Ms Caruana Galizia’s work often implicated leading political and business figures.
There was a “notable lack of credible indications” that Maltese authorities were diligently investigating who could have planned and commissioned the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Council of Europe report on the media said.
The first annual report assessing media freedom threats to Council of Europe member states is being published on Tuesday. It was compiled by partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists. The partner organisations include Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists.
The report warned that, despite three suspects being detained in December 2017, there were no “credible indications” that those who commissioned Ms Caruana Galizia’s killing were being investigated.
That task, the report argued, called for a thorough and impartial examination of leads arising from the journalist’s reporting on high-level financial crimes and other forms of wrongdoing.
Ms Caruana Galizia’s work often implicated leading political and business figures, the report added.
The report also noted Ms Caruana Galizia was facing over 30 defamation lawsuits at the time of her death, many of which remain pending.
“The continued pursuit of many of those cases by the plaintiffs, including government officials, illustrates a deep structural injustice,” the report warned.
Ms Caruana Galizia’s murder and the assassination of Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak “dramatically raised public and official awareness in the EU of the twin crisis of journalist safety and impunity that has already taken root within the bloc, as well as in other parts of the Council of Europe area”.
It added that, while Malta’s decision to repeal its criminal defamation law was positive, other journalists in Europe were still facing jail sentences for defamation, or for insulting the head of state.
“Public officials and politicians must display a greater degree of tolerance toward criticism,” the report added.
Data on media freedom alerts sent to Council of Europe member states was also published.
The state was the source of the threat to journalists in 57% of the alerts received last year.
Of the remaining threats, 21% originated from non-State actors, and 22% of them originated from an unknown source, figures showed.


Peterborough Panthers have completed their 2019 team for a second time - with the capture of a new number one.
The city club controversially axed British star Chris Harris from their line-up earlier this month due to ‘cost measures’ following the sale of the club from Ged Rathbone to British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA) supremo Keith Chapman.
But they are now back to a full compliment again after clinching a deal for Asutralian ace Rohan Tungate who has been one of the most progressive riders of recent times in the SGB Premiership.
And the 29 year-old will arrive at Alwalton after an excellent winter Down Under where he finished second to former Belle Vue team-mate Max Fricke in the Australian Championship.
Tungate said: “I’ve always like racing at Peterborough. It’s a good track that suits me a lot and I’m really looking forward to being a Panthers rider.
“I think the team looks really good and I’m just going to go out and do the best I can or them.
Tungate has piled almost three points onto his average during the past season-and-a-half with Belle Vue.
It means he slots into the top of the Panthers order on a mark of 7.61 and forms a powerful top-three with club legend Hans Andersen and former Belle Vue team-mate Craig Cook.
Second-strings Charles Wright and Bradley Wilson-Dean and the reserve combination of Ben Barker and Lasse Bjerre complete the line-up.
Tungate is an asset of Ipswich – another of the three top-flight clubs owned by Chapman. The Suffolk club is also now home to Harris.
Panthers team manager Carl Johnson again declined to comment on the circumstances of Harris’ departure, but is thrilled with the signing of Tungate.
He said: “It’s great to have Rohan on board. The last couple of seasons have been his best and I don’t think he has hit his prime just yet.
“Finishing second in the Australian Championship is no mean feat and we’re clearly getting a rider with lots of talent.
“He has also showed his liking for our track many times in the past as an away rider and has also proven himself around another big, fast circuit at Belle Vue.
Tungate will have a quick reunion with former club Belle Vue as they provide the opposition for Panthers’ first two fixtures of the new season.
The sides meet at the East of England Arena on April 1 and in Manchester on April 4 in the new SGB Premiership Supporters Cup.


Phyllis Thorne Good, formerly of Elmira, Bath, Penn Yan, Naples, Fla., Palatka, Fla., and Owings Mills, Md. passed away Wednesday, December 19, 2018, in Pikesville, MD.
No service is planned at this time. Interment will be held in the spring at Woodlawn National Cemetery, Elmira.
BIA). She was past president of the Naples charter chapter of the American Business Women’s Association and was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women.
A beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, community volunteer and friend, Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Adele Reese and Ernestine Thorne; a brother, W. Arthur Thorne; her husband of 43 years, Donald E. Good; and a son, Jeffrey Earl Good.
Brayden Good of Bozeman; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. The family would like to express thanks for the help and care provided by Sunrise of Pikesville assisted living community and Gilchrist Hospice Care. Memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.


Col. Tony P. Angello, 446th Airlift Wing vice commander, discusses the importance of mentoring and establishing a mentoring program at the Rainier Wing.
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Every Airman at the Rainier Wing will have the opportunity to enhance their career through mentorship.
During our offsite Strategic Alignment and Deployment event held in August 2018, your leadership decided it was important for our wing to develop a robust mentorship program.
I invite anyone who is interested in becoming a mentor to let your supervisor know you’d like to raise your hand to participate.
Mentorship is an established program within the Air Force as its importance is directly linked to mission success. Having a strong mentorship program is important to achieving our mission because it cultivates people to be equipped with skills for excellence.
The introduction of Air Force Manual 36-2643, Air Force Mentoring Program provides guidelines and expectations both personal and professional development.
Mentoring is about helping Reserve Citizen Airmen here grow and providing guidance on the professional direction they want to go. Whether it be an enlisted, officer or civilian member, a mentor can help members reach their goals.
Mentors can have four different roles: counselor, advocate, facilitator and coach.
It’s our goal through this mentorship program to build a bench of talented and professional individuals who are willing to further our wing’s vision of Airmen First … A Cohesive, Ready Team!


STAMFORD -- Police seized a loaded revolver Friday morning from two men driving in a West Side neighborhood plagued by recent shootings.
Officers patrolling Richmond Hill Avenue saw a BMW with windows so darkly tinted they could not see the occupants and stopped the vehicle, Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said.
When the officer came to the vehicle to check the license and registration, a strong marijuana smell poured out the window, Shawinsky said.
Police then pulled the driver Heriberto Irizarry, 21, and passenger John Spencer, 19, out of the vehicle.
Spencer, of 50 Prospect St., admitted to having four small bags of marijuana on him; when officers asked Irizarry, of 1 Southfield Ave., if there was anything illegal in the car, he said no, Shawinsky said.
But when officers looked inside the BMW, they saw a revolver handle sticking out from the passenger seat that Spencer had just been sitting in, police said.
Police determined the five-shot, .38-caliber revolver was fully loaded. There were scratch marks on its the serial number, which remained legible.
After entering the number into a nationwide database of guns, police discovered the pistol was reported stolen to Brattleboro, Vt., police on May 17, 2002, Shawinsky said.
Spencer and Irizarry were each charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, illegal alteration of pistol identification numbers and stealing a firearm.
The two were held on $75,000 bond.


OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER’s first order of business as Manchester United manager should be bolstering the team’s defense, according to club legend Gary Neville.
Manchester United finally appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor on Tuesday morning.
The 46-year-old, who has guided the Red Devils to the Champions League quarter-finals during his brief reign, has penned a three-year contract at Old Trafford.
Attention has now turned to who the Norwegian will sign in the rapidly-approaching transfer window.
But according to former Red Devil Gary Neville, Solskjaer’s priority should be bringing in defensive reinforcements.
"Defence is the main priority in terms of getting the centre-back pairings right because there have been so many changes,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“I think the defence is actually doing very well, it looks makeshift on paper but it outpunches its weight when you think about it.
"Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have been doing brilliantly well at right and left-back for a few years, Luke Shaw has started to perform really well in the last few months.
“Victor Lindelof has had a good season, Chris Smalling's doing well but in terms of that dominant presence, that is probably the key thing. A full-back and a centre-back in there, although there are other areas of the team.
"Solskajer does need the right support around him now and that was something I said a few months ago.
“The structures and the quality of the people around him to ensure Manchester United get ahead of the game in recruitment is critical.
Express Sport understands Solskjaer will have a £200million war-chest at this disposal in the summer.
And Neville is expecting his old team-mate to splash the cash in his first transfer window.
“The amount of money Man United will spend will be big, but over the last few years, the club haven't fallen short and have always supported the managers,” he continued.
“I don't think the club will fall short in financial terms, they will spend the money.
"It is in the back of my mind that the players have been fantastic in these last few months for Ole, but they are the same players that downed tools under Jose Mourinho.
"And I'm conscious in my mind that the players need maintain that same level of concentration, determination and attitude now that Ole has been made the permanent manager.
"That is the critical thing - getting the signings right, getting the people around Ole right and making sure that the players, although the performances have improved, can continue to maintain the levels they've been at over the last three months and don't dip back to where they were before."
Solskjaer’s first match as Manchester United manager will see his troops welcome eighth-placed Watford to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.


Mallinckrodt - The Irish pharmaceuticals company fell after saying the Food and Drug Administration would no longer recognize its generic attention-deficit drug as equivalent to the original.
Amazon.com - The online retailer rose after reaching a deal for eBook and print book sales with Hachette Book Group.
United Continental Holdings - The carrier and others including Delta Air Lines, Alaska Air Group and Southwest Airlines gained as domestic oil prices fell.
Exxon Mobil - The oil producer and competitors including Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Hess dropped with the price of crude.
Macy's - The department-store operator fell after Wells Fargo downgraded its shares to market perform from outperform.
SunPower - The maker of solar panels declined after forecasting a lower-than-expected 2015 profit.
King Digital Entertainment - The mobile-game maker rose after Cowen offered upbeat comments about fourth-quarter ad revenue.
Alibaba Group Holding - China's electronic-commerce giant fell after saying it was readying its first bond sale.
Alamo Group - The seller of agricultural and construction equipment declined after pricing a public offering of 1.7 million shares.
Tyco International - The maker of safety products dropped after posting weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue.
Bristol-Myers Squibb - The drug maker fell after Morgan Stanley downgraded its shares to equal weight from overweight.
Broadcom - The maker of semiconductors rose after Goldman Sachs upgraded it to buy from neutral.
Cyber-Ark Software - The information-security company surged after tally third-quarter earnings that topped expectations.
Churchill Downs - The racetrack operator declined after saying it would buy mobile-gaming company Big Fish Games for up to $885 million.
Navient - The student loan servicing company climbed after saying it would buy a portfolio of federally guaranteed student loans from Wells Fargo.


