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{ "text": [ "DETROIT (AP) — A police department in the Lansing, Michigan, area missed an opportunity to pursue criminal charges in 2004 against Larry Nassar and will publicly apologize to the victim who accused the doctor of molesting her during treatment for an abnormal spine, an official said Wednesday.\nMeridian Township will make the apology Thursday to Brianne Randall-Gay and announce changes in how it handles sexual misconduct investigations, township Manager Frank Walsh said.\nNassar, who was a sports doctor at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, convinced police that he had performed a legitimate procedure with his hands and even provided a PowerPoint presentation to explain. The case was dropped, effectively allowing him to continue to molest girls and young women, including Olympians, for years until his arrest in 2016. A total of 265 women and girls have said they were assaulted.\n\"We missed it. We're not going to hide it. We were deceived,\" Walsh said.\nThe township released the 2004 police report on Randall-Gay's allegations against Nassar. Walsh said the township was told to withhold it from the public until Nassar was sentenced last week to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting young women and girls in Ingham County. Another sentencing is underway this week in a similar case in Eaton County.\nIn 2004, Randall-Gay was 17 when she and her mother visited Nassar to discuss treatment for scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. He sent her to physical therapy but saw her again, this time alone.\nRandall-Gay had a back problem. But she told police that Nassar had removed her underwear, forcibly cupped her genitals with his hand and rubbed her breasts — all without gloves.\n\"She thought it was 'weird' and it 'freaked her out,'\" the police report says.\nNassar told police he applied pressure to the \"perineum,\" using a formal word for an area between the legs, and said it was done to manipulate a ligament, according to the report.\nNassar provided a paper version of a PowerPoint presentation about the ligament procedure, titled \"The Grand Junction.\" There's no indication that police shared his technical explanation with an outside expert. The case was closed.\nWalsh said questions about the investigation will be answered during a news conference Thursday with the police chief and Randall-Gay, who now lives in Washington state. Meridian Township paid for her to travel to Michigan to testify at Nassar's sentencing last week.\nBack in 2004, Nassar \"had the audacity to tell (police) I misunderstood the treatment because I was not comfortable with my body,\" Randall-Gay said.\nIt was not the only investigation over the years. A Michigan State University police investigation ended in 2014 with no charges filed. Another investigation by the university, required under federal anti-discrimination law, cleared Nassar of assault.\n___\nFollow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AP) — The Pentagon is changing the name of the U.S. military's Pacific headquarters to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in a bow to America's growing connection to India and its expanding security role in the region.\nDefense Secretary Jim Mattis is formally announcing the name change during a ceremony marking a leadership handover at the command. U.S. Navy Adm. Philip Davidson is taking over PACOM from Adm. Harry Harris, who has been nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea.\nThe change is largely symbolic in nature. It carries no fundamental shifts in troops, military missions or other Pentagon activities. Instead, Mattis says, it's a recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans.\nThe U.S. and India have been forging stronger security ties in recent years." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CAIRO (AP) — Islamic State group claims the man who killed 4 people in the Belgian city of Liege was a 'soldier of the caliphate'" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "BERLIN (AP) — Bavaria's conservative government is ordering Christian crosses to be placed at the entrance of all state administrative buildings.\nThe regional government says the crosses shouldn't be seen as religious symbols, but are meant to reflect the southern German state's \"cultural identity and Christian-western influence.\"\nGerman news agency dpa reported that Tuesday's decree won't affect municipal and federal government buildings in Bavaria.\nCrosses are already compulsory in public schools and courtrooms in predominantly Catholic Bavaria.\nThe governing Christian Social Union — the Bavaria-only wing of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party — is hoping to avoid losing its state majority to Alternative for Germany, a party on the right whose anti-Muslim campaigns have struck a chord with some German voters." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "In this photo by Associated Press photographer Rick Rycroft, deckhands on Wild Oats XI prepare a sail during the Big Boat Challenge. The challenge is a lead-up event to the Sydney Hobart open ocean yacht race.\nThe Sydney Hobart yacht race begins on Dec. 26 in Sydney Harbour.\n___\nThis image was made with a lens at a focal length of 200mm, a shutter speed of 1/4000, aperture of f5, and ISO 250." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jordan Peele has been dreaming of his Oscar moment since he was 13, but now that it's happened, he can hardly believe it.\nThe 38-year-old received Academy Award nominations last week for best picture, director and original screenplay for his directorial debut, \"Get Out.\" The star of the horror/satire, Daniel Kaluuya, was also nominated for best actor.\n\"Get Out\" may be Peele's breakthrough, but the actor, writer, director and producer has been honing his skills for more than a dozen years. He started getting awards notice in 2008, when he shared in an Emmy nomination for a sketch he wrote for MADtv. He was nominated seven more times for his contributions to \"Key & Peele,\" the hit Comedy Central sketch show he created with Keegan-Michael Key. Peele also co-wrote and co-starred (with Key) in the 2016 action-comedy \"Keanu.\"\nHe said having his work recognized by the film academy has given him \"faith in my voice.\"\n\"It's like jet fuel,\" Peele said in an interview after last week's nominations. \"It makes me want to make as many movies that I can in my life.\"\nPeele's comments have been edited for clarity and brevity.\n___\nAP: So how does it feel to be a triple Academy Award nominee?\nPeele: Well, I'm not used to hearing yet. It's a really overwhelming thing to try and process. I'm trying understand how I got here from this time last year not knowing if this movie was going to really work or really not work.\nAP: What a difference a year makes.\nPeele: I'm definitely feeling the love and feeling with joy and honor of this accomplishment. But it is it has been a bittersweet year knowing that it has not been a great one for everybody.\nAP: How was Oscar nominations morning for you?\nPeele: I woke up a few minutes after the announcements were made. I was just getting really great texts from just about everybody I've ever met. And my (6-month-old) son slept through the night, so that was also huge. So it was like kind of a party at my house... Both he and I with our greatest accomplishments to date on the same morning.\nAP: Did you allow yourself to consider this possibility when you were writing sketches for \"Key & Peele?\"\nPeele: I've been dreaming about this moment since I was 13. I've gone through times where I believed in it and times when I didn't believe in it. So to have it happen, it comes with a really important lesson and realization for me which is that it's bigger than me. It's an important thing for a lot of people and the people who supported the film and the people out there who have the same dream but feel like they can't do it for whatever reason.\nAP: Audiences loved \"Get Out,\" but does the academy love feel different?\nPeele: Yes, it does mean something different. I didn't know that it would, but now that this has arrived, I'm reminded of when I watched Whoopi Goldberg win her Oscar for \"Ghost.\" And I remember she sent a message out in her speech that was for me. She said, 'Don't let anything stop you. If you want this, if you have a dream, follow that dream and you can achieve it.' And I'll always remember that. So hopefully that's the message that this sends to other young artists of color and women and people who ... feel like they're outsiders and won't be won't be allowed into this industry or won't be accepted. Hopefully they can sort of feel some of that message too.\nAP: Is the recognition even sweeter given that this is an unconventional film with a lot to say?\nPeele: Making this film, putting it out was very scary. I thought that it was very possible that the world wouldn't be ready; that they would reject it or that it would not be received. But I knew that I loved it. I knew that it was something that needed to be said. And so the fact that it was scary is kind of how I knew it was important and that was it was my duty as an artist to face that fear and really risk it all.\n___\nFor full coverage of awards season, visit: https://apnews.com/tag/AwardsSeason" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 50 34 13 3 71 176 128 Boston 48 29 11 8 66 157 119 Toronto 52 29 18 5 63 167 146 Detroit 49 20 21 8 48 128 147 Florida 48 20 22 6 46 136 159 Montreal 50 20 24 6 46 130 159 Ottawa 48 15 24 9 39 125 168 Buffalo 50 14 27 9 37 115 166 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 50 30 15 5 65 155 141 Pittsburgh 52 28 21 3 59 156 155 New Jersey 49 25 16 8 58 147 147 Columbus 50 27 19 4 58 133 140 Philadelphia 50 24 18 8 56 144 146 N.Y. Rangers 50 25 20 5 55 153 151 N.Y. Islanders 52 25 22 5 55 173 189 Carolina 50 23 19 8 54 139 155 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Winnipeg 51 30 13 8 68 167 137 Nashville 48 29 12 7 65 146 125 St. Louis 52 31 18 3 65 151 131 Dallas 51 28 19 4 60 155 137 Minnesota 50 27 18 5 59 147 142 Colorado 49 27 18 4 58 160 143 Chicago 50 24 19 7 55 148 137 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 49 33 12 4 70 168 130 San Jose 50 26 16 8 60 146 140 Los Angeles 50 27 18 5 59 142 121 Anaheim 51 25 17 9 59 144 142 Calgary 50 25 17 8 58 139 139 Edmonton 49 22 24 3 47 135 157 Vancouver 50 20 24 6 46 131 162 Arizona 50 12 29 9 33 118 172\nNOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.\nTuesday's Games\nMinnesota 3, Columbus 2, SO\nPittsburgh 5, San Jose 2\nFlorida 4, N.Y. Islanders 1\nAnaheim 3, Boston 1\nCarolina 2, Ottawa 1\nNew Jersey 3, Buffalo 1\nWinnipeg 3, Tampa Bay 1\nSt. Louis 3, Montreal 1\nChicago 2, Nashville 1\nLos Angeles 3, Dallas 0\nVegas 4, Calgary 2\nVancouver 4, Colorado 3, OT\nWednesday's Games\nToronto 5, N.Y. Islanders 0\nDetroit 2, San Jose 1, SO\nWashington 5, Philadelphia 3\nThursday's Games\nToronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.\nMontreal at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSt. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m.\nFlorida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.\nAnaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.\nLos Angeles at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.\nTampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.\nDallas at Arizona, 9 p.m.\nColorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m.\nChicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m.\nFriday's Games\nWashington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.\nDetroit at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSan Jose at Columbus, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.\nSaturday's Games\nOttawa at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.\nAnaheim at Montreal, 1 p.m.\nDetroit at Florida, 7 p.m.\nPittsburgh at New Jersey, 7 p.m.\nSt. Louis at Buffalo, 7 p.m.\nColumbus at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.\nColorado at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.\nToronto at Boston, 7 p.m.\nN.Y. Rangers at Nashville, 8 p.m.\nMinnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.\nTampa Bay at Vancouver, 10 p.m.\nChicago at Calgary, 10 p.m.\nArizona at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch safety watchdog says cross-border cooperation with neighboring Germany and Belgium needs to be improved to ensure the nations are properly prepared to deal with a nuclear accident that could impact all three countries.\nThe Dutch Safety Board issued a report Wednesday amid public concern over the safety of Belgian nuclear plants Doel and Tihange, but also looked at the Borselle and Emsland nuclear power plants in the Netherlands and Germany.\nThe watchdog said that in addition to improving crisis planning, the countries need to conduct more joint exercises and arrange coordination of measures they would take in the event of an accident.\nThe board says it \"takes a positive view\" of cooperation between the three countries aimed at preventing a nuclear accident." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — Transgender recruits will be allowed to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, the Pentagon said, as President Donald Trump's ordered ban suffered more legal setbacks.