Election committee confirms 13 candidates can run in next month's poll, including former Mubarak-era PM Ahmed Shafiq.
Egypt's election commission has released a final list of 13 candidates eligible to run in next month's presidential election, the first since the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, the former president, last year.
Thursday's list includes Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak, who was disqualified and then reinstated over a 24-hour period this week.
"After listening to Shafiq's appeal, the committee decided to halt the decision to exclude him from the presidential race," Farouk Soltan, the head of the election committee, said while announcing the list in Cairo.
Shafiq was disqualified on Tuesday, after the military council approved a new law denying political rights to anyone who served as president, vice-president or prime minister in the decade prior to Mubarak's fall.
The electoral committee also decided to refer the new law to the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine whether it was constitutional or not.
"This could be a challenge to the legitimacy of the presidential election and the whole transition process," Omar Ashour of the Doha Brookings Centre told Al Jazeera.
Candidates able to stand include Amr Moussa, former foreign minister; Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an independent moderate; and Mohammed Mursi, chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Abol Fotouh may now receive backing from supporters of the Salafist al-Nour party.
The eligible candidates were among a total of 23 hopefuls before the commission disqualified 10 of them earlier this month.
Among those barred from running are Omar Suleiman, Mubarak's former vice-president and spy chief, along with Khairat al-Shater of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist Hazem Abu Ismail.
Soltan told a news conference on Thursday that he intended to refer to criminal investigators some of the 10 disqualified hopefuls because their applications contained material that broke the law.
He did not elaborate, but it is widely suspected that the 30,000 signatures collected and submitted by some independent applicants included forged ones.
Independent candidates are obliged under the election law to collect 30,000 endorsements from Egyptians in at least 15 of Egypt's 18 provinces as part of the requirements to run.
The generals who took power in Egypt when Mubarak stepped down 14 months ago in the face of a popular uprising have promised to hand over power to a civilian administration by July 1, ending a transition period marred by the use of deadly force by troops and police against pro-democracy protesters, a sharp rise in violent crime and a worsening economic crisis.
Presidential elections are set for May 23 and 24 with a runoff scheduled in June.


With Ministry of Sport Marketing only a week away, it’s now time to get your day organised with the B&T Events App. Download the app and check-in to the MSM Conference for your chance to win the Ultimate World Sports Trip for 2 worth $75,000!
Easy sign-in and ability to share your contact details and network with attendees and speakers.
Check in on the day for your chance to win the Ultimate World Sports Trip for 2 worth $75,000 – details below.
Submit questions to speakers and share your thoughts on social channels.
Network with attendees and speakers with the B&T Events.
Download today from the App Store or Google Play.
Download the B&T Events app and check-in to the MSM Conference for your chance to win the Ultimate World Sports Trip for 2 worth $75,000!
Entrants must have downloaded the B&T Events app (available from the App Store and Google Play) and checked into any of the sessions at the Ministry of Sports Marketing Conference before 2pm on Tuesday 19th July 2016.
From the pool of eligible entrants, one contestant is chosen at random and will be asked to choose 1 from 100 envelopes containing a prize.
Any contestant selected may be asked to sign a waiver prior to selecting their envelope.
Within the 100 envelopes, there is 1 envelope containing the Major Prize ($75,000 Sports trip) and ninety-nine envelopes containing the Minor prize ($1,000 Gift Card).
Still haven’t got your tickets?


It would be wrong to say that the mentally ill are undisciplined.
Yes, I have been scattered, unkempt, flighty, undependable, and absent. But I have also, at times, been able to carry out with incredible focus to minute detail tasks that I could never stick with if not at least mildly manic.
While the energy to work and the attention to detail did not always congeal on a reasonable or desirable task, the results were often impressive.
But then, I’ve also spent an awful amount of time lying around doing nothing. Not contemplating, not planning, not even daydreaming. Just depressed. Could there be a way to predict moods? A way to harness and apply a disciplined approach to managing symptoms?
Too often we equate discipline with punishment or control. But The American Heritage Dictionary offers the first definition of discipline as training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
Viewed in this way, discipline can be very positive. Self-discipline can lead to self-improvement. A regular meditation practice is a tremendous exercise in self-discipline. And this self-discipline can help one to manage and even predict difficult times with mental illness.
Mindfulness meditation, for most practitioners, is about cultivating an ability to stay aware of the present moment in order to manage stress. But for those suffering from a chronic illness, it can also be diagnostic.
Prior to becoming a meditator, I all too often found myself in the midst of a hypomanic or manic episode, unaware how things had gotten so carried away. While meditating, however, I can sense the very small changes in mood that signal an oncoming episode.
Thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns often become clear during meditation sessions. Fleeting, disorganized thoughts, looming grandiosity, and kinks in self-control can all pass unnoticed in a busy schedule. Soon, the negative symptoms have grown so large that positive behavior is buried by irresponsibility and self-destruction.
But if I take time to stay present each day, and to remove myself for a time from the onslaught of distractions in life, early clues of changing behavior become apparent.
Once a pending episode is revealed, adapting to and preventing further behavior changes can be handled by avoiding stressful situations, getting enough sleep, rallying friends and family, and calling the doctor (if necessary). A plan previously put in place to best handle oncoming episodes can be carried out, and a major episode can be avoided.
Used this way, meditation not only affords a way to manage stress, but it provides a tool to manage changes in mood and breaks in rational thinking. Meditation can help both diagnose and manage the symptoms of chronic illness.


Master Z's, a pool table and billiard retail store in Wisconsin are opening a new location in Brookfield.
Master Z's, a rec room and patio furniture retail store, is opening a new location in Brookfield, according to an announcement posted on its website.
The new store will be located at 19233 W. Bluemound Road, which recently housed the Laacke & Joys.
In December, Terry Mather, the husband and business partner of Laacke & Joys spokeswoman Marsha Mather, said the store's last day will be Jan. 15 unless inventory runs out before then.
The former Laacke & Joys building was sold for $3.3 million to Bluemound W. 19233 LLC, an investors group led by Scott Stollenwork, one of Master Z's owners, according to state real estate records.
Master Z's, a Waukesha retailer of pool tables, patio furniture, sports memorabilia and other leisure goods, has been sold to a group that includes the company's general manager.
Last April, owner Jim Lindenberg said he had sold the 26-year-old business to Upper Room LLC, a company owned by general manager Rob Kahler and investors Scott Stollenwerk and Michael Baudo.
Lindenberg declined to disclose the sale price.
He bought Master Z's, 1005 Spring City Drive, in late 2015. Shortly afterward, he purchased a similar retailer, Danny Vegh's, at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale, and turned it into a second Master Z's location.
Lindenberg closed the Bayshore store in January.
Master Z's Waukesha store includes an on-site warehouse, which allows customers to pick up any orders without having to drive to a second location like big box stores.
The new store will open in March.
Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.


I've played Super Mario 64 before. Maybe you have too—but you've probably never played it as a horrific corrupted hellscape, like it appears in this glitch run of the game by vinesauce.
I like to imagine this is what Mario might've been like if the development team was on shrooms, though.


You’ve taken the journey with them from the first arena auditions to studio shows; now is your chance to see The X Factor Live.
Venues across the land are hosting The X Factor 2016 Live 2016 tour, including Capital FM Arena, Nottingham on March 6 and Sheffield Arena on March 11.
The line-up is: Anton Stephans, 4th Impact, Reggie ‘N’ Bollie, Louisa Johnson, Lauren Murray, Che Chesterman, Mason Noise and Seann Miley Moore, the latter picked by the judges.


Jim Webb to discuss sentencing of Suu Kyi during meeting with General Than Shwe.
Webb, who arrived in Naypyidaw, the country's remote administrative capital, on Friday, is in Myanmar on the second leg of a two-week tour of the region.
Webb is travelling with a US delegation that would meet the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon, the commercial hub, a Myanmar businessman said on condition of anonymity.
Webb had called in March for direct talks between the US and Myanmar.
But last month, he said the recent trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's detained opposition leader, made it difficult for Washington to pursue "meaningful relations" with Myanmar.
His meeting was likely to include talks on Suu Kyi, who was sentenced earlier this week to another 18 months of house arrest.
A US national, John Yettaw, who triggered the trial when he swam to her lakeside home in Yangon in May, was sentenced to seven years of hard labour and imprisonment.
After his talks in Naypyidaw, Webb was due to fly to Yangon, where Suu Kyi and Yettaw are being held.
In a surprise development, Webb could meet Suu Kyi herself and Yettaw, according to local officials.
The White House said it supported Webb's trip, adding that his visit to Myanmar would convey "strong" US views of good governance to the country's leaders.


Senate Democrats introduce the legislation.
With one Senator convicted of felony voter fraud and perjury, and another under indictment for allegedly accepting and soliciting $100 thousand in bribes, Senate Democrats felt they had to do something to win back the public’s trust. The result was a package of three proposed bills that would lower gift limits, require more reporting from lawmakers and ban fundraising events at the homes of lobbyists.
Senator Kevin de Leon says the legislation would also ban certain gifts to lawmakers.
All of the practices the legislation seeks to address are currently legal. But Democratic leaders say, in the wake of the recent scandals, the time is right to make some changes.