AV: "We have a good skating, good skilled team that can play at a high tempo."
Over is 38-15-3 in Maple Leafs last 56 games playing on 1 days rest.
Maple Leafs are 12-3 in their last 15 games as a road favorite of -110 to -150.
Over is 4-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Over is 11-5 in Maple Leafs last 16 overall.
Under is 4-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Over is 4-0 in Flyers last 4 games playing on 2 days rest.
Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 games as a home favorite.
Under is 4-1 in Flyers last 5 overall.
Flyers are 2-5 in their last 7 games as a favorite of -110 to -150.
Over is 15-7 in Flyers last 22 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200.
Under is 3-1-2 in the last 6 meetings in Philadelphia.
Maple Leafs are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings in Philadelphia.


Now that Peyton Manning has retired, he doesn't have a whole lot to do on Sunday mornings but sit around in his bathrobe and listen to Lionel Richie. At least that's how AT&T and DirecTV imagine the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback's weekends in this funny new campaign promoting DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket service, which allows users to stream any live, out-of-market NFL game on digital devices without a DirecTV satellite subscription.
Ads in the campaign show Manning not even changing out of his pajamas as he sits on his park bench, calls his brother Eli and buys groceries on Sunday mornings, trying to fill up the time that traditionally he's spent in the locker room or on the football field. The only thing that keeps him going seems to be his ability to stream NFL games onto his devices via DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. To add to the comedy, Lionel Richie introduces each scenario, sitting at a piano performing a revamped version of one of his classics. "It's Peyton, Peyton on Sunday Mornings," he sings.


Can The Online Economy Become A Labor Leader?
Chances are that when you think of the online economy you’re not likely to think about progressive labor practices. In fact, online economy giants Amazon and Uber have recently come under fire for their labor standards and policies, the latter now dealing with a class-action lawsuit over its classification of Uber drivers as independent contractors.
But according to Ashoka Fellow Ai-jen Poo, founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, we’re missing a big part of the story. In her view, online companies have an opportunity to lead the way in ensuring this economy is good for workers too – and many have already begun to do so.
Last week marked an important step forward as the NDWA unveiled the Good Work Code, a new initiative to promote good work in the online economy and change the conversation about labor in the 21st Century.
I sat down with Ai-jen and Palak Shah, Social Innovations Director at NDWA, to discuss what they hope to achieve with the initiative and how they see the tech sector becoming the new center of gravity for conversations about what good work looks like.
What is the online economy and why does this economy, in particular, need a good work code?
Palak: The online economy – or the ‘gig’ economy – is the rapidly growing part of our economy that connects people to work through online marketplaces and on-demand marketplaces, for example where workers get dispatched via apps to do various jobs – from driving cars to making veterinary house calls.
The issues for workers in this economy are well documented now: we’ve seen Uber drivers strike recently and multiple lawsuits alleging misclassification of workers. I think at the heart of these events is a struggle by workers to find a good job, something that everyone can relate to.
What we noticed is that online economy workers are facing many of the same challenges that domestic workers have faced for generations – working inconsistent hours, lack of contracts, low benefits or retirement options – and so it felt natural to use the experience of our workforce to offer ways forward to guarantee that the online economy works for all. And that means not just customers, not just investors, but workers too.
Ai-jen: Our goal is to create a new story – a new narrative – that’s not about abusive employers and downtrodden workers, but rather that brings companies front and center into the conversation about the future of good work. We see a moment of opportunity right now because the gig/online economy is relatively new and its values and principles regarding work are still forming. So there’s a window for the tech economy to actually lead in the economy of the future, and the Good Work Code gets things started by defining what good work looks like in the first place.
Your Good Work Code features 12 companies who have publicly endorsed the values articulated in the code – what exactly are they endorsing and committing to?
In addition, each is committing to focusing on at least two of the eight as priorities over the next year. The idea is to kick off a conversation – it doesn’t mean these companies will get to all eight right away, but it means they aspire to do so, and they are taking public steps to do so. And it means they won’t have to do so alone, but rather in a community of practice grappling with the same questions.
Can you give us an example of one of the companies on the list and what it’s doing that qualifies as supporting good work?
Palak: One example is SketchDeck, a company that provides design services mostly to businesses. They are tackling the problem of unpaid spec work – it turns out designers often do a significant amount of uncompensated work just to secure a contract that may or may not come through. SketchDeck is developing a creative way to aggregate designers and clients in a way that compensates designers, regardless of whether or not their work generates a contract.
Another example is LeadGenius, which is providing stability and flexibility to its workers by finding ways to better match work to worker schedules. This is one of the biggest challenges with online business models, but LeadGenius recognizes it is worth investing HR resources so that workers who are not getting enough work can get individual attention from the LeadGenius team.
Why is the tech economy especially well suited to lead the conversation about good work?
Ai-jen: Part of the reason, as we mentioned before, is that it’s a new and growing economy that’s still establishing its norms and values, so there’s room to build this into its DNA. Many of our initial companies are recent startups. But another big reason is that the tech sector is obsessed with solving problems – it’s just that most of its solutions have been focused on customers and consumers, on questions of efficiency but not equity. Now the question is: can they channel some of that creative talent toward solving labor problems that are particular to this economy, and toward shaping good work over the next decade? We want to surface the companies and investors interested in doing so.
Palak: The environment is also changing in ways that support our aims. For one, there is growing competition for recruiting workers into the online economy as various markets reach a saturation point. There’s also a growing national conversation. Meanwhile, more businesses are thinking about their employers as ‘users’ just in the same way they think about their customers – recognizing that both workers and customers need a good user experience in order to manage supply and demand, is the overwhelming challenge for all of these business models. So the business case for creating good work – in addition to the moral case – is becoming clearer.
Conversations about labor in this country inevitably get politicized. How do you champion good work in a way that has broad appeal?
Ai-jen: One way we’re doing it is working directly with companies outside of the political process at the moment. This doesn’t mean policy won’t matter or play a role – whether it’s about the minimum wage or portable benefits – but what’s nice about the Good Work Code is that it’s building an alternative center of gravity in Silicon Valley where real dialogue and real progress on these questions can take place.
The fact is, before we get the big policy wins we need, we have to create a new conversation that surfaces the champions and leaders and ultimately creates the context for the right policy solutions to come into being.
You know, ‘leadership’ has become a buzzword today but the fact is that real leadership is hard. That's why we are so inspired by these 12 companies actually stepping up and leading in a real way – and in a way that gives our members, and many others, hope about what is possible when it comes to labor in the 21st Century.
Interested in learning more – or in signing up your company for the Good Work Code? Reach out directly to Palak Shah: Palak@domesticworkers.org.


3092 Square feet home on one of the few remaining large corner lots in Central Phoenix. The 202 square feet of the storage room is not included in the square footage of the home. This large family home is in the exceptional Madison Elementary District #38. PLEASE SEE SUPPLEMENTAL REMARKS FOR A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME!


The controversial Adani Carmichael coalmine was granted an unlimited 60-year water licence by the Queensland government on March 29. Environmentalists fear the mine will drain huge amounts of water from the Great Artesian Basin and say it is yet another example of governments giving the mine special treatment.
The federal environment minister Josh Frydenberg has again approved the use of a marine supply base at Port Melville in the Tiwi Islands without an environmental impact assessment and with none of the environmental conditions that were previously imposed.
A spokesperson for Frydenberg said on December 15: “The department has decided the operation of a marine supply base at Port Melville is not likely to have a significant impact on the environment and can proceed without further assessment under national environment law.
The Federal Court has overturned the federal government’s decision to allow a $180 million deep sea port on Melville Island near Darwin without an environmental assessment.
Approval of the Port Melville oil and gas marine supply base on the banks of the near pristine Apsley Strait was reversed on October 21 after legal action by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) on behalf of Environment Centre NT (ECNT).
The decision means the operation of the base at Port Melville now has no Commonwealth approval and all operations must cease.
The NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee is keen on new anti-protest laws in NSW. He claims to be concerned about the safety of the workers as well as the protesters “illegally accessing mine sites”.
Mining and Energy Minister Antony Roberts has been a little more blunt: he says the new law is aimed at better enforcing the protection of private property and “lawful business activity”.
Most, however, can see through the spin.