\nThe new policy divulged Monday reflects the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trump's demand earlier this year to bar transgender individuals from the military.\nThree federal courts have ruled against the ban, including one Monday in Washington state.\nIn October, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly barred the Trump administration from proceeding with its plan to exclude transgender people from military service. Part of the effect of the ruling was that the military would be required to allow transgender people to enlist beginning Jan. 1.\nThe government had asked Kollar-Kotelly to put the Jan. 1 date on hold while it appealed her full ruling but she declined Monday, reaffirming the Jan. 1 start date. The Department of Justice is now asking a federal appeals court to intervene and put the Jan. 1 requirement on hold.\nPotential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that could make it difficult for them to join the armed services.\nMaj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the enlistment of transgender recruits will begin next month and proceed amid legal battles. The Defense Department also is doing a review, which is expected to carry into 2018.\nEastburn told The Associated Press on Monday that the new guidelines mean the Pentagon can disqualify potential recruits with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who underwent reconstruction. But such recruits are allowed in if a medical provider certifies they've been clinically stable in the preferred sex for 18 months and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas.\nTransgender individuals receiving hormone therapy must be stable on their medication for 18 months.\nThe requirements make it challenging for a transgender recruit to pass. But they mirror concerns President Barack Obama's administration laid out when the Pentagon initially lifted its ban on transgender service last year.\n\"Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards,\" Eastburn said.\nAaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, an independent institute that has conducted research on sexual minorities in the military, said the 18-month timeline is fair.\n\"It's a good standard because the Pentagon is treating gender dysphoria according to the same standards that are applied to all medical conditions,\" he said.\nHowever, Elaine Donnelly, president for the Center For Military readiness, said Trump \"has every right to review, revise, or repeal his predecessor's military transgender policies, which would detract from mission readiness and combat lethality.\" Court judges, she said, are not qualified to run the military.\nThe Pentagon move Monday signals the growing sense within the government that authorities are likely to lose the legal fight.\n\"The controversy will not be about whether you allow transgender enlistees, it's going to be on what terms,\" said Brad Carson, who was deeply involved in the last administration's decisions. \"That's really where the controversy will lie.\"\nCarson worried, however, that the Defense Department could opt to comply with a deadline on allowing transgender recruits, but \"under such onerous terms that practically there will be none.\" Carson, who worked for Ash Carter as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel, said requiring 18 months of stability in the preferred sex is a reasonable time.\n\"It doesn't have any basis in science,\" he said, noting that experts have suggested six months is enough. \"But as a compromise among competing interests and perhaps to err on the side of caution, 18 months was what people came around to. And that's a reasonable position and defensible.\"\nSarah McBride, spokeswoman for Human Rights Campaign, praised the court's ruling, saying that it affirms \"there is simply no legitimate reason to forbid willing and able transgender Americans from serving their country.\"\n___\nAssociated Press Writer Jessica Gresko in Washington contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) — A warm aroma of melting wax curled out of the room where an unsung artisan of Alpine skiing was at work.\nThe trail led from a brightly lit basement, directly below a restaurant in a three-star hotel. It was a games room for most of the winter season in the Swiss Alps resort of Wengen, but pingpong tables were folded away during World Cup race week in January.\nThe space was needed for teams of technicians that spend hours hunched over workbenches, waxing the bases and sharpening the edges of skis to make a downhill racer like Lindsey Vonn that much faster.\nTheir work is crucial to any racer's success at the Pyeongchang Olympics, which open next week. It started long before the games, during preseason equipment tests, through offseason training, and on race days.\nWorking mostly out of public view, often in hotel cellars, the so-called servicemen are little-known even to ski fans.\nLeo Mussi was in Wengen trying to create speed in the skis of two American downhillers for one of the season's classic races.\n\"We are really a little strange, I would say, too, us service guys,\" Mussi, one of skiing's most respected techs, told The Associated Press. \"It's a tough job, physically, mentally. You travel a lot, you are on the road. But it's a kind of drug, too, this job.\"\nTop-ranked racers are matched with technicians by their ski sponsor. Lower-ranked racers and newcomers typically have their skis prepared by a serviceman with the national team.\nAt the very top, some can request the best techs in a limited free-agent market. When Bode Miller split with renowned serviceman Heinz Haemmerle in 2009, Vonn was quick to pounce.\n\"They call him 'Magic Heinzi' for a reason,\" Vonn told the AP. \"He has been doing this for almost as long as I have been alive. He is amazing and I trust him completely.\"\nThat faith helps bind a skier's courage and racing instinct to hit speeds of up 145 kph (90 mph) on the mountain.\nMussi has dedicated almost 30 working years to two downhill racers — his fellow Italian Kristian Ghedina, and now American Steven Nyman — while employed by ski manufacturer Fischer.\n\"Leo is basically like a European father figure to me,\" Nyman said. \"I don't even question him. I put the skis on and see they are going to be fast.\"\nVonn's ski tuner, Haemmerle, has long worked for the Head brand used by the men's downhill favorites, Beat Feuz of Switzerland and Norwegians Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud. Friendship trumps rivalry in the Norway team and they share skis and a technician, Stefan Berthold.\nPairing skier with serviceman is the job of Rainer Salzgeber, Head's race director and a two-time Olympian for Austria.\n\"Some are really good buddies,\" Salzgeber said. \"But not every athlete wants to have a really close friend who is working on his material.\"\nIn the full year of this Olympic season, he estimated, a skier and serviceman are away together for 200 days. That can mean equipment tests in the European spring, offseason training in South America, World Cup races in Europe and North America, the Winter Games in Asia, then back to Europe for season-ending races.\nThe special relationship is compared to that of a golfer and caddie. Except many caddies get days in the sun on television next to their golfer, plus 10 percent of prize money that routinely runs six figures.\nThe richest World Cup races — a men's downhill at Kitzbuehel, a women's slalom in Flachau, both in Austria — pay a first prize of less than $85,000. Not all skiers follow Nyman's example in giving 10 percent to their serviceman.\n\"It's a tough job,\" Salzgeber said. \"The only payback that you have is success, actually.\"\nMussi has been part of 15 World Cup downhill wins, but also the kind of injuries that struck Nyman last week. His Olympic season was ended by a torn ACL in his right knee.\n\"You need to know you are not always on the top,\" said Mussi, who also tunes skis for U.S. downhill prospect Bryce Bennett.\nThe camaraderie in hotel cellars helps. Mussi spoke at his workbench at the hub of a room for teams from Japan, South Korea, Slovakia and Poland.\nA radio played classic rock and pop songs. Cans of beer were offered as the late afternoon work wound down, and a bottle of lotion was shared for inevitable hand injuries.\nThe tools of Mussi's trade have improved since he simply taped his fingers before filing steel ski edges. Now, a metal guiding tool does more precise work, and wax-shining brushes can be attached to a hand drill.\nIt still needs a simple plastic scraper to remove layers of old wax — key to reducing friction between ski and snow — and Mussi uses a diamond file to finesse the edges just before a race.\nThen, in the start house, as racers like Nyman peer down the mountain for a final few seconds, a ski tech can also be coach and motivator.\n\"You are a highly respected person,\" Mussi said. \"(The racers) know what they have.\"\n___\nAssociated Press writer Eric Willemsen in Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria, contributed to this report.\n___\nMore AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Stop worrying, downhill racers. The 2018 Olympic course will be faster than you think.\nThe new track in South Korea has been criticized — at a men's test race last year and at the world championships this week — as being too slow with too many twists and turns.\nNot so fast, veteran Olympic course designer Bernhard Russi told The Associated Press.\n\"It was on purpose to do it like this,\" Russi said of last February's World Cup downhill where race winner Kjetil Jansrud of Norway peaked at 113.7 kph (70.6 mph).\nIf that sounds fast, 2014 Olympic champion Matthias Mayer hit close to 135 kph (84 mph) on Russi's design in the mountains above Sochi. A record speed of 161 kph (100 mph) in World Cup downhills was set by Johan Clarey of France in Wengen, Switzerland, in 2013.\n\"When you go the first time in a new downhill you start from the slow side. You don't want to kill the guys,\" said Russi, the 1972 Olympic champion and silver medalist behind Austrian great Franz Klammer four years later.\nThe Swiss veteran is skiing's master architect, and always planned to learn from last year's debut race and a scheduled women's World Cup downhill on the same wide course next month.\n\"Now we know how much faster we can go, and we will. And the jumps will be longer,\" Russi said of a men's course that launches them airborne four times.\nThe main Olympic critic one year ago was Christof Innerhofer of Italy, the 2014 silver medalist, who called the course in Jeongseon \"slow motion.\"\nIn St. Moritz, it was world championship downhill silver medalist Erik Guay of Canada who wished for a faster, tougher test at the Pyeongchang Olympics.\nGuay said the test race had too many slowing turns, and was similar to a super-G — a pointed remark from the 35-year-old Canadian who is the new world champion in that discipline.\n\"I hope that they set it a little differently,\" Guay said of the Olympic course. \"I think that they should make it flow a little bit better. But the slope itself is great.\"\nThe men and women share the Olympic hill, but not exactly the same terrain. Russi said there is time to adapt both before the Olympics. The women will compete in World Cup downhill and super-G races on March 4-5.\n\"Basically the character will remain the same (as the men's),\" Russi said of the women's downhill track. \"Maybe the turns will be a little bit tighter. Maybe one, two, three, four more turns. Maybe the jumps a little less big, less long. Perfect for ladies.\"\nOther factors could also change Olympic race-day conditions, such as snow quality and humidity in a mountain region only 40 kilometers (25 miles) inland.\n\"If the weather is good I think (the snow) is going to be rather on the hard side, on the icy side,\" Russi said. \"Everything is on track.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates for District of Columbia statehood are making their annual pitch to members of Congress.\nThis year's \"lobby day\" organized by D.C. Vote comes amid an attempt by House Republicans to invalidate a local law. On Monday, a House committee voted in favor of a resolution that would strike down the District's new assisted-suicide law.\nCongress hasn't invalidated a city law since 1991, and it's unlikely the House and Senate will vote on the resolution in time to stop doctor-assisted suicide from becoming legal. But Congress often finds other ways to block local policies that members don't like.\nSupporters of statehood will be visiting House and Senate offices Wednesday, armed with talking points about how District residents are \"second-class citizens\" because they lack voting representation in Congress." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and North Korea (all times local):\n6:45 p.m.\nThe Trump administration is considering nominating the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Adm. Harry Harris, to fill the long-vacant ambassadorship to South Korea.\nThat would entail a shuffle in the administration's plans for key diplomatic assignments. Harris has already been nominated to be ambassador to Australia. And the change would come only several weeks before a planned summit between the U.S. and North Korea.