CONCORD — The City Council on Tuesday awarded a one-year technology management contract that is expected to yield greater savings than the deal with the vendor Concord had used for the past three years.
By using an independent contractor to provide desktop installation, maintenance and IT support, the city has saved about $400,000 per year since 2011, according to Jeff Lewis, director of Information Technology.
R-Computer, which is in Concord, had held the desktop managed services contract since 2011, earning $487,361 in the most recent contract year. In April, the city solicited bids for the contract and received 10 submissions. The top finalists were R-Computer and Vacaville-based Axiom Technologies, whose clients include the state Department of Healthcare Services and the California High Speed Rail Authority.
Following the staff”s recommendation, the City Council on Tuesday awarded a one-year $419,112 contract to Axiom Technologies, with the option to extend it for up to four one-year terms. R-Computer”s competing bid was $426,372 per year.
The Axiom Technologies contract is expected to cost about $55,000 less per year than the city had been paying R-Computer for desktop managed services.
But this was the second time the contract came before the council.
At the Dec. 9 meeting, Councilman Dan Helix pulled the contract from the consent calendar for further consideration. In a scathing letter to the council, Ed Roth, R-Computer president, outlined his concerns about the city”s selection process and Axiom Technologies” qualifications.
Roth contended that Axiom”s bid didn”t include the cost of moving to new software nor the potential cost of retaining R-Computer for several months while the city transitions to the new vendor. In the letter, Roth also claimed he had “reason to believe” Matt Bowley, a contractor with the city, who also is the husband of Axiom Technologies owner Susan Bowley, had participated in drafting the request for proposals for the desktop managed services contract.
“Although the award is proposed to be awarded to Axiom, objectively it appears that it is unqualified and unprepared to do the work for the city as required,” Roth wrote.
In a Dec. 8 memo to the council, Lewis refuted all of Roth”s claims and explained that city staffers chose Axiom Technologies because the company would provide a greater number of highly certified employees at a lower cost.
“In summary, R-Computer”s memorandum relies on inaccurate statements and allegations,” Lewis wrote in the memo.
Seeking an independent arbiter, the city paid Savant Solutions $2,500 to evaluate both firms” proposals. Savant Solutions “found Axiom Technologies to be the clear vendor of choice” because it satisfied most of the requirements set forth in the request for proposals, according to the report to the city. Savant Solutions also determined that the projected five-year cost for Axiom Technologies is about $200,000 less than R-Computer for that same period.
At Tuesday”s meeting, Roth said Savant Solutions only reviewed his company”s proposal without taking into account its track record with the city. He also questioned Savant Solutions” neutrality since the company has a $200,000 contract with the city”s IT department it won in 2012.
“I feel that there”s many questions with no answers,” Roth said.
A representative of Axiom Technologies did not speak at the meeting.
Ultimately, the council deferred to Lewis” expertise and knowledge in unanimously awarding the contract to Axiom Technologies. They also praised him for seeking a third-party opinion of the two proposals and seeking references from Axiom Technologies” current clients. Several council members also noted that a one-year contract gives the city the flexibility to change course if Axiom Technologies doesn”t meet expectations.


Nick Duncan was nominated as one of the People's Best New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine.
A new food truck on State Street advertises Indian tacos, but you won't find saag paneer and biryani wrapped in a portable naan blanket. Mist'Delish serves up Native American tacos, enchiladas and frybreads.
So what exactly is a Native American frybread?
"It's a dough that's really, really super soft, and once I place it in the fryer, it just puffs up really big," explained owner Misty Lara through the window of her new truck on a recent chilly evening.
Mist'Delish opened on March 1 at 4210 W. State St.
"A lot of these recipes are from my great-grandma," said Lara. "I just felt, well, there's no Native American restaurants here that sell any Native American food, so I knew it was going to be a good place to start."
Mist'Delish is open Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.-ish. You can follow it on Twitter @mistdelish.
Moving from Native American to best new American chefs: Local chef Nick Duncan of Nampa's La Belle Vie was nominated as one of the Top 100 finalists in Food and Wine magazine's The People's Best New Chef competition.
For the last two years, Food and Wine has selected 10 "up-and-coming innovators who have run their own kitchens for five years or fewer" from 10 regions across the country. The chef with the most votes from each region was named a finalist, with Sheldon Simeon from Lahaina, Hawaii, winning from the Northwest region. The chef with the most votes among the finalists, Tim Byres, from Dallas, Texas, was officially crowned The People's Best New Chef on March 12.
Speaking of winners, Nikki Rimer took home the top prize, a sixer keg, in Sockeye Brewery's inaugural Facebook scavenger hunt on March 10. Scavengers were required to turn in five items, including a keg cap and an empty beer bottle, to the new Sockeye brewery construction site near Fairview Avenue and Cloverdale Road. Construction has also begun on 10 Barrel Brewing's new pub in downtown Boise at Ninth and Bannock streets, which is slated to open in late summer. Follow 10 Barrel's progress on Facebook.
And in other downtown shuffle news, Willi B's Sandwich Saloon on Fifth and Idaho streets has officially shut its doors. The restaurant is moving to a new location at 12505 W. Chinden Blvd., which is slated to open Monday, March 19.
Also, Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen has closed in BODO.


McALLEN — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer will serve 30 months in federal prison for taking a bribe in exchange for approving a land crossing permit, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Jose Javier “JJ” González, 38, of Mission to a 30-month prison sentence on Tuesday for, among other violations, accepting a $500 bribe and then approving an “I-94” border crossing permit, court records show.
González, a former CBP officer working in the Rio Grande Valley sector, was arrested May 25, 2017, and charged with federal bribery and fraud charges, according to court records.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, González, speaking on his own behalf, claimed that in his more than 10 years as a federal officer, “he had been a dedicated CBP officer” and had only made “one mistake,” according to a release from the Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.
One federal agent who spoke on behalf of the government said González betrayed his country and his fellow CBP officers.
The former federal officer was originally facing five counts of fraud activity connected with computers, which stems from his alleged role in accessing and obtaining information on five different federal employees from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Ultimately, González struck a plea deal with government prosecutors last February that had him plead true to a federal bribery charge. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the remaining federal fraud charges, records show.
González’s alleged acts occurred between July 2015 and November 2016, according to the indictment against him.
Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the indictment reads.
The court heard that during the aforementioned period, González exceeded his law enforcement access to conduct improper queries on the Treasury Enforcement Communications System that CBP officers use at ports of entry.
González ran queries of a Spanish music artist, a music promoter and another individual.
Despite seeing negative law enforcement information for their association to money laundering and drug trafficking, he continued to associate and communicate with them, the release states.
The form González admitted to granting was the I-94, known as the arrival-departure record, and is issued by CBP officers to foreign visitors entering the U.S.
González, who had been in federal custody due to a pre-trial violation, will be allowed to self-surrender next month.
The defendant had originally been granted release shortly after the court approved a $30,000 bond on May 31, 2017. But his bond and release didn’t last long as Crane remanded González back into custody in late January 2018 upon news that he had tested positive for cocaine, court records show.
Earlier that month, Crane had approved a requested modification to González’s bond release conditions, allowing him to travel outside the Southern District of Texas for employment — another condition of his release.
González’s attorney, Edinburg-based O. Rene Flores, had successfully argued to have the terms of González’s release modified as González sought employment in Reagan County, which at the time was outside the area he was allowed to travel.
Crane approved the modification on Jan. 8, 2018, only to have U.S. Marshals arrest González eight days later on the pre-trial violation, court records show.
During that hearing, González denied using any illegal drugs or violating the terms of his condition, USAO officials said.
In addition to the 30-month prison sentence, González will be required to remain on supervised release for three years, and require him to participate in federal drug treatment program, court records show.


In New Hampshire, the House has accepted the Senate’s budget resolution, which allows New Hampshire to continue operating without a state budget.
The Senate version allows the state of New Hampshire to spend money until October 1, using a budget similar to the one the Legislature passed. That budget was vetoed by Governor Craig Benson.
However, House Speaker Gene Chandler spoke with Benson as the House took up the measure this afternoon and said the governor would support it.


Westerly shut out Stonington, 15-0 — the exact score of its first Thanksgiving Day victory 100 years ago — in front of a crowd of approximately 4,400 at Stonington High School.
In 1911, the Westerly defense shut out rival Stonington in the first Thanksgiving Day game between the high schools.
On Thursday, Stonington and Westerly matched up in the 100th anniversary of that game, and the Bulldogs proved not much has changed in the last century.
The loss eliminated Stonington — who entered the game in the final spot — out of Class M state playoff contention.
Westerly (9-2) held an early 7-0 lead on Adam Mitchell’s 68-yard run down the left sideline on the first play of the game.
Despite the long run by Mitchell, the game’s MVP, the Bulldogs combined for 36 total yards the rest of the half.
Stonington, which still leads the all-time series, 69-66-17, after this 152nd overall meeting, outgained Westerly in the first half of Thursday’s game and advanced past the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line three times. However, the Bears didn’t score on any of the drives.
“They were moving the ball, but we would always come up with a key play to stop them,” Read said.
It was pass knockdown, a sack for an 11-yard loss, and a goal-line stop to end the half that kept the Bears off the board. Stonington (6-4) had possessions stop at the 29, 24 and 5-yard lines of Westerly in the opening two frames.
After connecting with Harry Calmar on a 43-yard pass at the end of the first half to move to the 4-yard line, Eddie Rathbun threw to a receiver just inside the goal line with 4 seconds remaining in the half.
The receiver was hit hard on each side and the ball fell to the ground for an incompletion.
Rathbun tried to run for the score on the next play, but was pushed out at the 5-yard line as time expired.
Wriedt said middle linebacker Alex Santangelo was the key to keeping Stonington off the scoreboard in the second half, but he had some help.
With 6:57 left in the fourth, the Bulldogs made a big play to make it a two-score game. Patrick Nix, who had a pair of sacks in the first half, blocked Rathbun’s punt into the back of the end zone for a safety.
On Westerly’s next possession, Read (14 rushes, 28 yards) punched in the final score on a 3-yard run with 4:00 remaining.