2019 is here and the City of Stockbridge has you covered for Family Fun and great community entertainment! Our Food Truck Tasty Tuesdays will return Tuesday, May 7th to Clark Park from 5:30pm - 9pm. Also, be on the lookout for our “Lunch Time Take Overs” returning this year! To honor the nation’s Service Personnel, the City of Stockbridge will host our Memorial Day March (Mon. May 27th), the 9/11 Ceremony (Wed. Sept. 11th) and the Veterans Day Parade & Luncheon (Mon. Nov. 11th)! In the Fall get your passports ready as we take you on a cultural exploration during BridgeFest (Sept. 28th). Breast Cancer Awareness Month is highlighted with the “Pretty in Pink Luncheon and Love Walk”. The Pretty in Pink Luncheon is an invitation-only event for survivors, but the “Love Walk” in Clark Park is open to all and we encourage GROUPS to enter and wear their custom t-shirts for special recognition. We will close out the year with our annual Holiday Festival (Dec. 5th), the largest and most interactive holiday event in the south metro area!
5 The Ultimate Fashion Xperience "I Am Greatness"


In the movies, asking the mayor of a city to leave office isn’t a far-fetched storyline.
In this story, the mayor gladly obliged, saying he did it to improve the city’s future economic development prospects and to allow the moviemakers to showcase Dover.
More than 30 actors, crew members and volunteers were in Dover through the weekend and on Monday to shoot scenes for director Terrance Tykeem’s movie about the aftermath of white police officers involved in the shooting a young black man.
While it went unnoticed during the weekend, the winter storm that affected much of the state on Saturday forced film crews to take over the mayor’s office and City Hall on Monday as well, causing some to wonder what was taking place.
Tykeem agreed, saying he was told by a friend that Dover had the perfect city hall for the movie he was thinking about shooting. Once he scouted the city, he knew he would be back.
The shooting schedule was fast-paced, according to Christiansen, with scenes being shot at the Dover Public Library on Friday and City Hall for 13 hours on Sunday and 12 hours on Monday.
The film, which stars Vivica A. Fox of "Independence Day" and "Kill Bill" fame and Michael Paré, who starred in "Eddie and the Cruisers," "The Philadelphia Experiment" and "Streets of Fire" in his early career, takes place in a small, predominantly black town.
The story follows a 12-year-old African-American boy named Jason McKey, whose black schoolmate is shot by white police officers. After realizing that marches and protests can’t change what seems to be a national epidemic, the young boy approaches his uncle – who is best friends with the city manager – to see if he can help him present a letter to the city council.
In Jason’s letter is an extremely controversial solution to these murders, says the movie’s director.
“It is a last resort to stopping the unjustified killings, all of which have gone unpunished,” Tykeem says in the movie’s synopsis.
The Philadelphia director says the movie is based on happenings pulled from the headlines and scenes that have played out across the nation the past few years showing white police officers shooting black males.
He said that when he received a letter from a boy in Ferguson, Missouri, after the Michael Brown shooting, he knew he had the basis of his movie.
Tykeem’s last project was called “Touched” and dealt with the issue of child abuse. The 2014 movie starred Stephen Baldwin and was shown on Lifetime a year ago.
The writer and director of “Jason’s Letter” said that USA, Showtime, TNT and Viacom all expressed interest in the movie. He said the project is currently self-funded because none of the larger studios could guarantee funds for the movie until March. He's still hoping for the movie to be released later this year.
Philadelphia native Jamal Manigault, who plays Jason in the movie, said he was happy to be a part of a project that focused on such an important issue. He said the killings need to stop and that if this movie can help, all the better.
On a lighter note, Manigault said that he enjoyed his time in Dover and that the people he met, especially the mayor, were nice and accommodating.
Dover, the film capital of Delaware?
Christiansen gives City of Dover Public Affairs and Emergency Management Coordinator Kay Sass all the credit for bringing Tykeem and his production company to Dover and taking care of all the details. She said it wasn’t the first time a movie was shot in Dover.
Sass, who has worked with the city for more than 10 years, recalls the time artist and activist Henry Rollins stopped in Dover in 2012 as part of his spoken-word tour called “Capitalism.” She said that while it wasn’t as large a production as she saw in recent days, it did bring positive attention to Dover.


Arnold, CA...Peddlers Market is now open in Arnold's Cedar Center. The owners Robert Tedore and Trisha Thompson a husband and wife team, have turned their love of collecting into a new venture. Their hand-painted furniture gets a new life as a unique statement with a rustic touch. Their eclectic point of view includes the hand painted furniture, rustic, vintage, antique, hand made, and more. Location 1260 oak circle, Cedar Center, Arnold. Hours 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday Saturday Sunday.


Business News›Markets›Stocks›News›Mindtree slips nearly 9% post Q1; Should you buy?
Mindtree slips nearly 9% post Q1; Should you buy?
Mindtree took a knock of more than 7 per cent on Thursday morning on dull earnings.
The company has 18,990 technical professionals with 12 per cent attrition rate.
Mindtree took a knock of nearly 9 per cent on Thursday morning on dull earnings.
The IT firm posted 13.17 per cent drop in net profit sequentially at Rs 158.20 crore for the quarter to June. The figure stood at Rs 182.20 crore in the March quarter.
Bottom line surged 30 per cent on a year-on-year basis. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 121.70 crore in the same quarter last year.
Revenue from operations increased 12 per cent on a QoQ basis and 27 per cent YoY in Q1 FY19.
In dollar terms, net income grew 24 per cent annually, but declined 17 per cent QoQ to $23.3 million. Revenue grew 21 per cent annually but declined 6.8 per cent quarterly to $242 million.
"Automation is playing a significant role in modernising our technology service delivery, enhancing both efficiency and speed-to-results for our clients," said the company in the statement.
The company has 406 'bots' or software application, running automated tasks over the internet and performing tasks that are simple and repetitive at a much higher rate than humans. These are deployed to work autonomously and enable its employees to do more and accomplish larger goals.
The stock closed the day 8.67 per cent down at Rs 970.45 on BSE.
CITI retailed ‘Sell’ with a target price of Rs 1,025. “Mindtree has shown strong revenue growth, but EBIT remained below expectations,” it added.
Brokerage Axis Capital has a ‘Buy’ call on the IT firm with a target price of Rs 1,170. It believes that strong Q1 performance has set the tone for industry-leading growth in FY19.
“Improved profitability at Bluefin and Magnet360 will further aid the margin,” Axis Capital said.


ARSENAL have unveiled a statue to immortalise legend Dennis Bergkamp outside the Emirates Stadium.
The statue is positioned outside the Clock End and was unveiled in front of a crowd of Gooners and indeed the former Netherlands forward himself.
Bergkamp follows in the footsteps of other Arsenal legends such as former manager Herbert Chapman, captain Tony Adams and club-record goalscorer Thierry Henry.
The statue captures the moment Bergkamp pulled-off an amazing piece of skill against Newcastle in 2003.
Bergkamp said: “I am just so honoured and today makes me very proud. It is great to come back and see everyone at Arsenal again.
“Everyone knows I love Arsenal and I had such a great time at the Club. The fans, the staff and my team-mates were fantastic. The team was also amazing and we had a lot of success over the years. For me and my family it was such an important and enjoyable period in our lives.
Club director Ken Friar, who unveiled the statue, said: “Arsenal Football Club is proud that this statue of Dennis Bergkamp will be on display outside Emirates Stadium.
“This will now give Arsenal fans and visitors to the stadium an opportunity to remember this legend and pay their own tributes to this great man.
Bergkamp joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in June 1995 and went on to play more than 400 games for the Gunners, scoring 120 goals.
He helped win seven major trophies with Arsene Wenger's side, including the 'Invincibles' Premier League campaign of 2003/2004.


WASHINGTON — In his first appearance before Congress as NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine last week was pointedly asked whether his views on climate change had evolved and whether he now believed humans were the primary cause of global warming.
Yes on both counts, the Trump-appointed chief of the nation's space program conceded during a sparsely attended hearing on the NASA budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"It is extremely likely that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming and I have no reason to doubt the science that comes from that," he told senators, affirming the long-held consensus of government scientists.
It was a remarkable moment not only for Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma Republican congressman who had proclaimed his deep skepticism of climate change on the House floor a few years ago, but also for Senate Democrats who fiercely opposed President Trump's choice to lead the science-based agency in the acrimonious run-up to his narrow confirmation last month.
Sen. Brian Schatz, the Hawaii Democrat who questioned Bridenstine at the hearing, applauded the man he had once opposed for the job because, he said at the time, "NASA deserves better." Now the senator was singing his praises.
"I have come to the conclusion that this is a true evolution ... that you respect the science," Schatz told him, noting the importance NASA plays in measuring the Earth's warming temperatures and carbon levels. "And there is no way to move forward if you are going to be undermining the science so I'm really pleased to see this change."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., another senator who had opposed him, lauded Bridenstine as well.
"I want to thank you for the tone you've taken since you were sworn in," he told the administrator.
Some Trump appointees whose nominations faced broad Democratic opposition, notably EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, still encounter stiff partisan resistance on Capitol Hill.
In a statement Wednesday to USA TODAY by the agency, Bridenstine made clear his desire to build the congressional relationships he'll need to propel the Trump administration's ambitious space agenda including returning astronauts to the moon.
"NASA is one of America's most storied agencies and has long had bipartisan support," he said. "Just as all previous administrators, I intend to build and maintain great relationships on both sides of the aisle so NASA can continue it's history-making science, exploration, and discovery missions. Phone calls and meetings on the Hill and at NASA headquarters facilitate these relationships."
Democratic opposition to Bridenstine, first nominated in September, was swift from the beginning.
At a November confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Democrats said the Tulsa Republican's past skepticism of climate change, his condemnation of LGBTQ protections, and his criticism of fellow lawmakers made him unfit to lead the space agency.
Sen. Marco Rubio also joined in the criticism of Bridenstine who had accused the Florida Republican of being soft on terror in campaign ads he appeared in for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when both Rubio and Cruz were running for president in 2016.
Last month, Rubio cast the deciding vote to approve Bridenstine, saying the White House's insistence on the controversial nominee left him with no choice but to go along because he didn't want to leave NASA without a permanent director for another year.
But Bridenstine appears to be moving deftly to defuse that opposition. And senators are, in turn, reciprocating.
Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and a Bridenstine ally, said the NASA administrator is conducting a "strong listening tour" to build bridges with the lawmakers who voted for him and those who did not.
"He's doing what he said he was going to do and reach out to members of Congress and work with them, irregardless of party," said Stallmer, who helped guide Bridenstine as he visited with lawmakers prior to his confirmation. "I think the members of Congress, especially the Senate, are moving on as well. They're realizing he's a good, decent person who has the best interest of the country in mind."
And, Stallmer noted, "now that he's the administrator, people are willing to meet with him."
No meeting has yet taken place between Bridenstine and Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who led the party-line opposition to his nomination.
But Nelson has said on several occasions he would work with Bridenstine if he wins confirmation.
"It was never personal," Nelson spokesman Bryan Gulley said Tuesday. "They had a disagreement. And we move on and we move forward."