\nA White House official and a congressional aide describe the plan on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss them by name.\nThe aide says the State Department and the governments in both Australia and South Korea have been informed that the administration is looking at a switch of postings for Harris, although nothing has been made official yet.\nHarris' Senate confirmation hearing for the Australia post had been scheduled to take place Tuesday but was postponed.\n___\n11:35 a.m.\nPresident Donald Trump says North Korea wants to hold a high-stakes meeting \"as soon as possible\" and he is praising Kim Jong Un as \"very open\" and \"very honorable.\"\nTrump is addressing his upcoming plans to meet with the North Korean leader during his discussions at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron.\nTrump's praise for the North Korean dictator stands in stark contrast to his past comments in which he referred to Kim as \"Little Rocket Man.\" The Trump-Kim meeting is expected in May or June.\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in is meeting with Kim on Friday to kick off a new round of high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--How does an Army veteran go from selling pantyhose from the basement of his home in Wisconsin to becoming a franchise savant? It is a long and crazy road that Amazing Lash Studio regional developer and franchisee Dennis Conklin has been on, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005130/en/\nRegional developers, Amazing Lash Studio, Dani Conklin and her father, Dennis Conklin. (Photo: Business Wire)\nBorn and raised in Wisconsin, after high school Dennis went into the Army and did his tour of duty in Germany. While stationed there he met and married his wife, Rosemarie. They had three kids, Gabi, Dennis Jr. and Danielle. Upon leaving the Army and with a family to support, Dennis began looking for sales opportunities and started Sheer Delight, a pantyhose company. “Here I am, this macho military man peddling pantyhose – but could I sell,” said Dennis. It started out from the basement of his home in Greenfield, Wisconsin, and later moved to a warehouse, which Rosemarie oversaw as the business grew – and grew. “Pantyhose were a staple to women in the '70s, but as style and fashion changed, pantyhose were not an everyday item for women,” said Dennis. Always looking for opportunities and looking to get out of the cold, Dennis moved his family to Arizona and next ventured into the skin care business with Forever Young products, selling massage creams and lotions. For the next 15 years he had much success in building his business until franchise fate intervened.\nIn 2005, Rosemarie came home after a massage at Massage Envy and told Dennis about the new and first-to-market member-based concept. Intrigued, he began his due diligence and looked to sell his Forever Living products in the clinics. After an initial meeting at Massage Envy corporate, his creams and lotions weren’t in the clinics, but his confidence in the brand was. He bought regional developer and franchisee rights to San Diego without ever stepping foot into a Massage Envy. “This was such a unique business model, and I knew I wanted to be part of it from the start.” As the business grew at epic speed, in 2007 Dennis reached out to his youngest daughter, Dani, to come on board. “I was 20 years in the corporate world and was currently the district manager for Young’s Columbia in Seattle when I got the call from my dad to operate the clinic in Carlsbad,” said Dani. “I was excited about the brand and working with my father.”\nAfter successfully building the Massage Envy brand in San Diego, in 2010 the father-daughter team signed on to become the regional developers and franchisees for European Wax Center (EWC).\nWith the franchise market providing several solid opportunities, in 2012 Dennis signed on to become the regional developer of The Joint…the chiropractic place in San Diego and Orange County. “This was being operated by the original Massage Envy team, who I was very confident in,” said Dennis. He grew the brand until an opportunity to sell it back to the franchisor was offered, and he took it. “It remains a solid business model, but I wanted to focus on my Massage Envy clinics and our EWC growth.”\nIn 2014, they sold their regional developer rights to the European Wax Center concept but continued to own and operate three centers. This dynamic duo found their next brand-building opportunity, Amazing Lash Studio. “My dad asked me to fly to Houston to meet with Edward Le, co-founder and CEO of Amazing Lash Studio, and as I had been hooked on lash extensions since 2006, I was really excited about the concept,” says Dani. “It was a fabulous meeting, and I returned to San Diego, shared my excitement with my dad and we were all in. It has been nothing but amazing since the get-go.”\nTheir efforts have not gone unnoticed in any of the four brands with accolades including 2 Million Dollar Club and strongest sales closing at Massage Envy and Brand Ambassador at Amazing Lash Studio.\nThey sold their regional developer rights to Massage Envy last year. “It was time to focus and grow our new concepts, as it really takes 150% in the beginning,” says Dennis.\nWhat does this franchise duo see in their future? “My dad most likely will retire in three years when he turns 80 and go full-time into driving my mom crazy,” says Dani with a grin. “I will continue to build the businesses I have and work with all these great franchisees while looking for unique brands, and of course have fun doing it!”\nAbout Amazing Lash Studio\nAmazing Lash Studio was founded in 2010 by Edward and Jessica Le, with a vision to be the leading provider of affordable eyelash extensions. Amazing Lash Studios are retail salons that apply semi-permanent eyelash extensions with a proprietary, patented process to the clients’ own lashes, replicating the curve and size of natural lashes. The concept began franchising in 2013, and to date has 183 open studios in 27 states, and has recently earned the rank of #5 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top New Franchise s.\nFor additional information go to amazinglashstudio.com.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005130/en/\nCONTACT: CH Media\nBarbara Carrera Holland, 602-810-1924\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ARIZONA\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: WOMEN OTHER CONSUMER LUXURY SMALL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TEENS RETAIL COSMETICS FASHION SPECIALTY OTHER RETAIL CONSUMER BRIDAL\nSOURCE: Amazing Lash Studio\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 09:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 09:01 AM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005130/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON (AP) — Christian Eriksen has scored after 11 seconds for Tottenham against Manchester United for the Premier League's fastest goal since Ledley King netted after a record 10 seconds for the north London club in 2000.\nEriksen's goal against United at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday came directly after the kickoff. Jan Vertonghen's high, long pass from inside his own half reached Harry Kane who headed to Dele Alli and the midfielder flicked the ball across for Eriksen to finish.\nThe fastest goal in the Premier League was scored by King against Bradford in 2000 in a game that Tottenham drew 3-3." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--, a global procurement intelligence advisory firm, has announced the release of their ‘ . ’ The insights and data in this report provide a strategic analysis of the supply markets, factors influencing purchasing decisions, procurement best practices, pricing models, supplier landscape, and an analysis of the supplier capability matrix for the . This report breaks down the data and analysis behind the procurement of fruits and vegetable processing equipment and acts as an all-inclusive guide for making smart purchasing decisions.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006326/en/\nFruits and Vegetable Processing Equipment Procurement Report (Graphic: Business Wire)\n“An increase in the consumption of processed fruits and vegetables in emerging economies such as India and China will drive the growth of the market,” says SpendEdge procurement analyst Bhuvaneshwari Udayakumar. “Also, North America and Europe are the largest producers of fruits and vegetable processing equipment, owing to the increased cultivation of fruits and vegetables,” added Bhuvaneshwari.\nLooking for more insights from this report?\nSpendEdge sample reports are free of charge and provide insights that focus on cost-saving aspects of procurement and optimization of category spend.\nProcurement analysts at SpendEdge highlight the following top three market trends that are contributing to the growth of the Global Fruits and Vegetable Processing Equipment Market:\nFocus on adoption of advanced processing technologies by buyers Growing prospects for processed food equipment market due to surge in demand for organic fruits and vegetables in Europe Rise in government initiative for increased trade of processed fruits and vegetables\nThis report is available at USD 1000 discount for a limited time only:\nFocus on adoption of advanced processing technologies by buyers\nIn the fruits and vegetable processing equipment market, the suppliers are adopting various advanced technologies to meet the rising demand from the consumers. This helps the buyers increase the efficiency and quality of the food items.\nGrowing prospects for processed food equipment market due to surge in demand for organic fruits and vegetables in Europe\nIn the recent years, there has been considerable growth in the production of organic fruits and vegetables. This ensures the limited addition of artificial colors, chemicals, and flavors and further ensures purity and quality for the buyers.\nRise in government initiative for increased trade of processed fruits and vegetables\nIn the fruits and vegetable processing equipment, the governments across the globe are taking initiatives to improve inter-regional trade. This also helps to scale up the base of food processing machinery and equipment.\nto gain detailed insights into the current market trends.\nGet unlimited access to all our reports. Our Insights platform provides ready-to-use procurement research reports, latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button.\nWe also reports to meet clients’ requirements.\nRelated Reports:\nAbout SpendEdge\nSpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are a preferred procurement market intelligence partner for Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence that helps sourcing and procurement professionals make informed decisions. These innovative procurement solutions help enterprises transform structural capabilities, improve execution efficiency, and fast-track time to savings.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006326/en/\nCONTACT: SpendEdge\nAnirban Choudhury\nMarketing Consultant\nUS: +1 630 984 7340\nhello@spendedge.com\nKEYWORD:\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANUFACTURING OTHER MANUFACTURING\nSOURCE: SpendEdge\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 05:15 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 05:15 PM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006326/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man accused of plotting an attack on a federal medical facility in Texas asked a judge in December to deport him instead of sending him to prison, saying he didn't deserve to spend time behind bars, records show.\nAbdirahman Sheik Mohamud told federal Judge Michael Watson that he didn't want to leave his family but called his proposal \"completely fair and just.\"\n\"I truly don't believe I deserve prison at all,\" Mohamud said in the Dec. 12 letter, filed in the official court record on Thursday.\nHe added: \"So if the concern is risk assessment then deportation would set everyone's hearts at ease.\"\nMohamud, who was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. at 2 years old, may eventually get his wish.\nAfter Mohamud was sentenced to 22 years in prison last week, the local Homeland Security Investigations office said it would seek to strip him of his citizenship and deport him to Somalia.\nAt sentencing on Jan. 22, Mohamud told Watson that he knew what he'd done was wrong and that he'd fallen into the trap of radicalization while abroad.\nMohamud, 26, tried to fire his attorney in a second letter dated Dec. 15, saying they weren't communicating well. A handwritten note on the letter says Mohamud's request was withdrawn Jan. 9 in court.\nHis attorney, veteran Columbus defense lawyer Sam Shamansky, declined to comment.\nMohamud planned to fly to Texas and attack the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth in an attempt to free Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist convicted of shooting at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, Watson said as he outlined the allegations against Mohamud.\nAccording to the government, Mohamud applied for a passport to travel abroad only a week after he became a U.S. citizen in 2014.