Owner Alexandre Gaydamak has confirmed he is hoping to sell Portsmouth.
Gaydamak revealed he has already rejected two offers as he seeks to ensure he finds the right buyer for his club. To satisfy Gaydamak's conditions of sale, any prospective new owner will need to commit to building a new stadium and training ground.
"I have come to realise over a period of time that I can no longer invest the time required to oversee the running of the club," Gaydamak told the Sunday Mirror.
"I think it's only right to consider the sale of the club to a group or individual who can come in and invest the time and money to ensure the club reaches its true potential."
Pompey have long been linked with a move away from Fratton Park, and Gaydamak added: "First and foremost, it is far more important for me to find the right buyer - with the club's best interests at heart - rather than sell out at the first opportunity."
Potential investment from South Africa has been among several sources of interest previously reported should any sale go through for last season's FA Cup winners.
"Making money from the sale of the club does not interest me," Gaydamak insists.
He added: "We are not in financial meltdown, and it is nonsense to suggest we have to start selling key players."
That statement should assure manager Tony Adams ahead of the January transfer window, and Gaydamak has stressed he will not rush through any sale of Portsmouth.
He said: "As regards the stadium and new training ground it is sensible to re-evaluate things in the current market, but I stress that it is imperative that they go ahead. Until I find a buyer who will give me cast iron assurances that this will be the case, I will remain at the club."


REDWOOD CITY — The six-alarm blaze that raced through a 73-unit apartment complex last week appears to be an accident that started near a kitchen, possibly due to a pot left on a stove, a fire official said Tuesday.
Investigators have narrowed the starting point of the fire to the kitchen area in a unit on the fourth floor of the building at 926 Woodside Road, said Redwood City Fire Marshal Jim Palisi. There were no indications the flames, which left over 70 people without a home Thursday, were anything but an accident, he said.
It will be difficult to provide any more specific explanation of the fire because the area where it started was so badly damaged. Though Palisi said an unwatched pot “is a very good possibility,” for the culprit.
Four people were injured in the early morning flames, which authorities said would have been slowed by a fire sprinkler system. However, because the Terrace Apartments were built in 1963, they were not subject to 1989 state rules requiring sprinklers in multi-unit buildings.
Fire officials firmly agree sprinklers save lives, but they are not required in all older apartment buildings, in part, due to resistance from landlords, who would bear the cost of retrofitting, an investigation by this newspaper found.
A 1960s-era building similar to the Terrace Apartments burned in July in Redwood City, killing one man and sending 18 residents to the hospital. It was not equipped with fire sprinklers.


Model names come and go, but the Astra seems an ever-present.
And why not? When you've shifted more than two million cars in the UK alone since 1980 it would seem folly to opt for anything else.
From this weekend, the fifth generation of the Ellesmere Port-built car hits the road, and few other than Vauxhall aficionados are likely to recognise this latest Astra from its predecessor.
Not to put too fine a point on it, this is a critically important launch for Vauxhall. The latest Astra enters an arena which accounts for 22 per cent of the entire west European car market.
From day one of the design process Vauxhall made it a priority to put some real emotion into the Astra's final look.
With the Meriva and Zafira models catering for more practical demands, Vauxhall felt confident they could go for something really entertaining.
GM Europe's design chief Martin Smith - the man responsible for the original Audi quattro - oversaw the operation, the result of which is a vehicle that bears little resemblance to its rather bland forerunner.
Instead we have a car that throbs pulsatingly - from the exterior styling with its imposing grille, futuristic 3D headlamps and athletic silhouette, to the driving dynamics themselves.
Fans of the Astra won't be disappointed with the new car's cabin. There's a genuine feel of quality throughout with a simply laid out dash, classy looking grey centre console and sculpted shapes.
Rear space is premium class, too, with even the centre passenger able to achieve relative comfort rather than being 'perched' awkwardly.
In fact, design-wise the only negative concerns the boot which, while boasting a fair capacity, has a narrow opening due to the car's sharp rear end. That could cause problems when loading large or bulky items.
First to hit the roads is the five-door hatchback, built on Merseyside, where the three-door version - due next spring - may also be constructed. Autumn will see the arrival of a German-sourced estate model with an extended wheelbase.
Four petrol and two diesel engines are offered at the outset and range from the entry-level 90bhp 1.4-litre, via 1.6, 1.8 and two-litre turbo petrol versions to a pair of 80 and 100bhp 1.7-litre diesels. A 1.9 CDTI unit with 150bhp is due from late summer.
Of course the crunch for fleet and private buyers will be how the Astra performs on the road.
Putting three of the six models - 1.6 and 2.0 Turbo petrol models along with a 100bhp 1.7 diesel - to the test on a series of demanding Lakeland routes convinced me that this range fulfils its manufacturer's boasts.
In each case the auto-adjusting steering was nicely balanced, engines quiet, power delivery at least useful and handling taut with terrific body control. Even the 1.6 Twinport unit produced surprisingly capable performance.
For a more hands-on feel, customers can opt for Vauxhall's Interactive Driving System, first used on the latest Vectra. This is an electronic chassis network that includes a Sport switch providing the driver with a firmer more sporting drive.
Seven trim levels are available and, depending on which version you go for, include features like electronic stability, traction and continuous damping control systems, rain sensitive wipers, keyless entry and start up, air-con and adaptive front headlights.
Remote central locking, front and side airbags, ABS, electric front windows and CD sound system are standard across a range that starts at £10,995 - which is £1,500 less than the cheapest five-door Volkswagen Golf - and rises to £17,645.
The new Astra is set to benefit from significant residual values, according to CAP Motor Research who expect an improvement of up to £900 per vehicle over the previous car.


Honey Soundsystem is turning 10 this weekend, which means you should be ready to celebrate for 10 hours straight at San Francisco’s Public Works.
Honey is a San Francisco collective of DJs, musicians and artists — as well as a self-titled party — that is credited with helping lead a resurgence of house music in the city’s queer spaces.
In addition to throwing some of the best-curated parties in the city, members of the collective have started their own labels, put out their own records and rediscovered and reissued tracks once thought lost. So they have a lot to celebrate, and they’re going in hard. Honey Soundsystem has booked 10 DJs and two live acts in a space lit up by 10 different installation artists.
The party starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, and ends at 4 a.m. the next day.


Nicola Blackstock bids farewell to the Dales after four years.
Nicola Wheeler, who plays fiery temptress Nicola Blackstock in Emmerdale, is to leave the ITV soap.
Nicola's four-year stint in the Yorkshire-based serial drama has seen her screen counterpart involved in a string of meaty storylines, the most famous being when she was jilted at the altar by fiancé Carlos because of his affair with her half-sister Bernice (Samantha Giles). She has since seduced a number of the village Romeos including Syd (Nathan Gladwell) and Robert (Karl Davies) before setting down with her current fiancé Simon Meredith (Dale Meeks).
In recent weeks, Nicola has fallen for Ivan (Daniel Brocklebank) and been humiliated to discover that he is bi-sexual and dating her half-brother Paul (Mathew Bose).
Nicola’s dramatic exit will be screened in March when she leaves Emmerdale behind in a storm of controversy after making a move on binman Ivan with devastating results.


Lukas Nelson, leader of the rock band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, revs up the crowd last Saturday, March 16, in a free performance at River Run Lodge, at the base of Bald Mountain. The concert was the first in a series of four après-ski concerts Sun Valley Resort is offering on Saturdays. The next free concert on Saturday, March 23, will feature Paranoid Social Club at River Run from 4:30-6 p.m. Food and drinks will be offered for sale.


A ban addressing the controversial practice of gay conversion therapy has passed through its first House committee.
Medical students James Pathoulas and Kevin O'Donnell pose for a portrait on Feb. 22 on campus. The two are part of an effort to ban conversion therapy in Minnesota.
The proposed legislation written by Rep. Hunter Cantrell, DFL-Savage, passed through the Health and Human Services Policy Committee earlier this month. It requires licensed counselors and therapists to outline that conversion therapy is deemed ineffective by major medical organizations. The ban does not apply to pastoral counseling.
Nearly all major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association, have denounced conversion therapy, stating it is not grounded in scientific reasoning and can be detrimental to patients.
Citing the important intersection of medicine and policy, University of Minnesota Medical School students James Pathoulas and Kevin O'Donnell voiced support for the ban.
“This bill is really about protecting people, especially vulnerable people from a fraudulent practice,” O’Donnell said.
Pathoulas said exact statistics about the use of conversion therapy in Minnesota are unavailable because of “coded language,” such as “restorative therapy” or “religious counseling." A 2018 University of California-Los Angeles' Williams Institute study estimated 689,000 LGBTQ adults have received conversion therapy nationally, and an estimated 57,000 LGBTQ individuals will receive conversion therapy before the age of 18.
One of the most adamant supporters of this legislation has been OutFront Minnesota, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Emma McBride, who works in policy and legislative affairs with the organization, said the bill does not infringe on religious freedoms.
“The second part of the bill actually says you can’t falsely advertise goods or services. We already have that law written for a good reason — to protect consumers and vulnerable Minnesotans — and we’re just saying that that needs to apply to conversion therapy as well,” McBride said.
The bill’s critics say otherwise. Conservative and religious advocacy organizations, like Transform Minnesota and the Minnesota Family Council, say the bill infringes on religious freedoms.
Bratrud said abusive tactics once associated with conversion therapy are no longer used. In addition, Minnesota lacks data about the prevalence of conversion therapy necessary to back the ban.
McBride disagrees, saying the ban is aimed at protecting children and other vulnerable populations. Consenting adults would be able to address their sexuality as they see fit.
“This ban is long overdue, … what we’re talking about is manipulating, harmful therapies that tell LGBTQ people that they need to be cured in order to be loved,” McBride said.
The next step for the ban is going through the House Commerce Committee. OutFront Minnesota and other proponents of this bill are confident it will pass through the House, but they are more leery of the Republican-controlled Senate. If passed, Minnesota would become the 16th state to ban conversion therapy for minors.
According to Pathoulas, if the ban does not pass the state legislature, advocacy organizations and individuals will look to pass local ordinances banning conversion therapy and continue pushing for a ban at the state level.
Clarification: A previous version of this article mischaracterized Bratrud's description of conversion therapy.


Electing Democratic state legislator would bring substantial leadership shift that could benefit all South Dakotans.
When Kristi Noem earned 57 percent of the vote in a surprisingly decisive Republican primary win over Marty Jackley in June, many political observers were ready to hand her the keys to the governor’s mansion.
That’s typically how it works in South Dakota, where the Grand Old Party reigns supreme and Democrats infamously haven’t won a race for governor since 1974.
In some ways, this permanence of one-party rule has hindered progress. Ethical lapses and shrinking accountability allowed the Gear Up and EB-5 scandals to fester, while legislative crusades on social issues – transgender policy, immigration restrictions, abortion rights – have placed South Dakota far right of national norms.
One could argue that’s fair game for an electorate that chose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by 30 points. But for a state that has seen Democratic figures such as George McGovern, Jim Abourezk, Tom Daschle, Tim Johnson and Stephanie Herseth make an impact in Washington, a multiplicity of interests within the state is hard to find.
Much of the blame lies with the South Dakota Democratic Party, which has failed to put forth candidates with the qualifications or political breadth to attract voters from outside their affiliation. In that respect, Billie Sutton came around at just the right time.
The four-term state senator from Burke doesn’t represent a shock to the system for voters. He’s a pro-life Democrat who supports gun rights and pledges fiscal conservatism rather than tax and spend.
His ranching and rodeo background give him insight into the fabric of South Dakota beyond fast-developing Sioux Falls, and his personal triumph over adversity strengthens his political resolve.
When we endorsed Noem in the GOP primary, we pointed to the fact that she could make history as the state’s first female governor and bring much-needed change to Pierre.
But Sutton represents a substantial leadership shift that could benefit all South Dakotans, not just those who fit a certain ideology. For voters who approved Initiated Measure 22 in 2016 to deal with corruption, only to see it torn asunder by Republican legislators, his plans for greater oversight ring true.
On top of advocating for stronger ethics legislation as minority leader, Sutton has campaigned for governor on enforcing stricter lobbyist limits, protecting whistleblowers, forming an ethics commission and reining in campaign finance.
For her part, Noem has also pledged to clean up Pierre. But a Republican chief executive in a heavily Republican state has less incentive to do so.
The four-term U.S. House member is more conservative than outgoing governor Dennis Daugaard on most social issues, which means no veto on potentially discriminatory legislation and no check on South Dakota criminalizing abortion if the Supreme Court throws the issue back to the states.
It’s debatable whether voters see Noem’s experience in Washington as a positive, considering that Congress has a national approval rating of 21 percent. She was a key player in pushing through federal tax reform that has contributed to a $779 billion deficit, making it too unpopular for most GOP candidates to tout on the campaign trail.
The Congresswoman also failed to score points by tarring Sutton as a tax-happy Democrat for supporting a 2016 half-penny sales tax hike to boost teacher pay – a measure spearheaded by Daugaard and other Republican leaders and bolstered by a Blue Ribbon Task Force on school funding.
Noem’s insistence that her administration would not require task forces or committees seems to fly in the face of Daugaard’s success in finally addressing the teacher pay issue – a rare example of bi-partisan cooperation in Pierre and one that he undertook despite political cost.
The role of South Dakota’s chief executive should not be defined by blind party allegiance, but rather an understanding of what is best for all citizens. Sutton’s more moderate and collaborative approach could be just what our state government needs to restore confidence in its ability to seek progress, avoid prejudice and pave the way for a limitless future.
With an eye toward the Nov. 6 election, we endorse Billie Sutton to become the next governor of South Dakota.


Ben Barba will never "be welcomed back" to the NRL after its integrity unit investigation found he had been involved in a physical altercation with his partner.
The finding came after the NRL integrity unit viewed CCTV footage of the incident involving Barba and his partner at a Townsville casino over the Australia Day weekend.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said he did not see "any time in the future" when Barba would play in the league again, having confirmed his deregistration.
Barba had already been sacked by the North Queensland Cowboys without having played a match for the club.
"There was a physical altercation between the player and his partner," Greenberg said today.
"I can't see a time at any time in the future when he'll be welcomed back."
Greenberg said Barba would have to look for a career outside rugby league, although he stopped short of instructing the English Super League to ban the 29-year-old.
"I'm not going to call for [a worldwide ban] but there's no place for him," Greenberg said.
"It's time for Ben Barba to find a new vocation."
Greenberg said Barba needed to reflect on the consequences of his behaviour.
"These decisions affect people's livelihoods, they affect families, children, so they're big moments and you want to make sure you get them right," he said.
"This is an enormous outcome, because this is a guy who now loses his livelihood, and his career in the game."
Barba had been set to return to the NRL after a stint in the Super League with St Helens, with whom he won the Man of Steel award for the player of the year in 2018.
He has had a troubled history since making his NRL debut in 2008, having first made headlines the following year when he was involved in a drunken fight with two of his team-mates.
His career began to unravel in the season after he won the Dally M Medal in 2012 while playing for Canterbury.
Barba was stood down indefinitely by the Bulldogs in early 2013 due to his off-field behaviour, with the star full-back said to be struggling with the breakdown of his relationship with his long-term girlfriend.
In the same season the Bulldogs asked the NRL integrity unit to investigate media reports that Barba punched a woman in the face.
Barba had an unsuccessful season with Brisbane in 2014 before moving to Cronulla where he played a key role in its 2016 premiership victory.
But he again made headlines for the wrong reasons after he tested positive for cocaine following the grand final.
He was released from the Sharks and accepted a deal offered by French rugby union club Toulon, but he was sacked in 2017 prior to joining St Helens.


Jan. 15 was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, celebrated nationally today.
As the years go by, there are fewer of those who marched with him to share their memories. But Jackson, one of his closest aides, still can recount milestone moments from King's Chicago Freedom Movement of 1965-66 like it was yesterday.
Jackson then marched with King in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches.
When the Baptist preacher who espoused nonviolence brought the fight for equal rights north to Chicago, Jackson was at his side.
Chicago churches still standing today were the sites of their strategizing meetings, including Fellowship Baptist Church, 4543 S. Princeton Ave.; New Friendship Baptist Church, 848 W 71st St.; and Stone Temple Baptist Church, 3622 W. Douglas Blvd.
King's June 21, 1964, speech at the Illinois Rally for Civil Rights at Soldier Field came days after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Then, after being asked by the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations to come help Black Chicago fight for quality schools, King led a July 26, 1965, march on Chicago City Hall; gave a fiery speech before tens of thousands at the July 10, 1966, Freedom Sunday Rally at Soldier Field; and on Aug. 26, 1966, held a globally covered "Summit Agreement" with Mayor Richard J. Daley.
As part of his "End Slums" campaign, King famously moved his family into a dilapidated, third-floor walk-up at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. in North Lawndale on Jan. 1, 1966. The building is long gone, but the Dr. King Legacy Apartments and Fair Housing Exhibit Center now marks the spot.
King's open housing marches, and the attendant violence from angry residents on the Southwest Side, are most remembered, culminating with the infamous Aug. 5, 1966, march through Marquette Park, where the Baptist preacher was dropped to a knee by a rock to the head, lending credence to his famous quote: "I have never seen, even in Mississippi and Alabama, mobs as hateful as I've seen here in Chicago."
"When King came to Chicago, we couldn't live west of Ashland, and blacks were hemmed into these ghettos," Jackson says.
Born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, King was ordained and became assistant pastor at his father's Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1948. He married the beautiful Coretta Scott King in 1953, and they had four children.
It was in 1955 that his civil rights efforts began in earnest, when he became president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the group that led the 13-month Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. It ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.
King gave his tide-turning "I Have A Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and in 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Selma-to-Montgomery marches, following the infamous "Bloody Sunday" at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, came in 1965. King would spend most of the following year in Chicago, marking the expansion of the civil rights battle from the South to northern cities, with key activists Jackson, James Bevel and Al Raby.
King's mark -- while combating racial segregation and discrimination in Chicago -- extended to suburban and downstate Illinois, such as his Feb. 10, 1966, speech before thousands at the Fred Young Fieldhouse of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.
Some still debate the success of King's Chicago campaign -- Illinois' largest city remains one of the nation's most segregated -- but the Chicago Freedom Movement inarguably led to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, signed into law a week after King's assassination.
Jackson, however, says the larger quest at the heart of the revered leader's work in Chicago also is inarguably achieved -- empowerment and representation, evident in the diverse political landscape of Illinois, of Chicago and nationwide.
"Today," Jackson continued, "Chicago is the urban center with the most U.S. senators of color, Carol Moseley Braun, Roland Burris and Barack Obama; and the home of two African-American men who ran for president, myself and President Obama. In Illinois, we now have an African-American lieutenant governor. So King's legacy stands tall.
"And on this past Nov. 6, his legacy manifested itself in the largest number of women and minorities ever elected in a freshman class of Congress, along with statewide candidates. If you look at Stacey Abrams' candidacy for governor in Georgia, Andrew Gillum's candidacy for governor in Florida, and U.S. Senate races in Texas and Mississippi, a New South is rising," Jackson adds.
• Maudlyne Ihejirika of the Chicago Sun-Times can be reached at mihejirika@suntimes.com.