A farm wife despondent over her family's mounting financial woes committed suicide Wednesday by climbing atop a barrel of burning garbage and asphyxiating herself.
The suicide of Katherine Copeland, whose family had plowed the fields of southwestern Oklahoma since 1910, came the day after the wheat crop was harvested.
She hated the idea of losing the farm, said her eldest son, Robert. ''She felt that she had failed her parents and failed her children,'' he said.
Mrs. Copeland, who would have been 55 years old today, was overcome by smoke from the trash barrel at the family home, said Undersheriff Steve Overstreet. Her body was found by her husband, Eugene.
The 1,280-acre farm had not been formally presented with a foreclosure notice from the Farmers Home Administration, but Mr. Copeland said the agency had told him that foreclosure action might be taken.
Mr. Copeland said the family's production costs had risen sharply but they were selling crops at the same prices of a generation ago. He also said they owed some bills a year old, and his wife had recently talked about having the electricity cut off and the telephone removed.


After weeks of horse-trading over revenue underpayment by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, the three tiers of government have finally received the sum of N668.8bn as allocation for the month of May.
The Director of Information in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Hassan Dodo confirmed the release of the fund in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.
He said that the fund was released to the three tiers of government while reconciliation of the revenue underpayment was still ongoing.
The statement reads in part, “Owing to disagreement on remittances by the revenue generating agencies, especially the NNPC, the sharing of revenues for May 2018 that was meant to be distributed in June 2018, was put on hold.


The Queen of Soul is doing her part to help residents in Flint, Mich., during the city's water crisis. Aretha Franklin plans on donating rooms at a Holiday Inn in Southfield, a Detroit suburb, for 25-50 people, according to Click on Detroit.
In addition to the rooms, food will be provided by the local Coney Island restaurant. Franklin's father's church, New Bethel Baptist, in Detroit will handle the screening of Flint residents who want to participate.
"Detroiters usually come to the aid of Detroiters—and Flint is certainly regarded as Detroit," Franklin said in an interview. "Hang in there," she advised Flint residents.


Since it made its debut in the teatime schedule seven years ago, titan quiz show The Chase – one of ITV’s biggest daytime successes ever – has had to lounge in the shadow of regular National Television Award winner This Morning.
This year, everything was a lot different. With This Morning being moved to a new category, The Chase faced competition from the likes of Pointless and Jeremy Kyle for the Best Daytime Show award and finally got the recognition its team and fans have been hoping for.
As the show, which regularly pulls in between 3 and 5 million viewers per episode, picked up the gong, no-one could be happier than its stars.
Metro.co.uk caught up with ‘The Beast’ Mark Labbett and ‘The Governess’ Anne Hegerty as they recovered from their celebrations.
Here they discuss what makes the show so special, their thrill at finally being rewarded at the NTAs and how much rivalry there really is with Pointless.
With This Morning out of the running, did you expect that you had more of a chance this year?
Mark: This Morning being out of the running made a huge difference. We got together a bit of a canvas for social media – I suppose we almost copied them a bit as it worked so well for them. It’s always a bit unseemly to go grabbing for votes but we thought ‘what the hell!? We want the award!
To be fair, the amount of followers Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong have they could’ve done it with Pointless too but they didn’t. That’s when wre thought we might have a chance – when we didn’t see them in the auditorium. We guessed they would have turned up if they thought they were going to win.
Anne: We were a bit more hopeful, but I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up. I just didn’t know what the chances were of the others winning out, and it would have been so galling to be beaten by Pointless in particular! Paul [Sinha] had been keeping an eye on the betting odds, and a couple of days beforehand we knew we were pretty much joint favourites, with Pointless perhaps a little ahead.
In the car there, Paul kept talking about how nervous he was, and I remember thinking that I actually wasn’t – in fact I was possibly more relaxed than I remember being before (enough sleep and a comfy dress will do that!). When I was on the stage I remember noticing with surprise that my knees were beginning to shake – I suppose it was delayed shock!
So how did it feel to finally win after seven years?
Anne: I’d rehearsed that moment so many times in my head. Funnily enough, a split second before Piers [Morgan] said it, I thought, ‘He’s going to say The Chase,’ so it felt almost like an anti-climax! It really only sank in over the next few hours that after all those years we’d finally done it, and it sounds sappy but I was really so proud for the team, the producers and co-ordinators and question setters and researchers that no one ever knows the name of.
I found a text this morning from our first producer, Sue Allison, and I texted back saying that we couldn’t have done it without her original vision, and the way the show developed in series 2 under her guidance. She said that meant a lot.
Mark: It’s weird because on one hand it was absolutely ordinary. But then I turned around and look out and it was like ‘blimey there’s 20,000 people looking at us!’ We were absolutely ecstatic – especially, Bradley, Michael Kelpie [series producer], Shaun Wallace and myself as we’re four of about seven who have been there from the start.
We started as a ten episode sort of filler where the production team were told if this doesn’t do well it’s your job. There was another show called The Fuse and there was a rumour going around that whichever team did best kept their jobs. I don’t know how true that is. Fortunately for us, Bradley is the better presenter. No disrespect to Austin Healey but Bradley is a master of his craft!
What makes The Chase so successful? Quiz shows come and go all of the time but The Chase is as popular as ever!
Mark: It’s that sense of fun. Although I feel under utilised as one of 5 Chasers, it turns out that the variety of Chasers makes the show. We all have different shows so it can be fresh and unexpected. Everyone has their own theories on the best chaser, favourite chaser, who is the best to go down the pub with and it’s all part of the fun.
Anne: I always say it’s two things. The format. It just works so well. If you come in part way through (rather important for a 5-6 pm show) you can just glance at the desk and you know how many people are through, with how much money, and it indicates how strong the team are and what kind of form the Chaser’s on. And the final two minutes is so compelling. We get through tons of questions in a single show, so many more than Pointless.
And Bradley. He is just BRILLIANT. We are so lucky to have him. He absolutely gets the ethos of the show and how it should work, and has this superb rapport with both the Chasers and the contestants. I hope we have him insured for billions, because he’s just irreplaceable.
Mark: The win loss record – as a man who had 33 wins and only four losses in 2014, I can say this – doesn’t mean anything. If anything it shows the quality of the opposition. If you get teams who score 20 or more correct answers almost every time, your loss record would go up. Paul didn’t have a great 2014, but if you looked at the stats and how well he was playing – he had a huge number of 20 plus teams. It was ridiculous!
Stats tell you some of the story but not all. Who’s the best Chaser at grinding out a win when it’s in the balance? I expect its Shaun. The amount of times he has to pull out key answers because he has to is incredible. Whereas Paul, he’s so good that it’s rare but when he ends up in that situation he can wobble.
What the contestant team unashamedly do is make sure that if you’re the on form Chaser, you’ll get better teams the next year and that’s how it should be and I’ve found that this year. I’ve racked up a few losses this season but almost all of them are against teams who scored above 20. But if every team who beats me is above 20, I’ll take that to the bank. They deserve to win!
What about the rivalry with Pointless – is the war as heated as viewers think?
Mark: Long may Pointless continue. Between us we get 7 million a day and we spur each other on and it destroys any other opposition. The Paul O Grady Show or other new quizzes come on over the summer and the ratings go down by about half!
The 5pm slot has to be one of the massive success stories for BBC and ITV. We’re living in a golden age for quiz shows – Only Connect, University Challenge… and Tipping Point, our wing man, is very good. It’s lighter and frothier and we love it airing before us. The regional news love it as they get double the audience they used to get before The Chase started.
Anne: I really love that there are these two excellent quiz shows getting a combined 7 million viewers at a time when people are still travelling home from work! It’s no secret that I’m a big Pointless fan, but obviously I’m thrilled that we beat them!
Finally, what does the future hold for The Chase and do you both want to stick around with the show?
Mark: It’s business as normal as far as I’m aware. They’re always looking for new chasers but the danger is that the roster could get bloated and there’s quality control to take into account. They must have interviewed 1000 people now including known celebrities and it took them 2 to 3 years to get Jenny [Ryan] in place.
It’s hard to find someone with no gaping knowledge holes and a big personality. You can’t just give answers, you need something about you. That’s why everyone is always trying to find another Anne Hegerty – but there’s only one Anne Hegerty – she’s precious! She’s one of the top two lady quizzers in the world. That’s why Jenny has tough shoes to follow – she will be compared to Anne!
Anne: Oh goodness, I’m here ’til they fire me or we get cancelled! I’m not aware of any changes planned. I’m keen to keep doing the Australian show too, of course, but yeah, the Chase UK is my bread and butter and I’m not going anywhere.
That’s a relief! The Chase airs on ITV at 5pm every weekday. Tune in if you haven’t before – you don’t know what you’re missing!