\nHe bought a ticket to Greece with a stop in Turkey, where he disembarked before going to Syria, prosecutors said in court documents. They said he never intended to go to Greece.\nMohamud trained with al-Nusra Front, an extremist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda, prosecutors said.\nMohamud was arrested in 2015 and pleaded guilty a few months later. The attacks were never carried out.\nShamansky asked for leniency, saying Mohamud didn't have his father around when he was growing up, was brainwashed while abroad \"by professional head twisters\" but later realized his error and abandoned his plot.\nProsecutors noted Mohamud contacted others from jail after his arrest and told them not to say anything.\n___\nAndrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "Jarring as it may have been to see Texans quarterback Tom Savage lying on the ground with his hands twitching after a brutal hit in the end zone, what happened moments later was every bit as disturbing.\nSavage came back onto the field.\nThe NFL's concussion protocol came under heavy criticism after it failed Savage on Sunday in Houston's 26-16 loss to the 49ers. Only after Savage briefly returned to the game did the medical crew determine that the quarterback did, indeed, have a concussion and remove him from the game.\nThe fact that Savage was allowed back in after being thrown to the ground by Elvis Dumervil of the 49ers — his hands twitching as he laid directly underneath referee John Hussey — will lead to more questions this week about how the NFL handles head trauma. The NFL requires two trained spotters in the press box, a team doctor and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant on the sideline to help diagnose concussions.\n\"They try and make the best decision for the player,\" Texans coach Bill O'Brien said.\nMore to the point was this from Chris Nowinski , a longtime critic of the NFL's handling of concussions: \"Disgusted that the Houston Texans allowed Tom Savage to return to the game after two plays after showing these horrifying concussion signs (is that a seizure?) after a head impact,\" Nowinski tweeted.\nIn case you missed it, here are the other top topics after the NFL season's 14th Sunday:\nBIG WIN, BIGGER LOSS: The Eagles clinched the NFC East with a 43-35 win over the Rams, but may have lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a knee injury in the process. Wentz took Mark Barron's helmet to his left knee while diving into the end zone for a touchdown that was called back because of a holding penalty. Wentz is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday to evaluate the severity of the injury. Two people familiar with the injury told Associated Press that Wentz tore his ACL and would be out for the season. The people did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the injury. Other QBs hurt Sunday were Marcus Mariota of the Titans (knee) and Josh McCown of the Jets (hand).\nBIG BEN: Ben Roethlisberger became the first quarterback to throw for 500 yards in three games and the Steelers, after squandering an early 14-point lead, rallied from 11 down for a 39-38 win over Baltimore. Roethlisberger's numbers: 44 for 66 for 506 yards and two touchdowns. Roethlisberger's previous 500-yard games came in 2014 (522 yards vs. Colts) and 2009 (503 vs. Packers).\nSNOW DAY: Snowball fight! On a day like this, Bills linebacker Ryan Davis could hardly resist. Davis scooped up handfuls of the white stuff and started pelting teammates to celebrate a sack. It was one of dozens of must-see moments from Buffalo's 13-7 overtime win over Indianapolis that will be remembered for one thing: snow. Fans built snowmen in the stands, players did snow angels on the field and all 11 members of the Colts special teams — plus some sideline personnel who were later removed from the field by officials — had to kick away piles of ankle-high snow to clear a spot for Adam Vinatieri to try the game-tying extra point late in the fourth quarter.\nWALK-OFF WIN: Davante Adams closed out Green Bay's comeback win over the Browns in style. After catching the pass from Brett Hundley and spinning away, he scooted into the end zone, then kept right on running into the tunnel . Final score: Green Bay 27, Cleveland 21. It was Green Bay's second straight overtime win and it kept the Packers alive in the playoff hunt, at 7-6, with Aaron Rodgers rounding into health and possibly available to return next week. Oh, and poor Cleveland found yet another way to lose. The Browns led 21-7 with 13 minutes left, but fell to 0-13.\nFINE TIME: The NFL might be getting into some Seahawks' wallets this week. The Jaguars were taking a knee after icing their 30-24 win over Seattle, but Seahawks defensive tackle Michael Bennett dived at center Brandon Linder's knees and triggered a fight. Seattle's Sheldon Richardson was ejected for throwing a punch, and Fournette went after Bennett. More pushing and shoving ensued after the next kneel-down, and defensive end Quinton Jefferson was tossed. Jefferson tried to climb into the stands after getting hit with what looked like a plastic bottle. Seattle coach Pete Carroll also got flagged for coming onto the field.\n___\nAP Sports Writers Rob Maaddi and Mark Long contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota activists are using the Super Bowl spectacle to speak out against police brutality, racism, corporate greed and other issues.\nSeveral rallies are planned this week, including a march outside U.S. Bank Stadium just before Sunday's game.\nOne group called Take a Knee Nation is holding a conference against police violence. The Minneapolis area has seen several police shootings, including the killings of Philando Castile and Justine Ruszczyk Damond.\nMel Reeves says the group is building on the movement begun by professional athletes who refused to stand for the national anthem at games, and is using that to educate people about racism and the right to protest.\nJess Sundin, organizer for another rally against racism and corporate greed, says it is important to use the opportunity to call for change." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 72 49 19 4 102 260 202 Boston 71 45 17 9 99 239 184 Toronto 72 43 22 7 93 243 204 Washington 72 41 24 7 89 225 214 Pittsburgh 72 41 26 5 87 237 218 Columbus 73 40 28 5 85 205 203 Philadelphia 73 37 25 11 85 218 215 New Jersey 72 37 27 8 82 217 215 Florida 70 36 27 7 79 212 216 Carolina 72 31 30 11 73 194 225 N.Y. Rangers 72 32 32 8 72 208 231 N.Y. Islanders 72 30 32 10 70 231 262 Montreal 73 26 35 12 64 182 232 Ottawa 71 26 34 11 63 197 244 Detroit 72 26 35 11 63 184 224 Buffalo 72 23 37 12 58 172 236 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Nashville 72 48 14 10 106 236 178 Vegas 72 46 21 5 97 244 199 Winnipeg 72 43 19 10 96 240 189 Minnesota 72 41 24 7 89 224 206 San Jose 72 40 23 9 89 219 199 Colorado 72 39 25 8 86 231 209 Anaheim 73 37 24 12 86 206 197 Los Angeles 72 39 27 6 84 207 181 Dallas 73 38 27 8 84 209 197 St. Louis 72 39 28 5 83 201 193 Calgary 73 35 28 10 80 202 217 Chicago 73 30 34 9 69 208 223 Edmonton 72 31 36 5 67 201 231 Vancouver 72 25 38 9 59 186 236 Arizona 71 23 37 11 57 170 228\nNOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.\nSunday's Games\nColorado 5, Detroit 1\nVegas 4, Calgary 0\nTampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1\nCarolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 3\nPhiladelphia 6, Washington 3\nWinnipeg 4, Dallas 2\nSt. Louis 5, Chicago 4, OT\nAnaheim 4, New Jersey 2\nMonday's Games\nColumbus 5, Boston 4, OT\nNashville 4, Buffalo 0\nFlorida 2, Montreal 0\nLos Angeles at Minnesota, 8 p.m.\nCalgary at Arizona, 10 p.m.\nTuesday's Games\nColumbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.\nDallas at Washington, 7 p.m.\nPittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.\nEdmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nFlorida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.\nToronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.\nLos Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.\nColorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.\nVancouver at Vegas, 10 p.m.\nNew Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.\nWednesday's Games\nMontreal at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.\nArizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m.\nBoston at St. Louis, 8 p.m.\nAnaheim at Calgary, 9:30 p.m.\nThursday's Games\nN.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.\nArizona at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nFlorida at Columbus, 7 p.m.\nTampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.\nWashington at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.\nEdmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.\nToronto at Nashville, 8 p.m.\nVancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.\nLos Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.\nVegas at San Jose, 10 p.m." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican tax plan will deliver a swift adrenaline shot to the economy that will send hundreds of billions pouring into federal tax coffers, the Trump administration asserts in a new analysis. But nonpartisan analysts make a less rosy projection of new revenue from the tax legislation now before Congress.\nHouse and Senate negotiators are rushing to finalize the tax legislation and deliver the promised measure to President Donald Trump before Christmas. Trump will try on Wednesday to sell the American people on a GOP tax overhaul that is unpopular with many. His pitch: the plan will lift all economic boats, bringing a brighter future for taxpayers and their families, according to spokeswoman Lindsay Walters.\nA Treasury Department analysis issued Monday estimated the tax legislation will generate a large part of $1.8 trillion in new revenue over 10 years.\nTrump and Republican leaders in Congress have promoted the massive tax plan by promising that the tax cuts will boost the economy and create jobs. Their idea is that growth sparked by the legislation will let the tax cuts pay for themselves and not balloon the $20 trillion deficit.\nPublic polling shows many Americans are unhappy with the proposal. The separate bills recently passed by the House and Senate combine steep tax cuts for corporations with more modest reductions for most individuals.\nBoth measures would cut taxes by about $1.5 trillion over the next decade while adding billions to the deficit. They would bring the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax system in 30 years, pushing into every corner of the U.S. economy and society. They would double the standard deduction used by most Americans to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for couples.\nThe administration's estimate of new revenue from the tax plan is a lot higher than nonpartisan congressional analysts have projected. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that growth stimulated by the anticipated tax cuts in the Senate bill will generate some $408 billion in additional tax revenue over 10 years. For the House bill, the House-Senate committee sees $483 billion in new revenue.\nThe Treasury analysis \"is nothing more than one page of fake math,\" said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.\nThe analysis includes an assumption that tax cuts and other administration policies would cause the economy to expand at a 2.9 percent annual pace over 10 years. Economic growth at that level would, in theory, be enough to keep the national debt from rising.\nBut most analyses have concluded that the tax plan would add at least $1 trillion to budget deficits in the next decade because the analyses foresee significantly less growth resulting from the tax cuts.\nThe Treasury Department analysis says about half the expected increase in economic growth likely will result from tax benefits for corporations. Trump and the Republicans have insisted that businesses will use the tax savings to invest and create new jobs.\nAccording to the analysis, the other half of the increased growth will come from tax reductions for individuals and businesses whose profits are reported on owners' personal income tax returns, as well as from planned administration initiatives such as infrastructure development and a welfare overhaul.\nGOP leaders in Congress aim to iron out the significant differences between the House and Senate tax bills to pass a final blended package. Republicans are determined to produce the first revamp of the nation's tax code in three decades and prove they can govern after their failure to dismantle Barack Obama's health care law.\nRep. Kevin Brady, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee and is a key leader in the House-Senate compromise talks, said Monday that lawmakers were moving toward a vote on the final package next week. Still, key issues appeared to remain unresolved.\n\"I'm pleased with the progress we're making,\" Brady, R-Texas, told reporters. \"We still have work to do.\"\nThe only issue for which Brady noted a firm commitment was repeal of the inheritance tax on multimillion-dollar estates, a benefit for ultra-wealthy Americans. \"In the House, we feel very strongly about fully repealing the estate tax,\" he said.\nRepublican leaders have struggled to placate GOP lawmakers from high-tax states like California, New York and New Jersey whose constituents would be hit hard by the elimination of the prized federal deduction for state and local taxes. Repeal of the deduction added up to $1.3 trillion in revenue over a decade that could be used for deep tax cuts.\nLawmakers finally settled on a compromise in both bills — full repeal of the state and local deductions for income and sales taxes, but homeowners would be able to deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Jill Colvin and Josh Boak contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Intellectual Property law firm Marshall Gerstein today announced the opening of a new office near Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, its first office outside of Chicago.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005183/en/\nMarshall Gerstein biotechnology partner Joshua T. Elliott will head the firm's Raleigh office. (Photo: Business Wire)\n“We’re excited about taking this next step in Research Triangle Park – an area known as the nation’s leading high-technology research and science park,” managing partner Jeffrey S. Sharp said. “Over the past 63 years, we’ve built our firm’s reputation on being the best at understanding the hard science behind our clients’ innovations and how to use that knowledge to help them achieve their business goals. Having an office in such an important hub of innovation feels like a natural fit for us.”\nSharp continued: “In fact, we’ve been serving clients in this area for quite some time, but this new office will allow us to expand our existing capabilities and position us to better serve the growing demand for intellectual property legal services in the region.”\nMarshall Gerstein biotechnology partner Joshua T. Elliott will head the Raleigh office. Elliott focuses his practice on patent law matters related to biochemistry and biotechnology, including advising and counseling clients on issues such as freedom-to-operate, infringement, validity, and design-around strategies.\nTo start, Sharp and four additional Marshall Gerstein attorneys will split their time between Chicago and the new office: Michael P. Furmanek, chair of the firm’s industrial and mechanical technologies practice; Julie M. Watson, special counsel in the firm’s IP transactions practice; Randall G. Rueth, chair of the firm’s electrical and computer technologies practice; and Matthew R. Carey, partner in the electrical and computer technologies practice.\nThe office is located at 555 Fayetteville Street, Suite 300, Raleigh, North Carolina.\nAbout Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP\nMarshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP is exclusively focused on intellectual property law. The firm provides sophisticated intellectual property advice and legal services to many of the world’s largest, most innovative businesses, research institutions, universities, and entrepreneurs. Chambers & Partners has ranked Marshall, Gerstein as “first-rate for litigation,” and “one of the best biotechnology practices in the entire country.” Corporate Counsel magazine lists the Firm as a “Go-To Law Firm of the Top 500 Companies” for intellectual property and litigation. The Firm is also ranked as a top intellectual property law firm by Managing IP, Fortune, Intellectual PropertyToday, and Intellectual Asset Management magazines. Learn more at www.marshallip.com and www.PTABWatch.com.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005183/en/\nCONTACT: Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP\nKristina Bencak, 312-474-9503\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ILLINOIS NORTH CAROLINA\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH BIOTECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL OTHER SCIENCE SCIENCE\nSOURCE: Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 09:12 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 09:12 AM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005183/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ISTANBUL (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Ankara to meet his Turkish counterpart, following visits to Syria and Egypt.\nPutin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are meeting Monday evening to discuss developments in Syria and the Middle East, as well as bilateral relations, according to the Turkish president's office.\nPutin and Erdogan met several times this year and regularly talk on the telephone as they and Iran work to broker a solution in Syria.\nRelations between the two countries were tense after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet for violating its airspace in 2015. But the two have since restored bilateral relations.\nPutin and Erdogan are expected to hold a joint news conference after their meeting." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A woman detained and deported to Mexico in 2013 despite being in the United States legally will not be allowed to pursue a wrongful arrest lawsuit against the U.S. government.\nAn appeals court in New Orleans upheld a Texas federal judge's dismissal of the lawsuit by Guadalupe Chaidez Campos.\nCourt records say Campos had entered the country illegally in 2012 and was ordered out. But she also applied for and received legal \"nonimmigrant\" status.\nAgents detained and deported her when she reported to a probation office in El Paso, even though she had proof of her legal status. She returned in 2014.\nTuesday's ruling said the government is immune from her lawsuit because the border agents, who had seen the 2012 deportation order, acted within their discretion." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has made progress fighting soccer racism ahead of next year's World Cup, but players, coaches and fans still risk abuse, a new report says.\nThere were 89 racist and far-right incidents at Russian games in the 2016-17 season, slightly below the two previous seasons, according to Thursday's report by European anti-discrimination group FARE and Russia-based SOVA.\nIn one case, an African player complained of racist abuse by an opponent during a Russian Premier League game. In another case, a hardline fan group segregated part of a stadium for people of \"Slavic appearance,\" the report alleges. Fans of Russian champion Spartak Moscow flew anti-Semitic banners.\nThe Russian Football Union's disciplinary committee, however, has said it didn't detect a single racist incident in any of the top three divisions this season.\nThe report comes ahead of the Confederations Cup, starting Saturday, and a year ahead of the World Cup.\n\"The Russian football authorities and the government authorities have realized ... the way both of these competitions will be tarnished by the fear of racism occurring and they've taken some quite strong measures,\" FARE's executive director Piara Powar told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. \"There still remains the danger of some isolated incidents taking place.\"\nRussian authorities have taken measures to blacklist at least 191 fans from attending sports events, while the RFU ejected an influential fan leader, Alexander Shprygin, from its organization. He was deported twice from France last year following violence around Russia's match with England at the European Championship, and has been accused of posting far-right symbols on social media, a charge he denied.\nShprygin was dragged out of a bathroom at an RFU conference in September by police and detained, reportedly in connection with an investigation into fan violence.\nFARE says Russia has made some progress, and that it didn't observe monkey chants or openly Nazi flags in any top-flight games this season. However, it warns far-right fans instead fly banners with concealed messages such as runes and number codes used by Nazi and ultranationalist groups.\nThe RFU punished two clubs in the 2015-16 season for such banners, but didn't pursue any such cases this season — something which Powar says indicates it may be \"turning a blind eye.\"\nThat was despite cases of anti-Semitic banners being flown by Spartak fans, including taunts aimed at rival CSKA Moscow, whose club president and then-coach are both Jewish. Another Spartak banner showed a Russian rock singer caricaturized as an Orthodox Jew, accompanied by personal abuse.\nCSKA fans also targeted their own coach, Leonid Slutsky — now at England's Hull City — with a banner linking his Jewish faith to poor results.\nFARE says the number of violent racist incidents fell from five to two last season compared to the year before. There was also no repeat of large-scale violent attacks on foreign fans, such as those which took place between Russian and English fans in Marseille a year ago during the European Championship.\nHowever, there are indications that football-related violence between different ethnic groups in Russia is becoming more entrenched, with fans from Russia's largely Muslim regions in the North Caucasus forming \"fan groups which adopt football hooligans' rules and initiate fights with Moscow teams.\"\nIn another case last month at a playoff game for a place in the Russian Premier League, one fan group from the Yenisei Krasnoyarsk team issued a statement on social media saying that its sector of the stadium was only available to fans of \"Slavic appearance.\"\nA member of the group, Artyom Kirillov, suggested the group had been misunderstood. \"A lot was made up\" in local media reports of the incident, he told the AP. \"We are loyal to all Russian citizens.\"\nFIFA said Wednesday that Confederations Cup games will use a three-stage process in the event of fan racism. Referees will first request a public announcement, then suspend the game if the behavior doesn't stop. If racist incidents still persist, they can stop the game." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — Qatar's defense minister says his country is expanding the major military base used by the U.S. military to make it more comfortable for Americans.\nDefense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah says Qatar has a plan to build family compounds, entertainment centers and other facilities at al-Udeid Air Base. The base hosts some 10,000 American troops and acts as U.S. Central Command's forward operating base.\nAttiyah says the expansion will also increase dormitory capacity for Americans on the base.\nThe move comes as Qatar seeks to cement even closer security ties to the United States, in part as a hedge against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries. Those nations have been feuding with Qatar and encouraging the U.S. to limit ties to the tiny gas-rich nation." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Three more Russian athletes, including an Olympic silver medalist, have filed appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against their sanctions for doping at the 2014 Sochi Games.\nThe court said the three are biathlete Olga Zaitseva, who won silver in the women's relay, and cross-country skiers Yulia Chekaleva and Anastasia Dotsenko.\nThe three were disqualified from the Sochi Olympics and banned from all future games last week by the International Olympic Committee. That followed investigations into doping by Russian athletes and tampering with their drug-test samples during the Sochi Games.\nCAS has so far registered 25 appeals brought by Russian athletes against disqualifications from the 2014 Olympics." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — As her mother listened on the telephone, 9-year-old Faith Battaglia pleaded with her father.\n\"No, daddy, please don't, don't do it!\" the child begged.\nMary Jane Pearle yelled into the phone for Faith and her 6-year-old sister, Liberty, to run. Then Pearle heard gunshots.\nOn Thursday, her ex-husband, John David Battaglia is set for execution for the May 2001 slayings of their daughters.\n\"Merry ... Christmas,\" Battaglia told Pearle from his Dallas apartment, the words of the holiday greeting derisively divided by an obscenity. She heard more gunshots, then called 911.\nFaith was shot three times and Liberty five. Hours later, Battaglia was at a nearby tattoo shop getting two large red roses inked on his left arm to commemorate his daughters. It took four officers to subdue and arrest him when he walked outside. A fully loaded revolver was found in his truck and more than a dozen firearms were recovered from his apartment.\nBattaglia's attorneys asked a federal appeals court and the U.S. Supreme Court to block his lethal injection — the second in the nation this week and third this year, all in Texas — and review his case, arguing he is mentally incompetent for execution. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's highest criminal court, misapplied the Supreme Court's guidance when it ruled Battaglia is competent for the death penalty, lawyers argued.\nThe Supreme Court has ruled prisoners can be executed if they're aware the death penalty is to be carried out and have a rational understanding of why they're facing that punishment. Attorneys for the 62-year-old Battaglia contend he doesn't have that understanding.\nProsecutors said the high court hasn't defined \"rational understanding\" so the Texas courts did an \"exhaustive\" analysis of cases to ensure proper legal standards were followed. A state judge and the state appeals court found Battaglia was competent, not mentally ill and was faking mental illness to try to avoid execution. He was described as highly intelligent.\n\"The defendant is a vengeful, manipulative, cunning and deceitful person with the motive and intellectual capability to maintain a deliberate ploy or ruse to avoid his execution,\" State District Judge Robert Burns said in finding the former accountant competent.\nBattaglia's lawyers also argued to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a federal judge improperly denied their requests for additional money to hire an expert to collect information about his competency, which long has been a focus of appeals in the case.\nEvidence showed Battaglia became enraged over his ex-wife going to police about his harassment and likely arrest, and used the May 2, 2001, visit with their two young daughters to avenge his anger. That evening, Pearle left their daughters with him for a planned dinner. She received a message that one of the girls had called for her and it was during her returned call that the shootings occurred.\nBattaglia told The Dallas Morning News in 2014 his daughters were his \"best little friends\" and that he had photos of them displayed in his prison cell.\n\"I don't feel like I killed them,\" he said. \"I am a little bit in the blank about what happened.\"\nEvidence at his 2002 capital murder trial showed at the time of the shootings Battaglia was on probation for a Christmas 1999 attack on Pearle. His profanity-laced Christmas greeting to his estranged wife during the shooting was an apparent reference to that." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Carolina Panthers and unrestricted free agent slot wide receiver Jarius Wright have agreed on a three-year deal.\nThe person spoke to The Associated Press Monday on condition of anonymity because the Panthers have not announced the move. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known.\nThe 28-year-old Wright has spent all six NFL seasons with the Vikings and is familiar with Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner, having worked under him in Minnesota.\nThe 5-foot-10, 191-pound Wright had 18 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns last season. His most productive season game in 2014, when he caught 42 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns.\nWright has 153 catches for 2,039 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career with Minnesota.\n__\nMore AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Former Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka says gunshots were fired at his home and a grenade detonated in what was \"an assassination attempt.\"\nMusyoka told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday the attack occurred hours after his police security was withdrawn and he had been blocked from attending a mock inauguration of opposition leader Raila Odinga protesting President Uhuru Kenyatta's new term after months of deadly election turmoil.\nMusyoka was to take the oath as Odinga's deputy president in the mock inauguration.\nThe opposition successfully challenged the August election in court, claiming vote-rigging, but boycotted a fresh election in October, claiming a lack of electoral reforms.\nKenya's government cut transmission of three TV channels airing live broadcasts of the Odinga inauguration Tuesday." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — As Roger Federer cried while accepting his 20th Grand Slam title, Rod \"Rocket\" Laver took a chance to snap a picture for posterity.\nFederer has won more major singles titles than any man, including a record-equaling six on the court that bears the great Rod Laver's name at Melbourne Park.\nThis one, following a tension-filled, momentum-swinging 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over Marin Cilic in Sunday's Australian Open final, was a keeper.\nLaver has been involved in the on-court presentations in the past, witnessing Federer's tears at close range. This time, the 79-year-old Laver — the only man to twice win all four Grand Slam titles in one season — held up his mobile phone to get the shot from the stands.\n\"I didn't see that through my thick tears, that he was taking a picture of me crying,\" Federer said. He joked in a TV interview that, \"I couldn't lift my head, I was so embarrassed.\"\nSurely, it's only an embarrassment of riches.\nFederer arrived in Melbourne at the start of 2017 after an extended injury layoff and on a Grand Slam title drought that dated back to 2012 at Wimbledon. Against the odds, he reached the final and then beat Rafael Nadal in a classic, five-set encounter. Now, having successfully defended his Australian title, Federer has won three of the last five majors in a stunning career resurgence.\n\"I'm so happy. It's unbelievable,\" Federer said, taking deep breaths and choking back tears. \"Of course, winning is an absolute dream come true — the fairytale continues for us, for me, after the great year I had last year, it's incredible.\"\nFederer started to tear up toward the end of the trophy ceremony. He then received a standing ovation as tears streamed down his face.\nAt the age of 36 years, 173 days, Federer became the second-oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era after Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at 37.\nThe match wasn't entirely without controversy after organizers decided to close the roof for the final, just as they had for the afternoon mixed doubles final when Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Rohan Bopanna and Timea Babos for the title.\nFormer champions were among the commentators questioning the decision, suggesting there'd been hotter days when the heat policy was not enacted.\n\"I was surprised to hear they had the heat rule in place for a night match. I never heard that before,\" Federer said. \"For me, it doesn't change anything.\"\nTournament referee Wayne McEwen has the option of closing the roof when the temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and a measure called the wet-bulb globe temperature — which combines factors such as heat, humidity and breeze — reaches 32.5C (90.5F).\nThe temperature hit 38C (100F) an hour before the men's final, when the WGBT reading was 32.7C (91F).\n\"With no dramatic reduction forecast, the referee exercised his discretion and called for the roof to be closed,\" Tennis Australia said in a statement. \"At no other time during the event this year has the WBGT reading reached the threshold.\"\nFederer took instant advantage of the air-conditioned venue, breaking Cilic's serve in the first and third games.\n\"Mentally was tough. Also was difficult with conditions. Throughout the tournament I played all my matches outdoors, also preparing a hot day,\" Cilic said. \"Then first match for the final to play with the roof closed, it's difficult.\"\nIt was clear early on that the crowd would be heavily pro-Federer. The arena was filled with red and white, with Federer supporters wearing Swiss flags on their shirts, hats and faces and one waving a sign that read: \"The Big Two-Oh. Go Roger!\"\nAfter smashing an overhead into the base of the net and shanking a forehand long, Cilic went to his equipment bag for a new racket after just 12 points. Federer only conceded two points on his serve in the 24-minute opening set.\nBut Cilic rallied, getting his big forehand working and, after missing a set point on Federer's serve in the 10th game, leveled the match in the tiebreaker. That was the first set Federer had dropped in the tournament.\nFederer easily won the third set and was up a break in the fourth but the momentum swung again, with Cilic going on a roll to level the match. The sixth-seeded Cilic had two chances to break Federer's serve in the first game of the fifth set, but wasted them both with two unforced errors. He then double-faulted twice in the second game to drop his own serve, giving Federer the decisive lead in the set.\nFederer is now 9-1 against 2014 U.S. Open champion Cilic, including last year's Wimbledon final.\nAfter serving out at love, his celebration was delayed slightly by an unsuccessful challenge from Cilic on match point. It was a similar end to his five-set win over Nadal here last year. And, just like 12 months ago, he held it together until the victory ceremony, when the tears flowed.\n\"I've won three Slams now in 12 months. I can't believe it myself,\" said Federer, showing no signs he's ready for his resurgent run to stop. \"I just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry, then maybe good things can happen. I don't think age is an issue.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "Taipei (Taiwan News) -- Twitter user Jeff Wang took this photo of the 2017 Taipei Lantern Festival on Feb. 12 as he sketched a drawing of the site.\nThe Taipei Lantern Festival was held on the city's west side for the first time in its 20-year history from Feb. 4-12. The biggest and most popular event during the festival was the Ximen Lantern Festival Parade on the official day of the Lantern Festival Feb. 11, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors that day." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — A would-be suicide bomber's rush-hour blast in the heart of the New York City subway system failed to cause the bloodshed he intended, authorities said, but it gave new fuel to President Donald Trump's push to limit immigration.\nHours after Monday's explosion in an underground passageway connecting two of Manhattan's busiest stations, Trump cited the background of the alleged bomber in renewing his call for closer scrutiny of foreigners who come to the country and less immigration based on family ties.\nThe man arrested in the bombing, Akayed Ullah — who told investigators he wanted to retaliate for American action against Islamic State extremists — came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of U.S. citizens.\n\"Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security,\" Trump said in a statement that called for various changes to the immigration system. Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump's proposed policies \"could have prevented this.\"\nIn a scenario New York had dreaded for years, Ullah strapped on a crude pipe bomb with Velcro and plastic ties, slipped unnoticed into the nation's busiest subway system and set off the device, authorities said.\nThe device didn't work as intended; authorities said Ullah, 27, was the only person seriously wounded. But the attack sent frightened commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway, and three people suffered headaches and ringing ears from the first bomb blast in the subway in more than two decades.\n\"This is one of my nightmares ... a terrorist attack in the subway system,\" Gov. Andrew Cuomo told cable channel NY1. \"The good news is: We were on top of it.\"\nUllah was being treated for burns to his hands and abdomen but spoke to investigators from his hospital bed, law enforcement officials said. He was \"all over the place\" about his motive but indicated he wanted to avenge what he portrayed as U.S. aggression against the Islamic State group, a law enforcement official said.\nThe officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the blast.\nUllah's low-tech bomb used explosive powder, a nine-volt battery, a Christmas light and matches, the officials said. Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance footage igniting the bomb.\nIn the end, it wasn't powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel, the officials said.\nLaw enforcement officials said Ullah looked at IS propaganda online but is not known to have any direct contact with the militants and probably acted alone. Cuomo said there was no evidence, so far, of other bombs or a larger plot. The Democrat said officials were exploring whether Ullah had been on authorities' radar, but there was no indication yet that he was.\nThe attack came less than two months after eight people died near the World Trade Center in a truck attack that, authorities said, was carried out by an Uzbek immigrant who admired the Islamic State group.\nSince 1965, America's immigration policy has centered on giving preference to people with advanced education or skills, or people with family ties to U.S. citizens and, in some cases, legal permanent residents. Citizens have been able to apply for spouses, parents, children, siblings and the siblings' spouses and minor children; the would-be immigrants are then screened by U.S. officials to determine whether they can come.\nTrump's administration has called for a \"merit-based\" immigration system that would limit family-based green cards to spouses and minor children.\nUllah lived with his father, mother and brother in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Bangladeshi community, residents said. He was licensed to drive a livery cab between 2012 and 2015, but the license was allowed to lapse, according to law enforcement officials and New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission.\nHis family was \"deeply saddened\" by the attack but also \"outraged by the way we have been targeted by law enforcement,\" the family said in a statement sent by the New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. A teenage relative was pulled out of class and questioned in school without a parent, guardian or lawyer, the statement said.\nSecurity cameras captured the attacker walking casually through a crowded passageway when the bomb went off around 7:20 a.m. A plume of white smoke cleared to show the man sprawled on the ground and commuters scattering.\nPort Authority police said officers found the man injured on the ground, with wires protruding from his jacket and the device strapped to his torso. They said he was reaching for a cellphone and they grabbed his hands.\nThe last bomb blast in the subway system was believed to be in December 1994, when an explosive made from mayonnaise jars and batteries wounded 48 people in a car in lower Manhattan. Prosecutors said unemployed computer programmer Edward Leary set off the explosion to try to extort $2 million from the city's transit agency; he claimed insanity. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 94 years in prison.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Tom Hays, Jake Pearson, Kiley Armstrong, Larry Neumeister and David James Jeans in New York, Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles, Matt Pennington in Washington, D.C., and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The man who finished second in Venezuela's recent presidential election is asking the Supreme Court to order a new vote.\nHenri Falcon argued on Wednesday that Maduro's ruling socialist party unfairly influenced the election by setting up kiosks near voting centers and giving poor residents bonuses.\nOfficial results showed Maduro winning a second six-year term in a landslide victory on May 20 despite a historic crisis in the once-wealthy OPEC nation.\nThe appeal is unlikely to prosper in the Supreme Court, which rarely if ever votes against Maduro.\nThe legal challenge comes as Canada is slapping 14 Venezuelan leaders with sanctions, condemning the election as illegitimate and anti-democratic.\nCuba's newly installed President Miguel Diaz-Canel, however, was visiting Caracas and congratulated Maduro, reaffirming strong ties between their two nations." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — After months of acrimonious campaigning, the capital of predominantly Muslim Indonesia on Wednesday faced a stark choice: elect an outspoken minority Christian who has made progress in cleaning up the chaotic city or heed the urgings of influential conservative clerics to vote in a Muslim.\nThe more than 13,000 polling booths closed at 1 p.m. and quick-count results based on a sample of the vote are expected in several hours. The election is one of dozens taking place across Indonesia. More than 7 million were eligible to vote in Jakarta, the capital.\nIncumbent Gov. Basuki \"Ahok\" Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian on trial for alleged blasphemy, is vying against Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who is the son of a former president, and Anies Rasyid Baswedan, a moderate now courting the votes of conservative and hard-line Muslims.\nReligion and race, rather than the slew of problems that face a car-clogged and sinking Jakarta, dominated the campaign and transformed the election into a high-stakes tussle between conservatives, who want Islam to be ascendant in politics and society, and moderates. Ahok's chances appeared dashed after blasphemy accusations led to criminal charges and trial but he has recently rebounded in opinion polls. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.\nHadiyul Umam, a civil servant, said voting for Ahok would go against everything he believes in.\n\"As a Muslim, I believe that non-Muslims are not allowed to lead Muslims in this country, and personally, I do not like the way Ahok leads, which is not pro-poor people and his words were disrespectful and rude,\" he said.\nAhok's blasphemy trial and the ease with which hard-liners attracted several hundred thousand to protest against him in Jakarta have undermined Indonesia's reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam and shaken the centrist government of President Joko \"Jokowi\" Widodo.\nCalls for Ahok to be killed and anti-Chinese sentiment were disturbing elements of the protests, one of which turned violent, with dozens injured and one person dying from the effects of tear gas.\nDefeat for Ahok would also be a defeat for Indonesia's moderate political and religious leaders and further embolden hard-liners, who say a non-Muslim should not lead Muslims. The governorship is also seen as a launching pad into national politics and possibly the presidency.\nThere will be a runoff election in April if none of the candidates gets the 50 percent plus one vote required for an outright win. One scenario is that Ahok proceeds to the runoff but is defeated by anti-Ahok voters uniting behind the remaining Muslim candidate.\nJokowi voted in a neighborhood of central Jakarta and called for national unity.\n\"Differences of political choice should not to divide us,\" he said. \"After this election, we want everything to be back as brothers, we all need to maintain our unity and integrity.\"\nAhok had been popular because of his drive to eliminate corruption from the Jakarta administration and his efforts to make the city more livable.\nBut brutal demolitions of some of the slum neighborhoods that are home to millions and ill-considered outspokenness proved to be his Achilles' heel. Opponents seized their moment last year when a video surfaced of Ahok telling voters they were being deceived if they believed a specific verse in the Quran prohibited Muslims from electing a non-Muslim as leader.\n\"I voted for Ahok because he is already showing results of real work and honesty,\" said Sriyana Dewi, as she left a polling booth with her 7-old-month son in a sling.\n___\nAssociated Press writer Ali Kotarumalos contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Police in El Salvador have arrested the domestic partner of a journalist killed over the weekend.\nNational Police director Howard Cotto said Tuesday that Mario Huezo Portillo has been arrested for killing journalist Karla Lisseth Turcios.\nProsecutor Max Munoz says cameras traced Huezo Portillo when he went to dump the woman's body.\nTurcios worked for El Economista, part of La Prensa Grafica media group in the gang-plagued Central American nation.\nHuezo Portillo initially told police that he and their son left her resting at home around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. He said when they returned, Turcios had disappeared and did not answer her cellphone or respond to messages.\nThe 33-year-old journalist's body was found hours later on a highway northeast of the Salvadoran capital, San Salvador.\nPolice said was strangled." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Tampa Bay 50 34 13 3 71 176 128 17-5-1 17-8-2 9-3-1 Boston 48 29 11 8 66 157 119 16-6-4 13-5-4 10-1-2 Washington 49 29 15 5 63 150 138 18-7-1 11-8-4 8-4-3 Toronto 51 28 18 5 61 162 146 13-8-2 15-10-3 6-4-1 Pittsburgh 52 28 21 3 59 156 155 18-7-1 10-14-2 10-4-0 New Jersey 49 25 16 8 58 147 147 13-8-3 12-8-5 5-6-1 Columbus 50 27 19 4 58 133 140 16-8-1 11-11-3 8-5-2 Philadelphia 49 24 17 8 56 141 141 13-9-4 11-8-4 5-2-4 N.Y. Rangers 50 25 20 5 55 153 151 17-8-3 8-12-2 7-6-3 N.Y. Islanders 51 25 21 5 55 173 184 13-8-3 12-13-2 7-7-1 Carolina 50 23 19 8 54 139 155 11-7-4 12-12-4 6-5-3 Florida 48 20 22 6 46 136 159 11-8-3 9-14-3 6-4-1 Detroit 48 19 21 8 46 126 146 10-10-7 9-11-1 6-9-2 Montreal 50 20 24 6 46 130 159 12-10-5 8-14-1 9-6-2 Ottawa 48 15 24 9 39 125 168 9-11-5 6-13-4 5-8-3 Buffalo 50 14 27 9 37 115 166 6-13-3 8-14-6 3-5-2 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Vegas 49 33 12 4 70 168 130 19-3-2 14-9-2 12-1-1 Winnipeg 51 30 13 8 68 167 137 18-3-1 12-10-7 7-5-2 Nashville 48 29 12 7 65 146 125 16-5-3 13-7-4 10-4-2 St. Louis 52 31 18 3 65 151 131 18-10-0 13-8-3 7-4-1 Dallas 51 28 19 4 60 155 137 17-8-1 11-11-3 7-10-0 San Jose 49 26 16 7 59 145 138 14-7-3 12-9-4 12-2-3 Minnesota 50 27 18 5 59 147 142 17-4-4 10-14-1 8-8-0 Los Angeles 50 27 18 5 59 142 121 12-9-3 15-9-2 6-9-3 Anaheim 51 25 17 9 59 144 142 14-9-3 11-8-6 8-5-5 Colorado 49 27 18 4 58 160 143 18-7-1 9-11-3 7-6-1 Calgary 50 25 17 8 58 139 139 12-12-3 13-5-5 8-6-3 Chicago 50 24 19 7 55 148 137 12-10-3 12-9-4 6-7-2 Edmonton 49 22 24 3 47 135 157 11-13-1 11-11-2 10-2-0 Vancouver 50 20 24 6 46 131 162 9-13-3 11-11-3 5-9-1 Arizona 50 12 29 9 33 118 172 6-15-3 6-14-6 1-7-5\nNOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.\nMonday's Games No games scheduled\nTuesday's Games\nMinnesota 3, Columbus 2, SO\nPittsburgh 5, San Jose 2\nFlorida 4, N.Y. Islanders 1\nAnaheim 3, Boston 1\nCarolina 2, Ottawa 1\nNew Jersey 3, Buffalo 1\nWinnipeg 3, Tampa Bay 1\nSt. Louis 3, Montreal 1\nChicago 2, Nashville 1\nLos Angeles 3, Dallas 0\nVegas 4, Calgary 2\nVancouver 4, Colorado 3, OT\nWednesday's Games\nN.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.\nSan Jose at Detroit, 8 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at Washington, 8 p.m.\nThursday's Games\nToronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.\nMontreal at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSt. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m.\nFlorida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.\nAnaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.\nLos Angeles at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.\nTampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.\nDallas at Arizona, 9 p.m.\nColorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m.\nChicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m.\nFriday's Games\nWashington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.\nDetroit at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSan Jose at Columbus, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Minnesota, 8 p.m." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Influential business leaders in Nicaragua are calling for early elections to resolve a political standoff between President Daniel Ortega's government and protesters demanding his exit from office.\nCarlos Pellas Chamorro is the country's most prominent businessman. He said Wednesday that the Ortega government's political model is \"worn out\" and the solution is moving up the next election, due to take place in 2021.\nConglomerate Grupo Lafise Bancocentro also issued a statement calling for the will of the people to be heard through \"the advancement of elections.\"\nProtests that began in April over now-scrapped social security changes have since expanded into a broader movement seeking Ortega's exit.\nHuman rights observers say more than 80 people have been killed amid a harsh crackdown by government security forces and allied civilian groups." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A life-size bronze statue of a red-haired, freckled Archie will soon greet visitors at a New Hampshire town in honor of the local man who drew the comic book character and his group of wholesome teenage friends.\nBob Montana illustrated Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead from 1942 until his death in 1975 at age 54. He lived in Meredith, New Hampshire, for 35 years until he died from a heart attack while cross-country skiing.\n\"It is a privilege to be able to draw attention to one of our community members who did so much and did it so quietly and so well,\" said Monica Philbin, executive director of the Greater Meredith Program.\nThe Greater Meredith Program, a community development nonprofit, raised nearly $57,000 for the project in less than six months mostly from residents. Architect Chris Williams originally suggested the idea to honor the former Meredith resident with an Archie statue. Williams said no other sculpture of the character exists anywhere.\nThe one-of-a-kind statue will be commemorated Aug. 9 in Meredith's Community Park to coincide with the town's 250th anniversary.\nMontana brought the Archie Andrews character to life when he drew the first \"Archie\" comic strip while renting a cottage on Lake Waukewan in 1942. He was joined by other illustrators over the years, including Tom Moore, who also chronicled Archie's escapades from 1953 until he retired in the 1980s.\nThe comic strip was distributed in newspapers nationwide a few years later. Its popularity led the company that originally published the comic books, MLJ Comics, to change their name to Archie Comic Publications in 1946. Over the years, the comic sold billions of copies worldwide and inspired several television shows including \"Sabrina the Teenage Witch\" and \"Riverdale.\"\nIn a book about Montana's life, author Carol Lee Anderson noted that he placed Archie at various New Hampshire landmarks, including Lake Winnipesaukee, and even modeled characters after people in the Lakes Region town. Archie's gang of friends were said to be inspired by the cartoonist's high school classmates in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Montana used drawings of his characters for community fundraisers, including an effort to save a mill building in Laconia.\n\"My father was very proud to be able to earn his living by bringing a smile to people's faces,\" said his daughter Lynn Montana, who lives in Meredith. \"He wanted to empower Archie as a force of good that was bigger than the comic strip.\"\nDespite his fame, Lynn said her father was a humble and private man, partially why he raised his family in \"peaceful\" Meredith.\n\"In his eyes, Archie was famous, but he was not,\" Lynn said.\nMontana's impact in Meredith went beyond the comic strip. He had a vision of turning Meredith into an art colony, his daughter said, at one point converting a gas station into an art studio and frame shop. He introduced several artists to the small town and created a local theater group.\nMontana once united the community to change zoning laws, which prevented commercial development from being built along the waterfront in Meredith. He also successfully fought to have the town's parking meters removed, according to his daughter.\n\"He was a lot more than just a cartoonist, he was a wonderful friend, neighbor and leader in our community,\" said the project's chairman, Jim McFarlin, adding that there are still people in Meredith who remember the days when Montana would take children out for rides in his 1923 Model T Ford, the same car Archie drove in early comics.\nThe beaming statue will sit on a bench and look toward his workshop, now vacant, where Montana spent his days quietly drawing cartoons. The Belarusian artist commissioned to do the sculpture, Valery Mahuchy, said he wants to bring people together and offer unity with the statue.\n\"It's like a dream come true to have my father permanently honored in the town and we're so grateful to the community for supporting it in the way they have,\" Lynn said. \"It's a testament to my dad's work that it's still alive and meaningful to people today.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MADRID (AP) — Real Sociedad signed veteran Mexico defender Hector Moreno on a day without major transfers involving Spain's top clubs.\nBarcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid did not add any major players to their squads as the transfer window closed on Wednesday.\nReal Sociedad signed the 30-year-old Moreno from Roma in a deal reportedly worth 6 million euros ($7.4 million). He is joining the Basque Country club until 2021.\nMoreno arrived to replace defender Inigo Martinez. He left for Athletic Bilbao to fill the absence of Frenchman Aymeric Laporte, who this week joined Manchester City in a transfer worth 65 million euros ($80 million).\nMoreno has 89 appearances with Mexico's national team.\nSevilla secured former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez on loan from Everton. It had already brought in Mexico defender Miguel Layun from Porto and midfielder Roque Mesa from Swansea.\nSix players from Saudi Arabia were signed by Spanish clubs on loans until the end of the season as part of a partnership between La Liga and the Saudi Arabian football federation to develop soccer in Saudi Arabia.\nThree of those players — Salem Al Dawsari, Fahad Al-Muwallad and Yahya El Shehri — helped Saudi Arabia qualify for the World Cup in Russia. They will play for Villarreal, Levante and Leganes, respectively. The three other players joined lower-tiered clubs.\nBarcelona had already signed Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool and Colombia defender Yerry Mina from Brazilian club Palmeiras.\nAtletico Madrid had added Diego Costa and Victor \"Vitolo\" Machin earlier in the month after its transfer ban from FIFA was lifted. Midfielder Augusto Fernandez left the club to join Chinese soccer.\n___\nMore AP Spanish soccer coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/LaLiga" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — A French-Italian crew has won the first leg of the Atlantic Cup by reaching New York an hour and a half ahead of an American crew after sailing 648 nautical miles from Charleston, South Carolina.\nSkipper Catherine Pourre and Pietro Luciani on Earendil sailed into New York ahead of the American crew of Amhas, Micah Davis and Rob Windsor.\nEarendil moved into the lead after a long, intense battle with Amhas. The French-Italian duo played the conditions perfectly, allowing it to gain a tactical and speed advantage after gybing in from the Gulf Stream to race along the New Jersey shore.\nThe second stage of three-stage race, to Portland, Maine, begins Saturday. The race will cover 1,008 nautical miles and is being sailed in Class40s." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MADRID (AP) — Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Donald Trump should stand \"on the right side of history\" by reconsidering the decision to pull his country out of the Paris climate change accord, a decision Ban called \"misguided\" and responding to a \"short-term vision.\"\nThe U.S president's decision has larger political consequences beyond the impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, Ban told The Associated Press in Madrid. He said the choice leaves a leadership vacuum in international diplomacy.\nFor almost a decade, Ban spearheaded negotiations that led to the pledge of keeping global temperatures from raising another degree Celsius by 2100. Nearly 200 countries signed the agreement in December 2015.\nBan on Wednesday joined more than 50 former world leaders in a statement criticizing Trump administration's decision." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — I stood with three friends on a beach littered with dead fish, cigarette butts, the leavings of lunch and empty soda cans. We were in Banjul, Gambia, and about to set off on an adventure to Jinack Island.\nOur pirogue — a large dugout with a muscular motor — awaited us just offshore, bobbing in the Gambia River with a herd of other colorful boats filled with furniture, groceries and people.\nThere was no way we would walk through the mucky beach and water to get to our ride. Clearly, our much-anticipated day excursion to an island paradise was ruined.\nSuddenly, I was airborne and moving through the water. I let out a gasp and realized I was on the shoulders of a 20-something, bare-chested man, who had, without a word, bent down and lifted me in one fluid move. He swished through the waist-deep river, my shoes never getting wet. As we neared the boat, the water rose to his chest and he gently placed me in the pirogue. I turned to see my friends, Shelley Clark and Barbara Ligeti, on the shoulders of two other men. Shelley's aunt, Alice Taylor, was cradled in the arms of another.\nGambia is a nugget of land surrounded by Senegal on three sides and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The Gambia River runs through it. Banjul, its capital and major port, was the sixth stop on our monthlong cruise of West Africa aboard The Marina, an Oceania ship, with around 900 other passengers.\nWe booked early, in April for a Nov. 3-Dec. 3 vacation, and got a discount rate for verandah suites, which you need on a long voyage. Cost of cruise: around $10,000, including $400 for visas. I found a good business-class fare to our departure city of Lisbon and home from our last port, Cape Town. Oceania offered discounted airfares for coach. This December, Oceania offers a 30-day Africa voyage, Dubai to Cape Town with stops in Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, starting at $8,000. Cruise lines visiting Gambia in 2018 include Holland America, Silversea and Regent.\nOur rooms were beautifully appointed with amenities that included Bulgari bath and beauty products; two bottles of Champagne awaited us in the cabin. The ship had 2,000 artworks hand-picked by Oceania founder Frank Del Rio (an audio tour is available), nine restaurants featuring just about every cuisine, and various bars, boutiques, a casino, music areas, a theater. Oceania prides itself on fine dining and upscale menus. Jacques Pepin is the line's consultant and the food does not disappoint.\nThe trip was amazing, informative, fun and adventurous. It was also deeply emotional at times as we viewed the devastation and horrors of the slave trade and European colonialism.\nThe cruise traced the Portuguese exploration and enslavement of West Africa, with stops in countries colonized by other European powers. (Gambia was colonized by Great Britain.) The melodic Portuguese language is still spoken in certain regions and remnants of Portuguese culture are everywhere, including cuisine.\nFrom Lisbon, we went to Madeira, Portugal, the Canary Islands (La Palma and Tenerife), Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Sao Tome, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. We stayed in Cape Town a few days, rented a car and went on safari for a couple days along the Garden Route.\nAlthough Europeans flock to Gambia's pretty beaches during winter's chill, few Americans give it much thought. It is one of Africa's poorest countries.\nShore excursions booked through cruise lines can be pricey. On The Marina, tours ran over $300 apiece. We booked our tours online with local vendors; all cost well under $100. Not only did we get what amounted to private tours, but we got to do and see more than those on ship tours. We also had friends in some cities who gave us their cars and drivers for the day.\nThe Gambia tour was around $40 and advertised a boat ride on the river, day at Kayira Beach Resort run by a British couple, Penny and Paul Westhead, a visit with school kids who would perform for us, a ride on a donkey cart, a beach barbecue and swimming.\nThe Westheads greeted us with icy bottles of local beer. Nowhere in sight, though, was the resort we expected. Instead, a concrete main house and a couple huts used as guest quarters hunkered among the trees. The Westheads said they had suffered beach erosion and run out of funds to finish their hotel. The plucky pair pressed on and was preparing for a group of Dutch tourists at the Christmas holiday.\nWe could have dissolved into a huge funk. Instead, we looked at one another and laughed. It was an adventure. Besides, the Westheads were a hoot and very entertaining.\nClark and I swam in the clear, warm water, while Taylor sipped a beer from the shade of a tree. Ligeti set off through the bush to deliver school supplies we had brought with us from New York.\nThe Westheads' chef, a talented young woman who had changed into her fanciest dress for the occasion, made a spicy beef and vegetable stew, and perfectly cooked jasmine rice.\nJinack Island was not what we expected but it was a fun day. We learned about a country we did not know. We swam in the Gambia River, made some school kids happy and rode on the shoulders of robust young men.\n____\nMore on cruise trends and issues in AP Travel's \"Get Outta Here!\" podcast: https://apnews.com/afs:Content:1762250007" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Attorneys general from three states say a $275 million federal plan for keeping Asian carp from migrating into the Great Lakes is too pricey and rejects the most effective solution.\nThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is recommending technologies such as electric barriers and water cannons at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, which stands between the carp-infested Illinois River and Lake Michigan.\nAttorneys general Bill Schuette of Michigan, Lori Swanson of Minnesota and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania say a better way is replacing the lock gates with a concrete wall that would divide the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. That would cost only about $5.9 million.\nThey say the Corps plan favors the needs of shipping companies over those of the Great Lakes fishing industry." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Tampa Bay 50 34 13 3 71 176 128 17-5-1 17-8-2 9-3-1 Boston 48 29 11 8 66 157 119 16-6-4 13-5-4 10-1-2 Washington 49 29 15 5 63 150 138 18-7-1 11-8-4 8-4-3 Toronto 51 28 18 5 61 162 146 13-8-2 15-10-3 6-4-1 Pittsburgh 52 28 21 3 59 156 155 18-7-1 10-14-2 10-4-0 New Jersey 49 25 16 8 58 147 147 13-8-3 12-8-5 5-6-1 Columbus 50 27 19 4 58 133 140 16-8-1 11-11-3 8-5-2 Philadelphia 49 24 17 8 56 141 141 13-9-4 11-8-4 5-2-4 N.Y. Rangers 50 25 20 5 55 153 151 17-8-3 8-12-2 7-6-3 N.Y. Islanders 51 25 21 5 55 173 184 13-8-3 12-13-2 7-7-1 Carolina 50 23 19 8 54 139 155 11-7-4 12-12-4 6-5-3 Florida 48 20 22 6 46 136 159 11-8-3 9-14-3 6-4-1 Detroit 48 19 21 8 46 126 146 10-10-7 9-11-1 6-9-2 Montreal 50 20 24 6 46 130 159 12-10-5 8-14-1 9-6-2 Ottawa 48 15 24 9 39 125 168 9-11-5 6-13-4 5-8-3 Buffalo 50 14 27 9 37 115 166 6-13-3 8-14-6 3-5-2 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Vegas 48 32 12 4 68 164 128 19-3-2 13-9-2 11-1-1 Winnipeg 51 30 13 8 68 167 137 18-3-1 12-10-7 7-5-2 Nashville 48 29 12 7 65 146 125 16-5-3 13-7-4 10-4-2 St. Louis 52 31 18 3 65 151 131 18-10-0 13-8-3 7-4-1 Dallas 51 28 19 4 60 155 137 17-8-1 11-11-3 7-10-0 San Jose 49 26 16 7 59 145 138 14-7-3 12-9-4 12-2-3 Los Angeles 50 27 18 5 59 142 121 12-9-3 15-9-2 6-9-3 Minnesota 50 27 18 5 59 147 142 17-4-4 10-14-1 8-8-0 Anaheim 51 25 17 9 59 144 142 14-9-3 11-8-6 8-5-5 Calgary 49 25 16 8 58 137 135 12-11-3 13-5-5 8-5-3 Colorado 48 27 18 3 57 157 139 18-7-1 9-11-2 7-6-1 Chicago 50 24 19 7 55 148 137 12-10-3 12-9-4 6-7-2 Edmonton 49 22 24 3 47 135 157 11-13-1 11-11-2 10-2-0 Vancouver 49 19 24 6 44 127 159 8-13-3 11-11-3 5-9-1 Arizona 50 12 29 9 33 118 172 6-15-3 6-14-6 1-7-5\nNOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.\nMonday's Games No games scheduled\nTuesday's Games\nMinnesota 3, Columbus 2, SO\nPittsburgh 5, San Jose 2\nFlorida 4, N.Y. Islanders 1\nAnaheim 3, Boston 1\nCarolina 2, