app lets users with S60 phones choose whether to route their international calls over the Jajah IP network or the standard cellular network. The Windows Mobile app is a full SIP-over-HSDPA/Wi-Fi mobile VoIP solution that turns any device into a full-function VoIP phone.
Jajah is the same company that recently launched an application that turns an iPod touch into a mobile phone.


The DOT is inviting truckers to participate in the first truck size-and-weight listening session on May 29. If you can’t get there in person, make plans to participate online.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is conducting the listening session as part of a congressional mandate to study the effects of truck size and weight on the nation’s infrastructure, highway safety, crash rates, freight patterns and cost.
Congress mandated the Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Study in the current highway bill, MAP-21, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century.
The American Trucking Associations, large shippers, receivers and manufacturers are pushing Congress to increase truck size and weights to 97,000 pounds on six axles on interstates. The current standard, with some exemptions by state, requires permits for trucks to weigh more than 80,000 pounds on five axles.
OOIDA supports the current freeze that has been in place since 1982.
Congressional committees are currently considering bills both for and against truck size-and-weight increases. That’s why it’s important for truckers to be involved and participate in the discussion.
The DOT has scheduled the four-hour listening session from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, May 29, at U.S. DOT headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590.
To attend in person, register in advance by sending an email to CTSWStudy@dot.gov.
If you cannot attend in person, you can view and participate in a webcast of the session by clicking here. Webcast viewers will be asked to sign in for the record to be part of the discussion.
The bill that would increase truck size and weight is SETA, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael Michaud, D-ME, and Rep. Reid Ribble, R-WI. The bill, HR612, does not have a counterpart bill in the Senate at this time.
The bill that supports the current freeze and denies the truck size increase is known as SHIPA, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act. The U.S. Senate and House are currently considering identical versions. The first is S880, sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. The House counterpart is HR1906, sponsored by Rep. James McGovern, D-MA.


Lyft(DENVER) — Ride share company Lyft is entering the scooter arms race, marked by launching its scooter rental program in Denver on Thursday.
The company, which tries to differentiate itself from its competitors by stressing sustainability and social justice issues, is launching its two-wheeled vehicles later than its competitors. Early entrants into the scooter market moved stealthily into markets like San Francisco and Santa Monica, often before municipalities could craft regulation. As a result, cities like San Francisco responded with a ban, while making companies apply for permits for a pilot program.
This was not lost on Lyft.
Multi-modal trips involve more than one kind of transportation.
Denver was an ideal launch city because of its buses and light rail system already available as public transit, Samponaro said. Riders of either of those systems can get a discount on scooter and bike shares.
Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green detailed their ambitions in a Medium post on July 16, stressing transportation equity and sustainability.
“Lyft Bikes and Scooters will be our most affordable transportation options, and will extend mobility to communities that have historically been underserved,” the founders wrote in their post.
In addition to distributing scooters to such neighborhoods, Lyft personnel will collect and redistribute the scooters to communities more in need of transport options, Samponaro said. Although Denver does not have a helmet law, the company will give some away for free at the Lyft Hub at 1401 Zuni Street starting on Sept. 7 on Wednesdays and Fridays.
To rent a scooter through the Lyft app, you have to be 18. You scan your drivers license, and are charged a $1 unlock fee and then 15 cents per minute for a rental period for up to 30 minutes.


Anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out have released a statement saying they are concerned by reports Brighton defender Gaetan Bong was booed by Burnley fans for raising an alleged incident of racism.
Bong was booed throughout the Seagulls' 0-0 draw at Turf Moor after he reported an alleged incident of racism against Burnley-born and former Clarets striker Jay Rodriguez earlier this year.
The FA found after a hearing that Rodriguez was 'not proven' to have used discriminatory language against Bong but part of the statement read: "The FA wishes to stress that there has been no suggestion by any party involved in this case that this was a malicious or fabricated complaint. The FA is completely satisfied that this was a complaint made in absolute good faith."
In a statement today, Kick It Out said: “Kick It Out is concerned at reports that Gaetan Bong was booed on Saturday for raising an alleged incident of racism with The Football Association.
“Kick It Out believes all allegations of discrimination must follow a fair and transparent process for all parties involved and the organisation accepts the ‘not proven’ ruling made by The FA, due to insufficient evidence.
“However, it is important to acknowledge that an allegation found ‘not proven’ does not mean that the complainant has lied or acted in bad faith.


Sunday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Monday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Tuesday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Wednesday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Thursday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Friday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.
Saturday 3-5:30pm: $5 house wine glass, $11 Ravenswood merlot carafe, $6 Estancia glass, $4 Coors pint, $8 Coors pitcher, $6 draft beer pint, $14 draft beer pitchers. $5 plates: buffalo wings, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries. $8.50 sampler platter, choose two of buffalo wings (5), bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, small torpedo, cannoli, pizza fries.


Day nine of the Rio Olympics was truly a Super Sunday for Max Whitlock, as he grabbed two gold medals in the space of just a few hours.
The Team GB gymnast won his first gold of the day on the floor and then followed it up with a second on the pommel horse, beating fellow team-mate Louis Smith in the process.
Speaking to Newsround's Ricky after his amazing feat, Max said: "I'm literally speechless...you only get a minute to show what you can do on each piece and it just feels incredible."
Watch the rest of Ricky's interview with Olympic champ Max Whitlock.
Notre-Dame: Why is the cathedral so important to so many people?


Ilorin—Workers in the three Colleges of Education in Kwara have embarked on an indefinite strike, accusing the state government of failing to meet their five-point demands.
The workers, on the platform of Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions, CUTI, of Colleges of Education in Kwara, had issued three days warning a week ago for the government to act.
Already, academic activities have been paralysed in the institutions located in Ilorin, Oro and Lafiagi.
Mr. Abdulhammed Yusuf, Secretary, Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in the state, said yesterday Ilorin that the union had presented a five-point demand, which the government allegedly failed to honour.
He said the demands included the release of funds for accreditation of courses, payment of backlog of salaries, 30 percent salary increment, promotion and payment of promotion benefits that accrued since 2013.


The Indiana Pacers have taken down the king. After the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 21 straight first-round playoff win streak ended yesterday, the Internet has crowned Victor Oladipo the current crown holder.
Over the past few hours, social media has exploded with hilarious Marvel Studios-inspired memes.


Update: The 16-year-old girl who was wanted in connection with a shooting in early October has been taken into custody.
Saidayah Kirk was arrested by the Davenport Police Department, according to a Moline Detective Michael Griffin. Kirk was expected to be taken to the Scott County Juvenile Detention center.
Original: MOLINE, Illinois -- A 16-year-old girl shot her 18-year-old boyfriend in the stomach, according to the Moline Police Department.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. Sunday, October 7, 2018. Police got a call from someone saying their nephew had been shot on 31st Street A near Avenue of the Cities.
According to Moline Detective Michael Griffin, the 18-year-old who was shot had surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
Police continue to search for the 16-year-old girl, identified as Saidayah Lynn Kirk from Davenport. On Monday afternoon, police issued an arrest warrant for Kirk for aggravated battery with a firearm. Her bond was set at $1 million.
Police said Kirk was considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on her whereabouts was asked to call Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities at 309-762-9500 or the Moline Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 309-524-2140.


The FINANCIAL -- President Donald Trump's job approval rating has stabilized, registering 34% or 35% in each Gallup Daily tracking three-day rolling average since Aug. 20, including 35% in the latest update based on Aug. 27-29 interviewing.
The 34% approval ratings recorded last week tie the Aug. 11-13 measurement as the lowest Trump has had as president.
After starting out in the mid-40s, Trump's job approval rating has been below the 40% mark in each month since February. He is on pace to spend the entire month of August below 40%, with his job approval rating last at 40% on July 11, according to Gallup.


Wed., Dec. 28, 2016, 7:30 a.m.
The mayhem that has rippled through malls in more than a dozen states continued Tuesday evening, when about 200 rowdy teenagers showed up en masse at a Philadelphia mall in a gathering planned on Snapchat, officials said.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told ABC affiliate WPVI that police responded to a report of a disturbance at the Philadelphia Mills Mall at about 6:45 p.m. The large group arrived by bus, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, but only about 30 or 40 were able to get inside.
“They went to the food court area and that’s when they started running around, yelling and screaming and acting disorderly,” Small told WPVI.
At least three teenage boys were arrested. This is the second time that a group of juveniles caused a disturbance at the same Philadelphia mall, according to the Inquirer.
Post-Christmas brawls swept around the country and sent shoppers scrambling toward the exits Monday. Much like the most recent Philadelphia incident, almost all were started by juveniles. Many were scuffles that began at food courts. A few involved false reports of gunshots, while others appear to have been planned on social media. In some cases, social media videos documented the ensuing mass hysteria. In others, lockdowns, injuries and arrests were reported.
The seemingly similar incidents, which took place at about a dozen malls sometime between Monday afternoon and evening, left local law enforcement officials investigating what caused the fights and whether they were somehow connected.
Amsler said a small fight began at the food court of the Town Center Aurora, located outside of Denver, at about 4:45 p.m. Monday and multiplied into dozens of skirmishes throughout the mall. All told, police believe about 500 people were involved. Five juveniles were arrested for charges, such as disorderly conduct, obstruction and resisting arrest.
When police tried to break up the fight in the food court, a large crowd began surrounding the officers, prompting officials to call every on-duty officer in the city for backup, according to the police department.
In Manchester, Connecticut, seven people, including 20-year-old Raekwon Gaines and 19-year-old Solomon Wilson-Frame, were arrested after a disturbance at The Shoppes at Buckland Hills that involved up to 10 teenagers, NBC Connecticut reported. The others who were arrested were ages 14 to 16.
A similar incident happened at about 6:30 p.m. at a mall in Beachwood, Ohio, about 20 miles outside of Cleveland. At least one juvenile in custody is suspected of assaulting a police officer, cleveland.com reported.
A Twitter video, now retweeted more than 3,500 times, shows a stampede inside the mall as shoppers race toward the exit. The tweet says there was a shooting inside, but police have determined that reports of shots fired were unfounded.
Similar false reports of gunshots also were reported at malls in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Elizabeth, New Jersey.
NBC affiliate WRCB TV reported that a group of teenagers set off fireworks to distract from a shoplifting incident at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga.
Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said on Twitter that someone screamed “gun” after a chair was slammed, causing people to panic at The Mills at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth. Police in tactical gears showed up. Eight to 10 people, including an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, had minor injuries.
Similar incidents were reported at malls in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Tempe, Arizona, Aurora, Illinois, East Garden City, New York, Memphis, Fort Worth, Texas, and Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
The disturbances have prompted some mall operators to heighten an already beefed-up security because of the holiday season. Simon Property Group, which owns the Mills at Jersey Garden in Elizabeth, launched its own investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal. The International Council of Shopping Centers also told the paper that mall operators are cooperating with law enforcement.
It’s unclear how or why the fights started, but some local law enforcement officials, like the ones in Philadelphia, point to social media.
Amsler, of the Aurora Police Department, said some type of announcement was made on social media, though he couldn’t say what it specifically said.
“There was something going on on social media about a fight that was going to take place here, which is what drew all of these people who were up to no good to our mall,” Amsler told reporters.
Police in Beachwood, Ohio, also said that the brawl there appear to have been “loosely organized on social media,” the Associated Press reported.
Investigations of the incidents, none of which resulted in life-threatening injuries, are continuing.
This year isn’t the first time that violent mall disturbances were reported the day after Christmas, when malls are crowded with shoppers taking advantage of post-holiday sales.
In 2014, a fight among teenage girls in the same mall in Beachwood, Ohio, resulted in one arrest, cleveland.com reported. Multiple fights in a mall in Pittsburgh resulted in at least two arrests, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Last year, a massive, chain-reaction brawl involving up to 2,000 people erupted in a mall in Kentucky, NBC News reported. A mall in a suburb outside of Chicago was shut down after several fights broke out among big crowds, ABC affiliate WLS reported.
Incidentally, the day after Christmas is a holiday known as Boxing Day in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Published: Dec. 28, 2016, 7:30 a.m.


President Jimmy Morales' top diplomat defended his decision to move Guatemala's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, rejecting on Tuesday international and domestic criticism after he followed Washington's lead in announcing a switch.
Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel said the change amounts to "a foreign policy decision, therefore sovereign," and there is no intention to reverse it.
Morales announced the change Christmas Eve, becoming the first to follow U.S. President Donald Trump on switching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city's eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites. Many governments have long said the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.
Israel welcomed Guatemala's announcement, while Palestinian authorities criticized it.
Guatemala's government has given no timeline for a move, and Trump has also not said when a U.S. switch might be made.
Jovel played down a possible fallout for Guatemala's cardamom trade, for which Arab and Islamic nations are the largest buyers. She noted it represents just 0.37 percent of the country's GDP.
"It is not an issue that should really worry us too much," Jovel said.
Guatemala and Israel have long had close ties, especially in security matters and Israeli arms sales to the Central American nation.
Trump's announcement Dec. 6 upended decades of U.S. policy and set off weeks of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces that have left at least a dozen Palestinians dead.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to condemn the U.S. decision in a non-binding resolution. Guatemala was one of nine nations that sided with the United States.


SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A toddler and mother facing the wrath of the internet may now be on the right side of the web.
Things are getting better for Kyra Pringle and her daughter Mariah, a 2-year-old with a rare genetic condition.
Last month, Kyra posted a photo of Mariah to Facebook to celebrate her birthday.
However, thousands on the internet had other ideas, making fun of the birthday girl’s picture and calling her a monster, not knowing she is real.
After sharing her story on NBC affiliate WCBD, the country took notice. Mariah’s story was shared around the country and in Europe.
“It’s amazing because now the world knows Mariah,” said Kyra Pringle.
The negative spotlight on Mariah turning positive as the strangers that taunted the 2-year-old began saying sorry.


SLOVAKIA’s budget deficit by the end of August 2015 decreased by 55.3 percent year-on-year to €1.08 billion.
State budget revenues until the end of August rose by €2.104 billion (29.2 percent) y-o-y and amounted to €9.318 billion. Expenditures increased by €765 million (7.9 percent) to €10.399 billion, the Finance Ministry informed the TASR newswire on September 2.
The annual increase in tax revenues amounted to €1.046 billion (18.1 percent).
“One positive development was recorded in legal entities’ income taxes amounting to €525.6 million; value-added tax amounting to €510 million and consumption tax of €51.5 million,” the ministry informed. A y-o-y decline of €12.6 million was recorded in withholding tax, while international trade and transactions fell by €2 million y-o-y.
Positive developments were seen in revenues from the EU budget – with a €1.2-billion y-o-y increase, according to the ministry. State budget revenues from dividends recorded an annual increase of €112.9 million. Expenditures connected with the state debt decreased by €178 million y-o-y.
Since the first debt “penalty band” was exceeded in 2012 (with Slovakia’s sovereign debt topping 50 percent of GDP), the government has never managed to adopt measures conducive to cutting the debt below the different penalty bands and is instead using one-off measures to reduce the debt, the independent Council for Budgetary Responsibility (RRZ) wrote in its commentary on budgetary goals and responsibility in 2014. According to RRZ, the y-o-y drop in debt in 2014 and a further drop expected in 2015 can be ascribed to one-off measures, too. “They’re mainly revenues from privatisation, private pension funds, dividends from state enterprises above ordinary profits and the use of the state's cash reserves,” it said.
In terms of Slovakia’s net wealth, however, no improvements were recorded, as the falling debt was accompanied by a drop in public sector assets. Apart from this, no progress was attained in setting caps on public expenditures, which are an important instrument in budget management. The government only adopted expenditure limits as part of the implementation of EU rules. The limits on expenditures that are currently in place are only temporary and are determined by the government based on the proposal of the Finance Ministry. Furthermore, there are no penalties and the definition of limits is too wide.
“With respect to insufficient long-term measures to reduce debt below the penalty bands, a functioning instrument to curb expenditures would contribute to a faster consolidation and stabilisation of debt at lower levels,” reads the report, as quoted by TASR.
On the other hand, headway was made in the releasing of required information in the public administration budget for 2015-17; by way of illustration, the calculation of tax expenditure is contained in a separate document. “Nevertheless, the budget continues to omit an analytical outlook of the financial management of state enterprises and enterprises in which the National Property Fund (FNM) has a stake,” according to RRZ.
The provision of information on public finances continued to improve, too.
Slovakia’s sovereign debt was measured at 53.6 percent of GDP as of the end of 2014, thereby placing it in the second (53 to 55 percent of GDP) out of a total of five “penalty bands”.


A senior event content professional seeking that next step to take management responsibilities and drive the productivity of the programme team.
Key responsibilities will be to oversee all content across the courses from topic generation through to sourcing trainers and on the day delivery. Scheduling the courses and managing own deadlines as well as the teams. Identify growth areas and drive idea generation through public policy updates and skills areas. Proofing content and monitor and track all delegate bookings.
To support the team and their progression and assist the Head of Division with financial forecasts.
Working closely with the operations, marketing and sales teams, managing internal relationships.
You will need strong commercial understanding with the ability to spot new trends for each course. Knowledge and experience in putting together training courses, strong research skills and experience of event content. Self motivated and highly detailed with the ability to work in a fast paced and high pressure environment. The Company offer plenty of scope to progress in a positive and inviting work environment.


Spain holds its third general election in four years on 28 April, in a battle between the established parties, Catalan and Basque nationalists, and a rising far-right.
Support for the previous winner, the conservative People's Party (PP), has collapsed amid a corruption scandal. Its main opponent, the Socialist party, has rocketed to the top of the polls after seizing the prime minister's job last year.
One recent poll showed almost half of voters - 40% - had yet to make up their minds.
The Socialist and Podemos alliance of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's existing government needed the Basque and Catalan nationalists to support it.
But the Catalan pro-independence parties were partly responsible for the government's collapse after they pulled their support in February; and the crisis over the failed Catalan independence bid has made the nationalists hugely unpopular in much of Spain - making negotiations with them tricky.
The PP (led by Pablo Casado) and Ciudadanos (Albert Rivera) will probably need the support of Vox - but this is seen as unlikely.
Voters for Ciudadanos are largely opposed to entering government with Vox.
And Ciudadanos has also publicly said it will not form a coalition with the Socialists.
Despite widespread concerns about unemployment - which remains high in Spain compared to its European neighbours - it has barely been discussed by politicians.
"The campaign is going to remain around identity issues, and particularly around the Catalan issue... it seems that the economy is not, any more, the completely fundamental issue," Prof Teruel says.
Before the election, Mr Sánchez had been negotiating with Catalan parties to support his budget. But those talks broke down amid a public backlash over him meeting them, partly stoked by Vox's fervent opposition to any concessions on independence.
Despite the problems, Mr Sánchez's time as leader has seen support for his party surge - at the expense of coalition partner Podemos.
Meanwhile, a corruption scandal involving the PP last year toppled its leader and saw support plummet - leaving plenty of votes to fight for among a fragmented right.
Opinion polls suggest it has around 10% support, while its leader Santiago Abascal has the lowest opinion rating of any party leader.
Such an arrangement is precisely what happened in the regional government of Andalusia - where the PP, Ciudadanos, and Vox formed a right-wing regional government for the first time in 36 years.
"It should be noted that they do not display openly any Francoist imagery," he said. "They are not making gross mistakes.


Orange Is the New Black Season 5: Just How Much Can Happen in 3 Days?
How Much Can Happen in 3 Days on "OITNB"?
Orange Is the New Black season five takes place over the span of just three days. Just how much can happen in a prison in that time?
"You got to see it to believe it," Taylor Schilling, Piper on the series, told E! News. "I mean, wow."
Remember, it's not just any prison, it's Litchfield and when viewers last checked in on their favorite inmates a riot was brewing.
"The scope of the show is huge—sweeping," Natasha Lyonne, Nicky on OITNB, said. "I think it's a lot of story and a lot of worlds—a lot happens these three days."
Season four of Orange Is the New Black ended with Daya (Dascha Polanco) with a gun to a guard's head. The very gun the guard smuggled in, as all factions of the prison gathered to send a message to the administration after the death of Poussey (Samira Wiley) and the abysmal conditions brought in by the new guards.
"Think about it. It only takes a second to make either the…worst decision or best decision of your life," Diane Guerrero, Maritza on the show, told E! News ahead of the premiere. "So, so much can happen."
When we asked Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Adrienne C. Moore (Black Cindy) how much can happen, they turned the question around to us. "What have you done in the last three days? Don't answer that, just think about it," Moore said.
"You've seen a lot of people? Have your emotions gone up and down?" Brooks said with a laugh.
"Have you been tired? Have you been hot?" Moore asked. "A lot can happen."
"Now, add a death in there," Brooks said.
Last season ended with the prison inmates safely in their own factions, but this wear there a uniting factor. "We all have that one thing in common," Jackie Cruz, Flaca on the Netflix series, said. "You know."
"To come together for one common thread is sort of really special, it's so telling with what's going on now," Guerrero said.
But Brooks said along with the unity, there's division. "These women are trying to navigate without structure in this world and we already saw when they had discipline and structure how difficult it was for them to follow the rules, so this is a time where we see how they deal with holding the power in their hands and we also watch them come together…"
Orange Is the New Black season three premieres Friday, June 9 on Netflix.
What Christian Siriano & Karlie Kloss Bring to "Project Runway"


Joshua did not give full details of the accident, believed to have resulted in the deaths of at least 84 South Africans so far.
He focused instead on a plane repeatedly flying low above the building an hour before its collapse and read out a message from a supposed Boko Haram would-be bomber seeking conversion. Joshua, famous for performing ritualistic “miracle” healings, attracts a large South African following that has included visits from South African politicians such as Winnie Madkizela-Mandela and Julius Malema, to sports stars such as Ruben Kruger and the late Wium Basson.
In July this year, an article in The Economist declared that Pentecostal church attendance in Britain grew by 25% between 2008 and 2013, with some 430 000 people attending West African and Brazilian Pentecostal churches. The Redeemed Christian Church of God run by Nigerian Enoch Adeboye has 670 churches in Britain, and claims branches in over 100 countries. These, to some extent, have altered practices by traditional churches, The Economist writes, with the Anglican Church in England (under Ugandan-born Archbishop of York John Sentamu) taking to outdoor adult baptisms.
In 2011, Joshua was third on the Forbes list of Nigeria’s five richest pastors, coming in behind David Odeyepo of Living Faith World Outreach Ministry (estimated net worth of $150-million) and Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy (estimated net worth of $30-million to $50-million).
Joshua’s net worth was approximated at close to $15-million. On the line from Cape Town, Ukah argues, however that the controversial Joshua, whose net worth was approximated at between $10-million and $15-million, can’t be understood as a Christian enterprise. “He has improved as a performer from when he started many years ago [in 1989],” says Ukah on the phone from Cape Town. “In the early Nineties, his performance could be characterised as that of a magician, an entertainer in the mould of popular street performers. He has refined his practice. Now he can speak for a long time in fairly good English.
Ironically, it was pressure from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria that allowed Joshua to flourish even further and set up Emmanuel TV. On April 30 2004, a law by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) came into effect, making it illegal to broadcast material containing the performance of miracles, which have not been verified before the broadcast.
“It was instigated by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, with the NBC acting as a gatekeeper,” says Ukah. “[The then-president Olusegun] Obasanjo saw himself as a Pentecostal pastor, he fraternised with Pentecostal pastors and moved from church to church. The law forced TB [Joshua] to set up Emmanuel TV [which operates out of Johannesburg] and it forced Chris [Oyakhilome] out of Nigeria. Oyakhilome has scores of churches in South Africa, and also has bases in the United Kingdom and America. Scoan has a church in Cape Town, but a local Facebook page appears to primarily punt Joshua’s brand of “anointed” water.