We have closed lines in our U.S. stores. We understand some of our Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible."
Customers already in line will helped as long as supplies last.
Today, customers can pay their age for any furry friend in workshops throughout the U.S. According to store officials, it's the biggest in-store promotion ever.
In response to the turnout, Build-A-Bear posted on Facebook a message to those who might have ended up in line, but weren't able to get a bear.
Our first-ever Pay Your Age Day event generated an overwhelming response resulting in long lines, extensive waits, and disappointed Guests. We understand that many Guests were turned away due to safety concerns created by the crowds when authorities in certain locations closed Build-A-Bear stores or we were forced to limit the line. Given these circumstances we were unable to serve all of our Guests for the event.
In response, we distributed vouchers to Guests who were present in line to be redeemed for a future purchase and have now made vouchers available to all U.S. & Canadian Bonus Club members which must be screen shot or printed by logging into your account before midnight on 15 July. We encourage all of our valued Guests to visit our full statement at the following link and we’d like to reiterate our sincerest thanks for your passion and continued support.
For more on the vouchers visit the Build-A-Bear website .


8 + 3 = Required Please enter the correct value.
Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc.’s (LEH) will announce “key strategic initiatives” early today (Wednesday), just one day after its stock nosedived to its lowest level in almost a decade.
Lehman also will announce its expected third-quarter earnings – a week earlier than expected.
Once the fourth largest Wall Street investment bank, Lehman has seen its market capitalization shrink from over $47 billion at its stock’s 52-week high of $67.73 down to just $5.4 billion at today’s new 52-week trading low of $7.64 per share.
By the New York close, Lehman shares had recovered slightly to trade at $7.79, down nearly 45% for the day on reports that negotiations for a capital infusion from state-controlled Korea Development Bank (KDB) had ended without plans for investment.
Korea’s Financial Services Commission refused to confirm that talks with Lehman had ended, but the report was enough to send Lehman shares into a tailspin.
The stock’s slide was enough to cause Standard & Poor’s to revaluate Lehman’s counterparty credit risk.
If S&P were to lower Lehman’s credit ratings significantly, the investment bank’s ability to do business, and its very existence, would be in jeopardy. It’s hard not to draw comparisons with the Bear Stearns collapse, which ultimately ended with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s (JPM) purchase of what was at that time the fifth largest Wall St. investment bank for just $10 per share.
A hypothetical offer of $10 per share for Lehman would represent a 28% premium over yesterday’s closing price.
Richard Bove, an analyst with Ladenburg Thalmann, has been critical of Chief Executive Richard Fuld’s management of the beleagured investment bank for quite some time. Two weeks ago Bove suggested Lehman could find itself the victim of a hostile takeover if Fuld was not able to negotiate an emergency liquidity boost.
As the list of potential saviors continues to dwindle, so does investor confidence in Lehman Brothers.
After taking $8.2 billion in subprime credit-related losses and writedowns in the past 12 months, Lehman stock is down over 88% year-to-date and is 88.5% off its 52-week peak.
Hungry for substantive news of how Fuld plans to shore up Lehman’s $60 billion mortgage-related portfolio, all investors have been offered so far is some management changes. But the clock is ticking and Fuld will have to face the music soon and come clean with his plans for the future of Lehman Brothers.
Lehman had been slated to announce fiscal third quarter results early next week. But the firm apparently opted to announce its expected results in conjunction with the new initiatives. Shareholders will be looking for reassurance from Fuld and President Bart McDade that the bank has been able to sell assets or obtain necessary capital infusions to bolster a bleeding balance sheet.
This was long overdue & hopefully they will be bought out!


Seattle Works volunteers helping with tree planting, (Seattle Works Photo).
Reuler is Executive Director of Seattle Works, a nonprofit that brings corporations and people together to volunteer and do good work in the community. He spoke at the Downtown Seattle Association’s Focus Forward Breakfast Roundtable, a panel discussion on galvanizing the droves of young people moving to Seattle for tech jobs and other opportunities.
Racquel Russell, Zillow Group’s Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs and Art Thiel, a veteran sports reporter and editor of SportsPress Northwest, joined Reuler to discuss ways to engage newcomers in the Seattle community.
Reuler believes the best way to reach this new class of young people is to give them the opportunity to use their skills, not just for the company, but to benefit the broader community as well.
Related: Can volunteerism mend the growing rift between Seattle’s thriving tech community and those in need?
Employees of all ages benefit from giving back but millennials, in particular, thrive when they have a sense of agency and purpose. Russell believes Zillow’s commitment to employee engagement gives the company an edge when recruiting Seattle’s young newcomers.
Many tech titans realize that for millennials, corporate social responsibility isn’t just a perk. It can be a dealbreaker. Companies, like Microsoft and Google, have formalized volunteer programs, donation matches, and other initiatives to encourage employees to get involved.
The panelists agreed that beyond recruiting and retention, actively engaging newcomers is vital to the health and prosperity of Seattle.
“Rather than looking at all the new buildings and counting the construction cranes, we need to look at all the new people they’re bringing in and realize that they are real assets,” said Thiel.


Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg and other Hollywood A-listers tout Apple’s new entertainment content.
Steve Jobs was a master of the product announcement, sporting his signature black turtleneck while unveiling Apple products like the iPhone. That best-selling device has lost some of its commercial sheen, but Apple still has some salespeople with stage presence: Namely, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and other Hollywood celebrities who pitched Apple’s much anticipated video streaming service Monday in the theater named after the late Apple co-founder.
Monday’s event on Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., campus was something altogether different. The company unveiled paid subscriptions for news, video games and an entertainment service that looks a lot like a competitor to Netflix and HBO, though Apple didn’t say how much it would cost. The only product Apple announced Monday that consumers could actually touch and feel was a new titanium credit card, so minimalist in its design that it doesn’t even include a number.
As more celebrities like J.J. Abrams, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell walked onto Apple’s stage, the theme of the day became increasingly apparent. Apple doesn’t want to be thought of as a gadget maker. Rather, it’s a company that wants to touch every corner of its customers’ lives, from the music they listen to, the TV they watch and the news they read to the games they play and even the payment method they use to buy milk and eggs.
For stars like Winfrey, the draw to create content for Apple was a simple calculation: “Because they’re in a billion pockets, y’all. A billion pockets,” she said onstage. Such wide reach creates an “opportunity to make a genuine impact,” she said.
Apple is expected to invest many billions a year, according to analysts, on making video content to compete in a crowded market that includes Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and Disney. It’s a gamble, and it signals just how important these new businesses are to Apple — especially as growth in its traditional gadgets slows. Apple signaled to investors in January that it would miss sales targets on iPhone sales, mainly because of slowing sales in China. The announcement sent Apple’s stock sliding, from a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion (it was the first company ever to cross that milestone) down to below $700 billion earlier this year.
To tide Apple over before the monumental shift from mobile technology that has driven spending for a decade to the next generation of devices, Apple is becoming increasingly dependent on services — sales of music and data storage that it complemented with new subscription products announced Monday. Apple is working on developing new gadgets, such as augmented reality glasses, but it can’t count on a big shift happening again any time soon.
In that way, spending billions on its own content might be a less risky proposition for Apple than waiting on the sidelines of streaming. The online entertainment world is starting to consolidate into a handful of gigantic players, and there was no guarantee that those other companies would continue to allow their content to rely on Apple’s platform, with Apple getting a cut of the revenue.
By creating its own high end streaming service, Apple gives itself a chance of becoming one of the few big players in the industry that is capable of controlling its own destiny, without being at the mercy of other platforms. Even if none of its shows become the next “House of Cards” or “Game of Thrones,” it can use the content in any way it chooses, to help sell devices through promotions or license it out to other platforms for extra revenue.
Gene Munster, an analyst at Loup Ventures, estimates Apple will make an additional $15 billion a year from Apple TV and its new streaming service within five years, another $3 billion from video games, about $1.5 billion from its credit card revenue and $500 million from its news offering for a total additional services revenue of around $20 billion, or $78 billion total.
The first announcement of the day was a new service called Apple News +, a $10 a month subscription service that will include magazines like Sports Illustrated and The New Yorker.
“Quality journalism matters,” Apple said in a short video touting the magazines it would include in the new service.
What Apple didn’t talk about in its presentation is that it had largely failed to convince some of the largest newspapers, including the New York Times and The Washington Post, to participate in the service. Though it briefly featured The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times during the presentation, it more or less focused on magazines.
The design of the paid news app downplayed the publications behind individual articles. Articles about Costa Rica from several publications were mashed together into one place. That might be good for readers, but it takes away the power of distribution from the publishers of the magazines and hands it to Apple, much like what happened to the music industry when Apple launched 99 cent songs on iTunes in the early 2000s.
The question for the news industry now is whether the $10 a month service takes off, bringing in significant revenue for participating publications. If that happens, it could cause larger publications like The Washington Post and the New York Times to reconsider sitting it out. “At this stage in the game, they are probably smart not to do it,” said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, a technology industry market research firm. “But I have to believe they have to keep the option open,” he said.
Another selling point for its news service: Apple uses “on-device” intelligence to make recommendations, so that the company doesn’t actually know what you read and the data can’t be used to target advertisements, the company said.
Next, Apple announced the Apple Card, which builds on the popularity of its Apple Pay service that allows people to pay for products using their phones and watches. Offering its own credit card, with the backing of Goldman Sachs and MasterCard, helps Apple to cut out some of the middlemen in payment transactions. Apple is offering consumers competitive cash back and no late fees.
Apple Card requires Touch ID or some other form of authentication for payments to reduce fraud, and it said it won’t collect purchase data. It said Goldman Sachs won’t sell or share data with third parties, which implies Goldman would be able to get some data on users. Apple didn’t say whether it would pass on late payment information to credit agencies.
The card puts Apple a step closer to its customers’ financial transactions. By combining this with the company’s vast number of customers who carry around its devices, its payments services have the potential of giving Apple a low overhead revenue stream.
Next, Apple announced a new video game subscription service. Cook said iOS has become the largest gaming platform in the world, with roughly 300,000 games on the platform. With its new gaming subscription service called Apple Arcade, the company says it has created a way to help developers monetize their games.
Apple made the biggest splash with the announcement of its video streaming service, Apple TV+, in large part because it came with cameo onstage appearances from some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
While other streaming services have focused on obtaining the rights to franchises, such as “Star Trek” or “The Avengers,” Apple’s strategy has been to go for star actors and producers. That’s in keeping with Apple’s long time approach, said Larry Downes, project director at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. “It’s all about the brand,” he said.
That comes with some risks, Downes said. Big names don’t guarantee success, and even the most decorated in Hollywood have failed at least once or twice. Acquiring intellectual property can offset some risk, in part because there are opportunities for subsidiary rights, merchandise deals, video game rights, etc. And unlike famous actors, franchises like The Avengers or Disney children’s characters can live on forever.
Last week, as hype around Monday’s event steadily built up in the media, Apple made three hardware announcements, with upgrades to its iMac Pro, iPad Mini and AirPods. There was no news conference devoted to those announcements. It was unusual, because it showed Apple’s hardware taking a back seat to its new services-oriented businesses. Wall Street liked what it saw, rewarding Apple with a stock bump that boosted the company’s market cap above $900 billion. It had fallen below $700 million in January after news of slowing iPhone sales. On Monday, Apple lost some of those gains, seeing its value drop to $890 billion, and its stock was down 1.21 percent in after hours trading.
Sarah Ellison contributed to this story from New York.


Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Melania Trump arrived in Ghana Tuesday as part of what will be a tour of four African countries, beginning her first solo trip abroad as first lady.
Trump's plane touched down in Ghana's capital of Accra early Tuesday. She will tour the country before leaving for Malawa, Kenya and Egypt. During the trip, the first lady will promote her "Be Best" campaign that aims to improve the well-being of children.
"So looking forward to visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya & Egypt as I take BeBest international," Trump posted to Facebook Tuesday.
The first lady's awareness campaign aims to encourage parents to teach children kindness, fight cyber-bullying and oppose drug use. She announced the Africa visit last week at the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump will work with USAID on the trip to promote healthcare and education programs. Trump spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN the trip will focus on diplomacy and humanitarian causes.
"I think she feels it is important that people around the world understand the United States cares about the prosperity and future generations of other countries," Grisham said.
The first lady's journey came months after President Donald Trump frayed relations with remarks aimed at some African countries. In January, he was criticized for asking why the United States can't accept more immigrants from places like Norway and fewer from places like El Salvador, Haiti and African nations.
Trump upset the South African government last month when he claimed there was large-scale killing of white farmers in South Africa. Ahead of the first lady's visit, though, he struck a different chord.
"We both love Africa. Africa is so beautiful," he said. "The most beautiful part of the world, in many ways."


Abu Dhabi has announced the dates for this year's upcoming 14th Liwa Date Festival in Al Dhafra as Wednesday 18 to Saturday 28 July.
Under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the annual event seeks to facilitate the exchange of technical expertise among farmers and transform the date palm into a symbol of Emirati perseverance, wealth and prosperity.
The upcoming festival is expected to attract a large audience for its events and activities, according to state news agency Wam, including competitions, date auctions, lectures that aim to raise awareness on the importance of the palm tree, special workshops for children, poetry evenings, games and a children's village.
The Liwa Date Festival plays an increasing role in tourism. A visitor can discover a range of products made of date palm, in addition to date sweets, and jumar, the milky-white inner part of the tree heart.
The palm tree has played a great role in catering to the nutritional and daily life needs of human communities in the desert.


The slow pace of land reforms will continue to result in project delays and rising costs, posing a downside risk for the road and rail sectors, Fitch Solutions said Wednesday.
"The government's land reform agenda has evolved in to a highly contentious issue in the country, as reform attempts were countered with fierce resistance from land owners and political opponents. Hence, with the 2019 elections in the horizon, we expect land reform to take a back seat as the BJP moves to address other pertinent issues such as raising agricultural wages...," Fitch Solutions, an affiliate of Fitch Ratings, said.
India's poor track record in delivering projects on time, it said, can be seen from official government data, with almost 50 per cent of road and rail projects in the five most populous states in the country being delayed by more than four years.
"A majority of the delayed projects are running above the budgeted costs -- without land reforms at the federal level that would standardise land acquisition procedures across the country and expedite the acquisition process, the status quo is likely to persist," it said.
In particular, large-scale, inter-state projects will face heightened challenges in land acquisition due to the diversity of land acquisition laws across states as well as the large amount of land required for project implementation, it said.
On Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project, it said that the "USD 7.1 billion railway project connecting the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west coast of the country is likely to be delayed due to ongoing land acquisition issues".
"The first bullet trains are planned to be launched in August 2022, in time for India's 75th Independence Day. However, we expect more delays due to complications arising from the disparate land acquisition laws in different states and increasing resistance from land owners. Nearly all of the 1,400 hectares of land have yet to been acquired as of November 2018," it said.
On the Mumbai-Nagpur Highway Project, it said, the 700-km expressway spanning across Maharashtra has been hit by delays in land acquisition which has resulted in an increase in project cost.
"Land owners are unwilling to give up their land despite the government offering compensation that is several times above the circle rate. As of June 2018, only 77 per cent of the 7,298 hectares of land has been acquired for the project.


MARENGO — On Tuesday evening, the Northmor Lady Golden Knights volleyball team headed to Marengo for a Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference against possibly their biggest rivals, the Highland Lady Fighting Scots.
Both teams entered the contest undefeated in league action but it would be the hosting Scots remaining that way as they handed the Knights their first loss of the season in three sets; 19-25, 19-25, 15-25. The victory moves Highland to 10-1 overall and 7-0 within the KMAC while Northmor falls to 11-1 overall and 6-1 in league play.
Lily Tate, Anna Donner and Aly Blunk all served up flawless performances from the service line on Tuesday evening. Tate finished at an 11/11 clip while Donner and Blunk turned in 8/8 efforts each.
As usual, Donner was busy in other spots on the court as well, going 30/34 on the attack en route to 10 kills. Donner also chipped in four assists on offense while posting 13 digs and two blocks on defense. Tate and Blunk were also active on both sides of the net in the loss. Tate finished with 11 assists on offense and five digs on the defensive side of things. Blunk dug out 12 Highland attacks on the evening.
Macy Miracle would also have a well-rounded match for the black and gold, finishing with five digs and a block on defense while turning in 11 assists on 34/34 setting and nine kills on 14/16 attacking.
Northmor will look to get back on track on Thursday when they play host to the visiting Fredericktown Lady Freddies.


Ports in Costa Rica, Peru, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Cuba, among others, are either expanding or have plans to expand.
Some, like Buenaventura, hope to receive the “post-Panamax” ships and become a transshipment hub that will supply smaller ports with feeder vessels. Others are simply bracing for increased feeder traffic.
The race for deep water is fierce. Buenaventura currently feeds much of the traffic to the shallower port in Guayaquil, Ecuador. But Buenaventura is facing competition from Balboa, in Panama, which is emerging as the Latin American leader of transshipment and expects to see its business double after the expansion.
The Bahamas is working with Hutchison Port Holdings to stake its claim as the most modern container facility in the English-speaking Caribbean. With a depth of 52 feet, the Freeport Container Port can already accommodate post-Panamax ships.
But both the port of Jacksonville and Miami are hoping to take a bite out of Bahamian business.
PortMiami is also hoping to undercut Freeport and regain some of the transshipment business that it lost after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when new security regulations strangled business.
PortMiami Director Bill Johnson said the Panama Canal expansion and Miami’s recent designation as a foreign trade zone, which will make transshipping less cumbersome, will be a threat to Freeport.
In many ways, all of the ports in the region need to succeed for any of them to succeed, said German Silva, Colombia’s former vice minister of transportation and a shipping consultant.
If only a few ports in a geographic area can accommodate the massive new vessels, then shipping companies may decide to cover the region with feeder boats, which ultimately increases the costs of goods.
Of 161 ports in South and Central America, only 21 have channels of 50 feet or more, and 13 of those are in Brazil, according to data provided by the American Association of Port Authorities. Colombia, Argentina and Chile also have deeper ports. In Mesoamerica, only Mexico and Panama are in that league. But several ports in the regions have plans to hit that depth.
“If ports don’t get ready, they will simply be left out,” Silva said.
The work at Buenaventura reflects the region’s challenges.
The port is reinforcing its pylons and moorings to keep the larger ships from, literally, dragging the dock into the sea. It’s also receiving two new cranes to unload the taller container ships. The port is already deepening its access canal to 41 feet, but it’s hoping to receive environmental permissions to begin dredging to more than 50 feet to be able to receive post-Panamax vessels.
At the Moin Container Terminal in Costa Rica, APM Terminals is pushing a $992 million project to dredge the canal to 52 feet and have six super-post-Panamax gantry cranes. Puerto Caucedo, in the Dominican Republic, is also in the midst of an expansion project.
Anthony Hylton, Jamaica’s minister of industry, investment and commerce, recently returned from a two-week trip to China and Singapore where he was promoting the government’s plan for the Caribbean nation to become a global transshipment and logistics hub.
The $8 billion to $10 billion project includes dredging Kingston Harbor, expanding port facilities and building a dry dock. It also hinges on linking ports and airports through road and rail networks.
But the question remains whether Jamaica, which is in the midst of a financial crisis, and other nations, will be able to deliver on their promises, said Anton Edmunds, a Caribbean business consultant.
Cuba is another case in point. While the island is renovating its Mariel port, the U.S. embargo is likely to keep it from fulfilling its potential as a transshipment hub, executives said.
Under U.S. law, any ship that calls on a Cuban port is prohibited from entering a U.S. port for 180 days — with limited exceptions covering foodstuffs and humanitarian goods.
“I think Cuba is really one of the most interesting players of the future — of course, assuming the embargo is lifted,’’ said Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president for market analysis and research for the Panama Canal Authority.
The island could become a hub for transshipment of goods as well as near-sourcing of manufactured goods for the U.S. market.
“Maybe it would be like going back to the 1950s,’’ he added.
While Mariel won’t be able to receive post-Panamax ships, deepwater areas near Santiago on the eastern end of the island might be a logical location for a Cuban deepwater port, he said.
What is clear is that the canal expansion, along with the regional building binge, will mean more Latin American countries will benefit from, and depend on, the canal.
Chile is currently the third largest user of the canal after the United States and China, and nearly one-third of its maritime foreign trade is transported through the canal. Some 37 percent of Ecuador’s maritime foreign trade travels via the canal and 32 percent of Peru’s, canal authorities said.
“We’ll see more Latin American countries making use of the canal’’ after the expansion, said Jorge Quijano, chief executive of the Panama Canal Authority.
But the race to become competitive extends well beyond harbors and cranes, said Edmunds, the Caribbean business consultant. Ports need to think about financial services and other infrastructure to attract shippers.
One of Buenaventura’s biggest problems is its roads, said port manager Chinea. In 2007, rains closed the sole roadway into town for more than 40 days. While the government is working to turn the winding mountain road into a four-lane highway — and adding several new tunnels — tractor trailers headed to the harbor are often delayed for hours.
“Colombia’s main challenge in its foreign commerce is to improve its infrastructure — roads and railroads — in the short-term,” he said.
As Echeverri watched workers pour fresh concrete to brace the port for the coming behemoths, he marveled at how fast the industry has changed.
Just five years ago, the largest ships that pulled into Buenaventura carried 1,000 containers. Now, the port regularly receives towering vessels carrying 3,000 containers that can take two days to unload.
Few expected loads to double, much less triple, in five short years, he said.
As states seek funds for deeper ports, will ships come in?


A note found in the hotel room of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock contained detailed calculations for firing down on a country music festival.
On "60 Minutes," the police officers who were the first to reach the 32nd floor detailed what they saw when they entered the room after Stephen Paddock committed suicide.
"I noticed a note on the nightstand near his shooting platform," said Las Vegas police officer Dave Newton.
"He had written the distance, the elevation and the drop of what his bullet would be for the crowd. He had that figured out so he would know where to shoot to hit his targets from there."
In the crime-scene photos of Paddock's Mandalay Bay suite, a piece of paper was visible on a table. In the days after the shooting, many had speculated it was a suicide note, as authorities continue to search for a clear motive.
On "America's Newsroom," David Shepherd, former security director at the Venetian resort, said Paddock's planning was far more extensive than what he's seen in other mass shootings.
He noted that Paddock was a multi-millionaire and unlike other mass shooters, could obtain the resources to carry out the meticulous plot.
The officers who first reached the room said they saw power tools, an "armory" of weapons, monitors, electrical equipment and a camera hooked up to a room service cart outside the room.
The officers said they were worried that the wires leading to the room service cart were connected to an explosive device.
"Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace said Friday it was "troubling" for Attorney General William Barr to make a conclusion on obstruction of justice based on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings.


Lavan S. White, of Somerset, has been awarded the Amelia Earhart Award by the United States Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol.
Sen. Richard Kasunic, Rep. Bob Bastian and Colonel Mark Lee, PA Wing Commander, CAP, presented him the award at a ceremony at the state capitol on June 3.
During his six years in the cadet program, White has served on a number of emergency services search and rescue missions. Additionally he has served in a number of positions here at the Somerset County unit and at the Pennsylvania Wing summer schools. Presently he is serving as the training officer for the Somerset County Composite Squadron 1502, where he is responsible for assisting members in completing the program goals and compliance with U.S. Air Force guidelines for the cadet unit. While White was attending the college preparatory courses at Somerset Area Schools, he lettered twice in varsity swimming.
This Award is earned after completing the first eleven achievements of the cadet program and receipt of the General Billy Mitchell Award. In addition, the cadet must pass an arduous 100 question examination testing aerospace topics, leadership theory and staff topics. Since its inception more than 30 years ago, nearly 10,000 cadets have earned this prestigious award. Only 5 percent of the Civil Air Patrol Cadets will earn this award. White is the 29th Somerset County cadet to receive this award since the unit was formed in 1942.
White is the son of Loren and Tracy White and Bonnie White of Somerset. Lavan is a graduate of Somerset Area Schools and is enrolled at California University, California Pennsylvania, studying liberal arts to gain credentialing in social work. Currently he is a life guard at Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier.


Any early mist patches will lift to leave a dry and fine day with sunshine. High cloud during the day will make the sunshine hazy. A warm day, albeit breezier than it has been recently.
This evening it will remain fine with late sunshine. Overnight it will be stay dry with clear spells and variable amounts of cloud.
On Tuesday it will be another dry, fine and warm day with sunshine, which will often be hazy. Staying fine into the evening with further late hazy sunshine.
A cold front edging north into the UK will bring some widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms by Wednesday afternoon. Overnight as the front heads north, this will largely dry out but it will feel noticeably cooler. Through the rest of the week, continued sharp or thundery showers will drift in from the south, although there will be some drier and brighter spells too.


The Indian auto industry registered a growth of 6.05% in April-January 2017 over the same period last year.
Indian auto shares rose on robust February sales growth of some automakers, which are returning to normalcy from the red since Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonetised high currency notes on November 8.
Tata Motors was up 3.4% while Bajaj Auto gained 2%, Hero MotoCorp 1.8% and Eicher Motors 0.4% in the Mumbai market whose benchmark Sensex rose as much as 0.55% to 29,145.62 in intra-day trade.
Tata Motors sales grew 2% with passenger vehicle rising 12% on overwhelming response to its new crossover Hexa as well as the sustained demand for the Tiago.
Bajaj Auto sales were up marginally on tepid domestic demand but exports were up 15.6%.
Hero MotoCorp sales were down 4.8% but it is picking up as remonetisation gains momentum and consumers recover from the cash crunch.
In January, Indian automobile sales were down 4.7% even though passenger vehicles were up 14.4%, according to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
The demonetisation drive has dented consumer demand as Indians faced problems in withdrawing new currency notes from banks and ATMs.
The industry produced a total 21,086,185 vehicles including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three wheelers, two wheelers and quadricycles in April-January 2017 as against 19,882,485 in April-January 2016, registering a growth of 6.05% over the same period last year.
During April-January, sales of passenger vehicles grew by 9.2% while commercial vehicles were up 3.03% and 2-wheelers 8.3%. But three-wheeler sales dipped 1.1%.


LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank’s interest rate hikes of 2008 and 2011 were perhaps the biggest policy errors in recent central banking history. With $100 oil coming into view again, the last thing the ECB wants is a repeat.
The price of Brent crude oil this week hit $82.55 a barrel, the highest in almost four years. It’s up 40 percent over the past year, an inflationary red flag the ECB would normally find difficult to ignore.
Also this week, ECB President Mario Draghi told the European Parliament that an acceleration in underlying inflation in the euro zone was “relatively vigorous” and expressed confidence that a pick-up in wage growth would continue.
Add all that together, you might think the ECB would quite readily backtrack on its pledge to keep interest rates at historically rock-bottom levels “through the summer” of next year, and deliver an inflation-cooling rate hike or two earlier.
If anything, an oil price shock of crude breaking above $100 a barrel could tempt the current incumbents in Frankfurt’s Eurotower to ease policy, or at the very least go looser for longer, rather than tighten.
Firstly, the current spike in oil is more a function of supply constraints than surging demand. U.S. sanctions on OPEC members Venezuela and Iran have hit production there, while spare capacity from OPEC and its allies remains historically low, according to Nomura.
The world economy, led by the United States, is growing at a robust and steady clip. But the balance of risks to growth, from trade wars to rising U.S. interest rates, is tilted to the downside. Slowing economic growth will cap oil demand.
Secondly, oil prices notoriously overshoot, accelerating in the run-up to cyclical peaks and troughs. This means they rise far higher, and fall much further, than commentators thought possible just a few months earlier.
Thirdly, signs of oil remaining high, say above $100 for an extended period, could squeeze corporate profits and potentially force companies to lay off workers. Rising unemployment, in what is already a fractious and dangerous political environment, would surely be viewed with alarm in Frankfurt.
In short, there’s a case to be made that this would be “bad” inflation, not “good” inflation. Certainly not the time for a re-run of 2008 or 2011.
The ECB raised rates in July 2008 as oil hit a record high $147/barrel, having doubled over the previous year. This was right in the midst of the global credit crunch: Bear Stearns had been rescued only a few months before, and Lehman Brothers would collapse a few weeks later.
In 2011 oil was again above $100 and the ECB raised rates not once but twice, just as the euro zone debt crisis was bubbling up: Greece and Ireland had already received bailout packages, and bond yields in Spain and Italy were ballooning to levels that would eventually prompt Draghi’s “whatever it takes” intervention a year later.
Policymakers will be more cautious this time around, not least because inflation, although at target, is lower than it was then. Headline inflation is running at 2 percent, whereas it nudged 4 percent in 2008 and 3 percent in 2011.
The ECB expects its 2.6 trillion euro ($3.1 trillion) bond purchase scheme to end at the close of this year and keep rates low “through” the summer of next. The guidance on rates is vague enough to give the ECB a lot of leeway.
It could raise rates in September next year, or December, or not at all, and still justifiably have kept its pledge.


Writer Andreas Hale thinks there's space for all political viewpoints in TV land.
Fall’s TV lineup was just announced during the annual upfront presentation to advertisers and it looks like Black folks will have to wait yet another season to see new shows that truly represent us.
Not one new pilot (and several were pitched, including projects from Gabrielle Union, Regina King, and Tisha Campbell Martin) was greenlit by either NBC or ABC. Sure, it’s nice to have shows like How To Get Away With Murder, Black-ish, and Empire renewed, but with very few Black shows in development on the horizon, our choices seem more limited than ever.
In walks Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.
A collective groan swept over Twitter yesterday when it was announced that Allen’s conservative comedy, Last Man Standing was brought back from the dead by (surprise, surprise) Fox after ABC cancelled it last year. It felt like a slap in the face considering that Fox just decided to can Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which thankfully was scooped up by NBC.
With Roseanne and her pro-Trump themes performing exceptionally well over at ABC as the number one program in primetime among adults 18-49, it only made sense that yet another conservative comedy be brought back to take advantage of the boon.
That’s only partially true. Yes, Allen is a big and expensive star, but what Walden avoided mentioning is that Last Man Standing speaks to a certain demographic who has been overlooked until Roseanne’s resurrection resulted in a ratings smash with 18.2 million viewers tuning in to the debut and 18.6 million who actually returned the following week to watch the second episode trying to get their next fix of the show’s right leaning politics.
If you don’t already know, Last Man Standing stars Tim Allen as a senior executive for an outdoor sporting goods store. The character is a father of three girls and has heavy-handed conservative political stance that was a driving force on the show. It was cancelled in May 2017 despite raking in 8.5 million viewers on Friday nights with very little promotion.
Allen sparked speculation that the show was cancelled because of his character’s conservatism rather than its expensive production price tag. He even went as far as to compare the demise to Hollywood’s exile of people in the 1930’s who didn’t share its liberal views.
Fans of the show, who one can assume are mostly conservatives, rallied behind the show, with over 400,000 people signing an online petition to boycott ABC until the show was revived. Low and behold, it’s Fox to the rescue as they grabbed the rights to bring Last Man Standing back.
The announcement was met with jubilation from conservatives such as Tomi Lauren, Mark Dice and others who took to Twitter to celebrate. Meanwhile, there were also a slew of people who are less than happy that yet another conservative sitcom is invading our networks.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a funny show with LGBT, POC and Latinx rep, is getting canceled to make room for Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing, another show about a white, Trump supporting family.
We may not agree with the politics behind this decision and feel some kind of way that Fox has opted to resurrect Last Man Standing, while in essence, killing Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but it is extremely dangerous to be so outspoken against a show’s existence simply because of its political views. We would certainly cry foul if the right spoke out against the mere existence of Black-ish because it was too Black and too liberal.
I get it. The political perspectives of both Roseanne and Last Man Standing aren’t our collective cup of tea, but I truly believe there is an audience for both. And, the business of television is to service advertising, which is directly tied to having a large amount of people watch your program.
Last Man Standing didn’t get cancelled because it drew poor ratings. If it did, then it t proves the show was revived only because of its politics, which is actually more dangerous than we know. More likely is that the show was revived because it will do big business for Fox, especially in this particular political climate.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Roseanne delivered its highest ratings in states that carried Donald Trump through the election (Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Ohio and Missouri) and will likely be the same scenario when Last Man Standing makes its return. Whether you believe that the show was canned because of its politics or because it was too expensive, neither can mask the fact that the show was a draw for an audience that felt ignored…maybe even for the last eight or so years.
As much as we may hate it, shows like Roseanne and Last Man Standing need to exist in order for there to be balance. Whether you want to agree with this assessment or not, part of the reason why Trump is president is because of the so-called silent majority that felt neglected during the Obama Administration. When you push so hard against a point of view in an attempt to mute their voices, they only grow stronger and begin to paint themselves as victims, crying their fake tears of woe is me sadness. What we absolutely don’t want to do is give these individuals a reason to rally.
With Trump in office, we really don’t want is for there to be a similar outcry against the shows that we’ve supported over the years. The fact that neither NBC nor ABC piloted any shows that speak to the Black experience may be the very beginning of a soft backlash. And, lets not forget how ABC abruptly pulled a politically themed epode of Black-ish, which fueled creative differences between ABC top brass and the show’s creator, Kenya Barris. It’s also rumored that Barris is ready to jump ship to much deeper waters of Netflix.
Speaking out against Roseanne and Last Man Standing will only lead to even more blowback against Black-ish, Grown-ish, Atlanta, Insecure, and then where does it stop? Don’t say it can’t happen, because it definitely can.
As long as we continue to support the casts and shows that we love, we should take no issue with whatever Roseanne and Last Man Standing have going on as they at least are giving their conservative, right audience something to do at night.


Rana Daggubati. 'nuff said, isn't it? South actor Rana Daggubati's popularity shot to the sky with SS Rajamouli's box office redefining Baahubali films. Though he is best remembered as Bhallaladeva from the period piece, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Rudramadevi and The Ghazi Attack are some of his most popular films. As the actor blows out 34 candles on his birthday today, let's celebrate his special day with 10 best photos from his social media accounts.
Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, who are busy promoting their upcoming film Jagga Jasoos, were photographed on the second day of South Indian International Movie Awards in Abu Dhabi.
Karan Johar hosted yet another party at his residence on Monday. The bash was attended by the Baahubali actors Prabhas and Rana Daggubati, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur.


What happens to recyclable rubbish put in the wrong bin?
An average of 1,250 tonnes of Welsh rubbish - about the weight of 155 double-decker buses - is sent to landfill every day.
The total amount has dropped from 641,000 tonnes in 2012/13 to 453,000 tonnes in 2014/15 - a 30% fall in three years - with the amount spent on landfill having fallen by at least 23% in the last four years.
However, £130,000 is still being spent on Welsh landfill every day, according to figures obtained by BBC Wales.
So, what happens to a piece of recyclable rubbish after it is dropped into a bin bag headed for the dump?
Take, for instance, an empty aluminium drink can.
It gets binned at a home in Ruthin, Denbighshire, before being put out for refuse collectors on a Tuesday.
From there, it is driven to a transfer station half a mile (0.8km) away, where it is moved to a lorry with about 20 tonnes of other waste.
The articulated lorry drives its load 20 miles (32km) to Cory Environmental's Hafod Landfill site, near Johnstown, Wrexham.
It is then tipped on to the enormous dunes of rubbish - the site receives about 110,000 tonnes a year - and is ploughed with the surrounding junk into layers of waste by a giant £250,000 compactor.
How long will the can remain there before it eventually breaks down?
"It'll probably be there forever," said Ian Craven, Cory's area manager.
Scanning the mind-boggling channels of waste, you can see more crushed and twisted cans scattered around it. Lots of them.
Cory has planning permission to fill the site until 2043, with three million cubic metres of space still vacant.
The firm plans to make the site as green and attractive as possible, with trees and wildflower planting to create wildlife habitats, attractive for species such as the great crested newt.
The contaminated water - or leachate - and gasses are extracted from the waste mass, before finished areas are sealed with a capping layer of clay and topped with soil.
"People think it's just a hole in the ground but hopefully we will produce something that is of benefit to the environment and that people can eventually use and enjoy," Mr Craven said.
But the scale of the public cost of sending recyclable and compostable waste to landfill remains unappealingly massive.
Denbighshire council spent more than £1.4m on landfill and incineration last year.
Alan Roberts, senior waste officer at the authority, said it could save up to £500,000 a year if people put all their waste into the correct bin.
"Our recycling is at a very high level, comparatively, but it could be higher. Currently, around about 63% of the rubbish is recycled.
"A very significant proportion of what we collect in people's black wheelie bins is still recyclable material which has been put in the wrong container."
He estimated 20% of black bin waste collected was food and a further 20% was paper, cardboard and other items, all of which could all be recycled.
There is, he explained, still a "yuck factor" when it comes to storing food waste separately.
"People don't appreciate that they do really have food waste," he added. "But of course, things like bread crusts, vegetable peelings, even tea bags and coffee grounds actually do tend to come out of most kitchens."
Overall, the annual amount of biodegradable municipal waste (food, paper, and garden waste) from Wales sent to landfill has dropped from over 850,000 tonnes in 2005/6 to 256,000 tonnes in 2014/15 - a 70% reduction.
But how do you "nudge" - as Denbighshire puts it - people into being even more disciplined with their unwanted leavings?
"The approach we have taken has really been about removing the barriers to recycling and also, at the same time, making it somehow less convenient to choose not to recycle," Mr Roberts said.
Measures include smaller refuse wheelie bins and larger ones for recycling and, occasionally, enforcement action and even prosecution.
Mr Roberts said Denbighshire gets "massive support" from residents, but there are some individuals who simply will not cooperate.
For 2014/2015, it had the highest rate of any Welsh council for the percentage of its overall waste that was reused, recycled or composted - 65.9%.
But, like four more Welsh councils, Denbighshire's annual spend on landfill actually rose over the last four years. This, it said, is largely due to increases in landfill tax.
The Welsh government has targeted councils with recycling 58% of their waste by 2016, with that eventually rising to 100% by 2050.
Seven authorities had achieved the 2016 benchmark as of August, with Blaenau Gwent having the lowest rate of the rest, at 50%.
Denbighshire sends about a third of its non-recyclable waste to landfill, with the rest processed into a refuse-derived fuel, which is then burned to generate electricity and heat.
Some councils, such as Monmouthshire, dispose of almost all of their non-recyclable rubbish using these kinds of methods, such as energy from waste systems.
But for those areas still relying heavily on landfill to swallow their imponderable supply of waste, there remains an ignominious and airtight time capsule marking their legacy below ground.
"There are stories of old landfill sites that have been dug into from Victorian times and it is still possible to read the newsprint," Mr Roberts added, explaining that even organic waste takes much longer to degrade inside landfill.
"The waste will sit there."