“Israel’s love affair with Gal Gadot is reaching fever pitch right now,” Amit Cotler, a reporter for Israel’s leading news site Ynet said.
But after scoring the role of Wonder Woman in 2013, Gadot shot up to the top of the list.
Gadot got her start as a model, winning the Miss Israel pageant in 2004. She then went on to serve in the Israel Defense Forces as a physical trainer, where she whipped IDF soldiers into shape.
While Refaeli was exempt from the draft because she was married at the time she would have been compelled to serve (Israel exempts married women from the armed services), Gadot served her two-year mandatory service.
Gadot has not been shy about her support of the IDF. During 2014’s conflict between Israel and Gaza, she caused a bit of a stir around the world when she uploaded a photograph of herself praying with her daughter Alma.
The post garnered an impressive 200,000 “likes” as well as about 19,000 comments, both in support of her position and against it. But, according to Colter, it only made her more popular in Israel.
Her support of Israel has also become a sticking point. On Wednesday, a theater chain in Lebanon, an enemy of Israel, announced that “Wonder Woman” had been banned in Lebanon.
But that obviously hasn’t hurt her at home, where she’s seen as down to earth.
But now Israel is enjoying the dawn of Gadot.
“She’s a mensch,” he added.
"Wonder Woman" is the first big budget, female-fronted superhero film since 2005, and the first of the current era of comic-book blockbusters, but it hopefully won't be the last. As the film directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot shapes up to be a likely big hit for Warner bros, here are some other female superheroes that should get their own stand-alone films.
Fan favorite Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has been a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010's "Iron Man 2," but it's about time the assassin-turned-Avenger headlines her own solo film.
Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, is Marvel Comic's first female Muslim superhero, and a huge success for the publisher among fans and critics. She'd make a great addition to the increasingly diverse Marvel Cinematic Universe too.
Evangeline Lilly will portray The Wasp next up in "Ant-Man & The Wasp," but the character has plenty of comic book history separate from Ant-Man to make up at least a few solo adventures.
The second Miss America in the comics would be Marvel's first Latina and LGBTQ superhero onscreen. Her own standalone comic launched this past March.
Dafne Keen's turn as the young mutant Laura -- AKA X-23 -- was a standout of Fox's late winter hit "Logan," and could easily headline her own film. The idea even got support from "Logan" director James Mangold. "I thought she was just such a great character, but with what Dafne did, I think that certainly that's possible," said Mangold.
Zatanna would be DC's answer to Marvel's "Doctor Strange" -- she's both a stage magician and a real sorceress. She's set to appear in the still in-development "Justice League Dark," which could serve as a springboard for a stand alone story.
One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Black Canary came into greater prominence as one of the more popular characters from the CW's Arrowverse. WB and DC are already double dipping with film and TV versions of The Flash, giving precedent for a cinematic Black Canary.
Rogue has been one of the most prominent members of the X-Men since the 1980s and a major part of the Bryan Singer-directed X-men films and some sequels, portrayed by Anna Paquin. Paquin has said more than once would love to reprise her role.
The next "X-Men" film is rumored to be based on "The Dark phoenix" saga from the comics, considered the Jean Grey story. But character's enduring popularity warrants a stand-alone film - and why not? Wolverine got three of them.
Another mutant from the "X-Men" comics that can headline her own film is the Storm. Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp played her in the "X-Men" films.


Mogwai chat live on nme.com on Thursday 11th February at 5pm. It’s your chance to put the best questions to the sonic merchants.
Take the opportunity to ask them about their new album, ‘Come On Die Young’, their triumphant NME Premier show, how America have taken to them, their relationship with Arab Strap (the Strap‘s Aidan Moffatt once warned a London audience that they were pickpockets) and if they live in a house together like the Monkees.


New Delhi: The stage is set for the Narendra Modi government to present its final budget before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with the government finalizing the dates of the budget session—the last sitting of the 16th Lok Sabha. The budget session is likely to run from 31 January to 13 February. Finance minister Arun Jaitley will present an interim budget on 1 February.
According to convention, the finance minister does not announce any new programmes that could give the government an electoral advantage and impose a financial burden beyond the initial four months of the fiscal. But nothing prevents the government from using the opportunity to present an economic road map for the next five years.
The rules are not cast in stone: P. Chidambaram, while presenting the interim budget for 2014-15 ahead of the last Lok Sabha elections, had announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for the armed forces in a move that could win the support of voters in the defence services. Jaitley later criticized Chidambaram for providing only ₹ 500 crore in his interim budget, which was a pittance compared to the annual financial implication of the scheme at around ₹ 7,500 crore.
This time around, in a poll of 40,000 people conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles on its social media platform, 64% of respondents said they wanted the government to include tax measures in the budget, while 71% said they were against the government announcing a farm loan waiver.
The policy initiatives that the government could take in the interim budget were limited as direct tax adjustments would require amending the finance bill, said D.K. Srivastava, chief policy adviser at EY India. “However, they have more flexibility on the expenditure front, where they can announce schemes without providing substantial funding for it." he added.
In an interview on 26 December, principal economic adviser in the finance ministry, Sanjeev Sanyal, said there might be “some policy guidance" in the interim budget, without revealing details. However, he confirmed that no Economic Survey would be released. “The Economic Survey will come out only with the full-fledged budget announcements in June-July," he added.
With opposition parties raising issues related to agrarian distress, unemployment and problems faced by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the government may opt for a populist budget seeking to please all sections of society.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said the interim budget could focus on social upliftment and welfare, with a focus on healthcare.
“Petrol prices are under control and management of inflation is good. Direct tax collection has increased, which means greater availability of resources. The focus of the government has been the socially and financially weaker section and it would further get strengthened in the budget," a senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity.
The government has taken a populist turn as elections have neared, most recently pushing for 10% reservation for economically weaker sections in the general category.
The BJP leader cited above also said the budget session would outline the government’s vision for the next five years—what the National Democratic Alliance plans to do if it comes back to power.
Agrarian distress remains a major issue ahead of the elections.er While the prime minister has all but ruled out a farm loan waiver, pointing out that it does not benefit the real needy despite demands by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, experts do not rule out a limited income transfer to farmers.
However, the precarious financial situation of the government, coupled with its resolve to stick to the fiscal consolidation path, may put the focus on how it has managed its finances in the year ending 31 March.


Sheffield United have drafted a proposed transfer agreement with Heart of Midlothian which could see Jason Holt join Nigel Clough’s side on a permanent basis this summer, writes James Shield.
But Holt, who has confirmed he wants to remain at Bramall Lane when his loan expires at the end of the season, must wait to discover whether Clough, the League One club’s manager, will choose to trigger the deal despite comparing the youngster’s style to former England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
Although neither United or their counterparts at Tynecastle are expected to publicly acknowledge the document, sources north of the border have confirmed its existence.
“I’m out of contract at Hearts and if the chance arose to stay at Sheffield United it would definitely appeal to me,” Holt said.
Holt, aged 22, has impressed since arriving in South Yorkshire three months ago and enters tomorrow’s game at Oldham Athletic, which could see United take a huge step towards play-off qualification, searching for his fourth goal in five games. They remained fifth following back-to-back victories over Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley but are now eight points clear of seventh place.
Although Holt has started all of United’s last six matches, Clough recently insisted no binding decision would be taken on his future until the end of the campaign.


This is the moment a fugitive gunman smashes through a Black Country level crossing as he speeds away from pursuing police.
Dean Isitt ploughs through the barriers at an estimated 40mph as he evades capture. The 31-year-old put lives at risk as he sped over the tracks at Langley Green level crossing in Oldbury.
A wing mirror can be seen flying off the Honda Civic as it speeds over the tracks. Seconds later, two police cars appear in shot.
One edges cautiously over the tracks after checking for oncoming trains, while a second appears to reverse.
Isitt was wanted by police at the time after pointing a sawn-off shotgun at a member of the public and threatening to kill him.
Convicted armed robber Isitt had fled from a stolen car carrying a bag with the weapon and three live cartridges on March 2 last year.
Isitt, who is now serving nine years for firearms offences, was chased by armed police as he leapt over a fence into the yard of nearby Bromford Iron & Steel in West Bromwich.
He was confronted by a factory manager, who he threatened to shoot.
Isitt then changed his escape route and dropped the bag containing the weapon.
He evaded capture then but less than four weeks later he was spotted getting into the Civic and then pursued by police.
Isitt, of Waterfall Lane, Rowley Regis, was arrested on April 28 by police who shot his tyres out at Asda Great Bridge.
The dramatic footage has been released by Network Rail to highlight the dangers of motorists flouting the law at level crossings.
But today it emerged that a dangerous driving case against Isitt had been dropped due to lack of evidence and the fact he was unlikely to serve any extra jail time even if he had been convicted.
Crown Prosecution Service spokesman Vinny Bolina said: "We have to be satisfied that there is sufficient admissible evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.


We're still a long way from a Metroid-style space bounty hunter suit, but the US military is prototyping new wearables to enhance soldiers' combat abilities. These include an exoskeleton similar to those being trialled for factory workers, and a prosthetic arm device, officially named the "Third Arm", meant to make heavy machinery feel weightless.
The Army Times reported this week that soldiers will soon test the ONYX exoskeleton, designed to take the load off of a wearer's hips and knees, increasing their stamina.
The 10th Mountain Division will be the first American military unit to evaluate the devices later this year, working with researchers who will attempt to improve the exoskeleton's fit, make it quieter and faster, and finally test it for "ruggedised operation".
During the R&D stages, prototypes were tested in labs while wearers exercised on a treadmill. The real test will be how the ONYX responds to water damage and uneven, mountainous environments.
The cool practicality of the exoskeleton is contrasted with this completely bonkers-looking third arm prototype. The US Army Research Laboratory hopes the device will make heavy weapons feel significantly lighter, taking pressure of each soldier's arms and shoulders.
While the exoskeleton is being tested for eventual field usage, the Third Arm is considered more of a concept than a potential new addition to military equipment.
"What we have right now is a very specific device, but we can learn from that device," said Dan Baechle, a mechanical engineer working on the project. "I hope in the future what we'll end up with is something that will help the Soldier. Whether or not it's in the form you see today, that's less important."
While the third arm is unlikely to get a full rollout any time soon, the exoskeleton will continue being tested into 2019. Not quite the cyborg super soldiers we've come to expect from Metroid or Halo, but increasing stamina can be a crucial difference in high pressure environments.


Developer Bungie and publisher Activision are splitting up, an industry-shaking divorce that will see the shared world shooter series Destiny enter fully into Bungie’s control.
This development comes after years of tension between the two companies—tension that has existed since before the first Destiny even shipped. Bungie, the studio that created and has led development on the franchise, told employees during a team meeting this afternoon, framing it as fantastic news for a studio that has long grown sick of dealing with its publisher. Employees cheered and popped champagne, according to one person who was there.
Destiny, which first launched in September 2014, has had a long and rocky road through expansions, updates, and a sequel. The most recent major entry in the franchise, Destiny 2: Forsaken, was beloved by players but failed to meet Activision’s sales standards.
Bungie also has a brand new game in development thanks to a $100 million investment from NetEase.
The news comes during a rough time for Activision, which recently went through an executive shake-up and has been cutting costs at its biggest subsidiary, Blizzard. Activision’s stable of mega-franchises has grown significantly smaller, having abandoned Skylanders and now lost Destiny. Two of the publisher’s other studios, High Moon and Vicarious Visions, had been working on expansions and content for Destiny 2. It’s unclear what they will helm next.
It’s also full circle for Bungie, which created Halo for Microsoft, was then purchased by Microsoft, and negotiated its independence from Microsoft in 2007. At the meeting to announce that deal, employees cheered, too.


The Black Lives Matter flag will go up at Rutland High School for 400 days, starting Friday.
Vermont's Rutland High School is set to raise the Black Lives Matter flag Friday.
Students sought permission to fly the flag from the Rutland City Public Schools Board of Commissioners, according to the Associated Press. One board member, Kam Johnston, indicated he rescinded the initial decision to fly the flag in order "to allow for more student input and address concerns."
The board confirmed that the plan was in motion in a Tuesday vote.
It won't just be for a few weeks, either: The school is going to keep it up for 400 days.
Rutland High School is the latest in a number of other educational institutions that have sought to raise the flag in the Green Mountain State.
High schools in Burlington, South Burlington and the state's capital, Montpelier, as well as Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg have raised the flag on school grounds.
Efforts to raise the flag have made their way into the sphere of higher education in Vermont, as well. The University of Vermont raised a replacement flag after the initial one was stolen in 2016.
The flag and the movement it represents has been a source of conflict.
Supporters say Black LIves Matter seeks to draw attention to systemic racism and violence against black people.
Opponents say the movement is antagonistic toward police. A 2017 White House petition asks the Defense Department to formally recognize the movement as a terrorist organization.
The movement got its start in 2013 through founders Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors.
The hashtag found a home on social media after Cullors and Garza posted about George Zimmerman's acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman was accused of murder in the shooting death of Martin, a 17-year-old black male, in 201, but was acquitted after claiming self-defense. Zimmerman was a volunteer in a neighborhood watch program in Sanford, Florida, where he encountered Martin. Prosecutors said Zimmerman of profiling the teenager.
"The ideals expressed — the economic, political and social empowerment of African-Americans — resonated nationwide," USA TODAY reported.
The hashtag gained a more visible platform in 2014, when Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Subsequent protests and unrest set the stage for Black Lives Matter to become a household phrase.
Other instances of black Americans dying during interactions with police have propelled the hashtag — and movement — further. Examples include Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling and Laquan McDonald.
Cullors said the intent behind the movement is to “push for black people’s right to live with dignity and respect," according to USA TODAY.


Music’s biggest stars were all under one roof at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, with Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross hosting for a second consecutive year. She opened the proceedings with a dance routine, a promise to highlight black designers through her fashion choices throughout the night, and a fervent hope to end up on the Shade Room (or as she calls it, “the black TMZ”) before the night is over.
Least Political Moment: Fresh off a three-year break from award shows, and complete with newly-minted political personality, Taylor Swift opened the AMAs with “I Did Something Bad” and a guest appearance from a giant snake. Perhaps the song choice could was riposte to the ticking off from President Trump (who now likes her music “25% less”). Sadly, the performance was decidedly unpolitical (although she did get bleeped for saying a naughty word during her song).
Most In Need of a Makeover: Post Malone’s fans want him to appear on the next season of Netflix’s Queer Eye and his sartorial choices—and drinking—at the AMAs probably didn’t change their mind.
Biggest Surprise: The biggest surprise was that Taylor Swift didn’t even feign surprise! She simply smiled, booped Camila Cabello on the nose, and took the stage in a disco-ball masquerading as a dress and rattled off a gracious list of thank yous to her tour mates, her crew, and her fans. The old Taylor really is gone.
Best Diva Moment: Mariah Carey returned to the AMAs for the first time since 2008 and made sure the performance was memorable. She appeared on stage like a Venus in Feathers perched on a cloud-like pink platform singing “With You,” the first single from her upcoming album. The diva was nearly upstaged when her pink cloud erupted and men popped out of her skirt to dance around her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Best Inter-generational Moment: Busy Phillips and John Stamos came on stage to announce the chosen Favorite Male Artist. Soul/R&B and Phillips admitted that she used to have a huge crush on Stamos. Naturally Stamos, who was wearing a Jonas Brothers t-shirt, wanted to know what killed the crush? “The poster on my wall started to age fast than you did and it started to freak me out,” she said. Then Khalid came on stage to collect his prize and hugged John Stamos even though the 20-year-old probably doesn’t know who he is.
Best Bleeping: When Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin showed up to play their song-of-the-summer hit, “I Like It,” the censors had their work cut out for them. The censor was very focused, apparently, because nary a bad word slipped through, which was particularly impressive because there was a full-on carnival on stage and Cardi B was doing her best to distract the censor from the job.
Best Audience Reaction: Former Saturday Night Live star Taran Killam appeared to be gobsmacked by Cardi B’s onstage antics (or the bleeping skills of the censors) and was caught on camera standing with his mouth wide open staring at the carnival that had erupted on stage.
Most Likely To Blow Up The Place: Post Malone got over his reticence long enough to nearly light the stage on fire with dramatic pyrotechnics for his mash-up of “Better Now” and “Psycho” with Ty Dolla $ign. Second place goes to 21 Pilots, who blew up a car like they were auditioning to be special effects men in a remake of the Chuck Norris classic Invasion U.S.A. In third place is Carrie Underwood, who performed “Spinning Bottles” on stage surrounded by wine bottle candle holders that literally spun around her in a circle. Are there firemen on standby?
Most Political Moment: Billy Eichner refused to open the envelope containing the winner’s name until he had his say, which was a plea to the young folks to Vote. He pointed out that it was the final night to register in 20 states in the country and that it was a crucial election for people who care about climate change, LGBTQ rights, and equality. He then told everyone to go to vote.gov “like Taylor Swift told you to” before opening the envelope to announce an award for Shawn Mendes.
Best On Stage Costume Change: When Jennifer Lopez took the stage to perform the Sia-written track, “Limitless”, she was wearing a suit, surrounded by a troupe of female dancers also wearing suits. At the end of the performance it was sequins and nary a suit in site—no calls to the FCC for indecency required.
Best Off-Stage Costume Change: Tracee Ellis Ross re-appeared onstage in a t-shirt urging audience members to vote.
Best Meme Come To Life: When Missy Elliott took the stage with Ciara she brought her “funky white sister” Mary Halsey with her to cheer her on from the audience.
Best Queen Cover Band: Panic! At the Disco showed up to play Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on stage, but it’s hard to say why they were there playing a very straightforward cover. Was it just to advertise the upcoming Queen biopic or just to prove that they would kill at karaoke?
Sorry, Whitney Houston: If you were wondering why Taylor Swift broke her awards show hiatus, it’s because she was likely to break a record. She did just that when she picked up the Artist of the Year award, breaking Whitney Houston’s record for most wins by a female artist, and becoming the most awarded female artist in AMA history. After Taylor collected her third prize of the night, she boldly went political again, reminding people to vote.
Most Likely To Upset Madonna Remember when Madonna paid tribute to Aretha Franklin at the MTV Video Music Awards, but barely mentioned the Queen of Soul at all? The producers of the AMAs remember it and decided to program an antidote that started with a video retrospective that looked back at Franklin’s entire career and ended with a medley of her hits performed by stars like Gladys Knight and gospel legends Mary Mary and Cece Winans.


Grinning boyishly, Mr. Stephanopoulos denies the presence of a White House enemies list.
Hewitt and Stephanopoulos faced each other at the 15th annual Brown University/Providence Journal conference titled: ``America's Media: Are They Out of Control?'' ending today. Their exchange was not just about access to the president, or recalling the impact of the ``60 Minutes'' program in 1991 when candidate Clinton responded to questions about Gennifer Flowers.
Behind their exchange were the wrenching competitive forces challenging and changing the media today. The heart of the matter, says Hewitt, is that as the ``entertainment media'' have gained in popularity, journalistic standards have fallen.
Supermarket tabloids, radio talk shows, and sensational TV shows thrive on the provocative and bizarre. Huge audiences are listening, watching, and reading. Some 2.8 million copies of The Star, a supermarket tabloid, are sold each week. An estimated 5.2 million households watch ``A Current Affair'' every night.
As a result, newspapers, TV magazines, and network news broadcasts are pressured to include tabloidlike, off-beat stories in their lineup of serious fare.
While TV entertainment shows emphasize a more sensational content, their newslike format - with anchors, reporters, and taped interviews - give the appearance of being news. But according to tabloid editors, the subjects are often paid thousands to tell their stories.
Editors like Robert Feldman of ``A Current Affair'' admit to being as ``much of a businessman as a journalist'' with the objective of attracting and keeping as many viewers as possible. Although the networks have the same motive, the difference is that entertainment shows never say whether or not interviews were paid for.
For Richard Kaplan, editor of The Star, the mainstream press has indeed become more tabloid in much of its coverage. ``But it should go back to doing what they do best, and leave me alone,'' he says during another panel at the conference.
While supermarket and TV tabloids may have influenced the mainstream press, some critics say the impact of CNN on news has been revolutionary. The traditional ``news cycle'' no longer exists. CNN is collecting and presenting news 24 hours a day.
By the next morning, when newspapers hit the stands, say Mr. Rosenstiel and Stephanopoulos, the nightly news has set the agenda for these papers.


Cheryl Denby (right), who lost 30 pounds so far after Bariatric Embolization of Arteries for the Treatment of Obesity at Johns Hopkins. She talks with Linda Bunyard, a registered dietitian at The Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center.
Hunger hormone could be key to weight loss; procedure aims to block it.
Cheryl Denby tried about every diet on the market over the years and always failed because of the same reason — she constantly felt hungry.
"I was just so hungry all the time that it would make it difficult to stick with anything," said the 48-year-old, who works in information technology. "I would feel so deprived and then want to eat everything."
All of that changed in December when the Oxon Hill resident underwent a new, minimally invasive procedure that helped her get her hunger under control and lose 30 pounds.
The procedure, known as bariatric arterial embolization, involves injecting small microscopic beads into the veins leading to the part of the stomach called the fundus that produces ghrelin, the body's most potent hunger-stimulating hormone. The blockage decreases the amount of ghrelin produced in the body and dulls the hunger signal so patients don't feel as much of an urge to eat.
Denby was one of seven patients who took part in a clinical trial led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers and aimed at morbidly obese people. The results will be released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting today.
At long last, a group of respected physicians and obesity researchers has stepped forward to challenge the facile bromide that America's weight issues can be easily fixed by diet and exercise.
The study is still in the very early stages. Testing on the first seven patients proved the procedure was safe enough to expand to 20 patients, including those seeking care at Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
Lead researcher Dr. Clifford Weiss said the procedure could potentially offer another treatment option for the estimated 2 billion people worldwide who struggle with their weight.
Diets don't work for many people, but they might not necessarily want to get invasive and complicated bariatric surgery, which uses various techniques to significantly reduce the size of the stomach.
Obesity leads to a host of other health issues such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. In America and Canada, obesity-related health costs top $300 billion, the researchers said.
"If this pans out it looks like this is going to be a powerful tool for patients with weight problems," said Weiss, associate professor of radiology and radiological science and director of interventional radiology research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "The patients lost a significant amount of weight."
People are considered obese if they have a body mass index above 30. The patients enrolled in the study had a BMI that ranged from 40 to 60, which means they were at least 100 pounds overweight and considered morbidly obese.
The procedure involved making small nicks in the wrist or groin and then using a catheter to gain access to the vessels where the beads were injected.
Before and after the procedure, patients were enrolled at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, where they worked with a team of medical professionals, including nutritionists and behavioral specialists, who could teach them to eat healthfully, find out what emotional triggers might lead to overeating and develop an exercise plan.
Patients who underwent the procedure recorded a 5.9 percent average excess-weight loss, or the percentage loss of pounds above the patient's ideal body weight. That average increased to 13.3 percent after six months.
The patients also said they felt significantly less hungry after the procedure. Patients reported an average 81 percent decrease in appetite in the two weeks after the procedure and a 26 percent decrease three months after the procedure.
"The primary outcome of the study was there were not major adverse affects," Weiss said.
While Weiss kept patients overnight for observation for research purposes, he said the procedure could be done on an outpatient basis and patients could go home the same day. More research is needed to determine any cost savings.
Ghrelin was identified in 1999, and scientists like Weiss have been working to understand its role in hunger. Some studies have found that excess weight may increase sensitivity to the hormone. People who slim down may make more ghrelin, as if the body is trying to hold on to the extra weight.
"You can get people to lose weight, but while they are losing weight, their body is waiting to eat more," said Carole Sztalryd, associate professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Sztalryd said learning more about ghrelin has promise for helping people struggling with weight gain.
Denby was feeling down about her weight when she began scanning a website for clinical trials. She had tried Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet, Nutrisystem and Diet-To-Go, but the pounds barely budged. When she managed to lose a bit of weight, she would later regain it. She considered bariatric surgery but didn't want to have costly major surgery.
She opted to undergo bariatric arterial embolization. A month after the procedure, she felt better than she had in years. Gone was the constant feeling of hunger.
"I didn't feel miserable like I usually did when I was dieting," said Denby, who declined to share her current weight. "It was very encouraging."
Denby's goal is to lose 100 more pounds. The mother of a college-age son would like to one day stop worrying about being judged because of her size. She'd also like to sit in an airplane seat without "getting stuck" or having to ask for a seat belt extender.
"I haven't been on a plane yet, but I'm going to Jamaica in June," she said. "We'll see what happens."


The secretary of state's office has announced that the petition campaign for an increase in the state minimum wage HAS met the minimum on raw signatures to qualify for the validation process. There wasn't a lot of breathing room.
The measure requries 62,507 signatures of registered voters to be on the ballot. The backers had to turn in that number, with a minimum allotment of voters in 15 counties, to initially qualify for the validation process. If the petitions fall short of the total required after validation they'll be given 30 additional days to meet the minimum.
I'd mentioned this morning some concerns that the drive might fall short of meeting the 62,507 requirement on its face, before validation. It has taken the secretary of state's office longer to validate these petitions than those submitted for a constitutional amendment to allow alcohol sales statewide. And the margin was narrow. The initial count was over the minimum by only about 1,500, which meant more than 10,000 of the signatures originally submitted were facially invalid.
I had noted concerns earlier about the petition drive. Signature gathering had stopped, but the drive did a final weekend of canvassing before the July 7 deadline.
Organized labor and Democratic groups have contributed to the petition drive. The measure, if it qualifies for the ballot, is expected to be a popular campaign issue for Democratic candidates, who support it uniformly. Republicans oppose a minimum wage increase by initiative, despite polling that indicates broad popular support.
In addition to gathering 8 percent of the vote cast for governor in the last election overall, petitioners for an initiated act must have signatures from at least 15 counties with at least 4 percent of the vote cast for governor in each of those counties. No word yet on how narrow the petitioners' margin in meeting the 15-county test on facial review of signatures.
(July 16, 2014) Little Rock, Ark. –Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin announces An Act to Increase The Arkansas Minimum Wage has met the initial signature count requirement. The amendment needed 62,507 signatures; the initial count was over 64,000. The Secretary of State’s Office is now moving to the signature verification stage. Meeting the initial count qualifies the petition sponsor for an additional 30 days to collect signatures, to compensate for any that may be disqualified during the signature verification process.
We will continue to update you as information becomes available.
You just about to have to assume that the validation process will leave the petition in need of more signatures in the 30-day cure period. At a good 75 percent validation rate, they'll need more than 15,000 good signatures, which means 20,000 or more raw signatures in 30 days. They'll need a better canvassing effort than produced originally. And there may yet be a challenge to the process so far by those who oppose a minimum wage increase.
UPDATE: The Friday Law Firm, old pros at fighting and working for petition campaigns, have been monitoring the wet/dry alcohol petitions. So-called county line liquor stores, with lucrative business threatened by statewide sales, are a likely suspect for someone who'd like legal counsel. Sarah Parks of Certa Financial and the Ritter Law Firm have asked to inspect the minimum wage petitions. Bilenda Ritter-Harris of Ritter Law is an associate counsel for the Arkansas Republican Party and she confirms she's reviewing them for the party.
A spokesman for the secretary of state said the closest any of the 15 identified counties came to missing the required minimum was about a 40-vote margin on one of the 15 counties targeted by the minimum wage drive.


Very few games are as iconic as Grand Theft Auto III, and it's recent release to iOS devices does not tarnish its reputation whatsoever.
I played the game on an iPad 1 this morning. I found the controls far more intuitive than I could have hoped for. The game is still a full experience, and even after 10 years of sequels it still doesn't fail to be a great game.
The game is out now on iOS for $US5. It runs on iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads that run iOS 4.03 or later.
Guess what? It's on Android too.


The University Center of Lake County has named Joel Williams as the executive director who will succeed G. Gary Grace when Grace retires March 31.
Williams will begin work at the University Center on March 18 to ensure a smooth transition as the center's founding executive director retires. He is currently serving as the executive director of PADS Lake County, a role he has held since January of 2013.
Previously, he spent six years working for Lake County government in various roles within the Planning, Building and Development Department. He has also served as a part-time political science faculty member for Elmhurst College, one of the center's 18 member institutions.
"His experience as an executive director of a small, nonprofit organization, coupled with deep ties within Lake County and his enthusiasm for the center's mission, have positioned him well to help the board chart the next steps in the center's evolution," Hlinak said.
"He will inherit a well-organized administrative structure and a strong staff through the efforts of Gary Grace, and I am confident that he will bring creativity and new energy to the challenges of making the center more widely-known and financially sound."
The University Center of Lake County is a partnership of eight public universities and 10 private not-for-profit colleges and universities that collaborate to provide higher education to those living or working in or near Lake County. It builds on the offerings of Illinois community colleges by providing transfer programs leading to 45 bachelor's degrees, as well as 45 graduate degrees and an equal number of certificates.
These programs are available through evening, weekend or online study so that students can remain living and working in Lake County as they complete their education. The University Center's Grayslake facility also supports workforce development efforts in the region by doubling as a conference center for corporate meetings and training.
The University Center was created by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in the late 1990s and became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 2001.
For more information, visit www.ucenter.org or www.uclcconference.org, or call (847) 665-4000.


Abundant sunshine. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunny. High 87F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ride-hailing app Uber [UBER.UL] said on Monday it was joining a global public transport association to improve mobility in the cities it operates in, although North America's largest public transit union said there was no place for the U.S. company.
Uber's move to join the International Association of Public Transportation (UITP) is part of a drive by Uber to improve its relationships with local authorities after a series of regulatory and legal setbacks.
UITP represents public transport providers around the world, including Transport for London (TfL) - which in September stripped Uber of its operating license.
Scandal-hit Uber has just had to reassure authorities it is changing the way it does business after the disclosure of a massive data breach cover-up that has prompted investigations from regulators around the world.
Andrew Salzberg, Uber's head of transportation policy and research, said aligning the company with public transport authorities was a good way to make Uber a better partner for cities.
Uber, currently valued at $69 billion, has been testing a more collaborative approach to regulators under its new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a shift away from a more aggressive culture under former CEO Travis Kalanick.
"One of the big emphases that Dara has made ... is that we want to be better partners for the cities we operate in," Salzberg said.
Uber said it would work on a series of training sessions with UITP aimed at connecting people better with public transport.
Salzberg said the company also wanted to help reduce congestion on roads by encouraging people to move to shared modes of transport.
Alain Flausch, secretary general of UITP, said Uber's decision to join the association was a sign that the company wanted a better relationship with regulators.
Flausch said he had told members of UITP that he would check the company stuck to its promises.
"It's a work in progress and having Uber join is a good sign. Of course they keep their business model but ... they need to be a bit more flexible and open to talking," he told Reuters.
However, Larry Hanley, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents public transit employees in the United States and Canada, said Uber should start being a better partner to the cities it operates in by "paying a living wage to their drivers who call those cities home."
"Public transportation should serve the public good, and until Uber demonstrates that they meet that standard they have no business being a part of the International Association of Public Transport," Hanley said.


Try to not cry uncontrollably while reading this: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is now married. Yes, it’s a sad day ladies.
The actor secretly wed his girlfriend Tasha McCauley at their home on December 20, apparently. Levitt’s rep has just confirmed it, so don’t go thinking this is some rumor that’s going to be cleared up, either.
MORE: Did Madonna Replace Britney With Miley?
The one silver lining in this—and we are really grasping here—is that Levitt’s now wife isn’t some 19-year-old Victoria’s Secret model, she’s actually the founder and CEO of Fellow Robots, a NASA-based robotics company, so we’ll begrudgingly admit it seems like he made a pretty good choice. Now back to sobbing.


FILE - Mexico's current Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard smiles after a press conference regarding a new trade agreement with the U.S. on Aug. 27, 2018, in Mexico City.
The United States pledged $5.8 billion in aid and investment Tuesday for strengthening government and economic development in Central America, and another $4.8 billion in development aid for southern Mexico.
The U.S aid aims to promote better security conditions and job opportunities as part of a regional plan to allow Central Americans and Mexicans to remain in their countries and not have to emigrate.
The plan was announced in a joint U.S.-Mexican statement released by the State Department and read aloud by Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard in the Mexican capital.
"In sum I think this is good news, very good news for Mexico," Ebrard said.
Newly inaugurated President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador waxed poetic about the plan to provide jobs so people won't have to emigrate.
"I have a dream that I want to see become a reality ... that nobody will want to go work in the United States anymore," Lopez Obrador said at a morning news conference before the announcement.
The combination of public and private investment for the stay-at-home effort doesn't require congressional approval, unlike Trump's signature project to stem illegal immigration — a border wall.
The U.S. State Department issued a simultaneous statement saying "The United States is committing $5.8 billion through public and private investment to promote institutional reforms and development in the Northern Triangle," a term that refers to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Lopez Obrador's administration has said it is also interested in agricultural, forestry and tourism projects in southern Mexico, and the U.S. said it will contribute to those efforts.
The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation "is prepared to invest and mobilize $2 billion in additional funds for projects in southern Mexico that are viable and attract private sector investment," according to the statement. "This amount is in addition to the $2.8 billion in projects for Mexico through OPIC's current investment pipeline."
Ebrard said "The commitments established here signify more than doubling foreign investment in southern Mexico starting in 2019."
Southern states like Chiapas and Oaxaca are home to many of Mexico's poorest communities. Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, has sought to make development in that region a priority, including plans for a "Mayan train" stretching from touristy parts of the Yucatan Peninsula down to Chiapas.
It was unclear if Mexico would give anything in return. A planned announcement about Mexico's migration policy was postponed until Wednesday.
The United States has reportedly wanted Mexico to allow migrants seeking asylum in the United States to remain in Mexico while their applications are processed.
Ebrard had previously suggest about $25 billion in U.S. investment would be an appropriate figure for what Mexicans and Central Americans have dubbed "The Alliance for Prosperity" in the region.


Nerdgasm. Diablo 3 is about to run out the door of Beta heaven and be upon us. Until now it was only open to family and friends of Blizzard employees, and within the next few days it'll be in the hands of everyone. The beta client comes in at 1GB and a patch is already available for the Beta!
You can start grabbing the Beta right now from here.


ENGLAND'S 2018 World Cup campaign was thrown into disarray today after Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards resiged from the bid board.
Sir Dave Richards today sent a letter to Lord Triesman, chairman of the bid and the Football Association, saying that he would continue to support England's 2018 World Cup campaign but no longer wanted to be part of it.
The resignation comes as a devastating blow to bid leaders, and especially to Triesman, who had hoped to draw a line under recent turmoil by streamlining the board at an emergency meeting 10 days ago.
Richards said: “With the recent changes to the England 2018 Bid team structure, I feel I can now best support a successful bid without the necessity of sitting on the Board.
“My positions as Premier League chairman, FA board member and chairman of the FA’s international committee provide me with ample opportunities to bang the drum for English football, and the bid particularly, right across the world, which I will continue to do wherever and whenever I can.
Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe, who himself agreed to step down from the board the week before last to give it more of a football focus, expressed his disappointment.
Sutcliffesaid: “I’m sad about that and disappointed.
“Dave Richards has great skills and contacts around the world, so I’m pleased he will still be in contact with the bid.


BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese southern boomtown of Shenzhen, famed for its eye-watering home prices, has set an unprecedented goal of capping the number of new private homes, as the government focuses on rolling out more affordable public housing.
Shenzhen plans to build 1.7 million new apartments by 2035, of which only around 40 percent can be private homes, the city’s housing authority said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.
Heeding President Xi Jinping’s call for houses that “are for living in, not speculation”, local governments are starting to roll out policies to ensure multiple sources of home supply and multiple channels of financial support.
China’s under-developed home rental market has been a focus in the past year, particularly in megacities such as Shenzhen, which has a population of more than 12 million. In a national first, state lenders started giving loans last year to renters at ultra-low interest rates with long repayment periods in Shenzhen.
The housing authority said the remaining 60 percent of new supply would be equally split among three government-subsidized housing projects - homes for workers with special skills and expertise, with a floor area of less than 90 square meters; smaller homes of less than 70 square meters; and more modest apartments of 30-60 square meters strictly reserved for rentals.
To ensure affordability, the home buyer or renter, for example, can obtain a 40 percent discount off the property’s market value or rental price under the talent scheme.
Shenzhen will also boost land supply reserved for the rental segment of the market, it said.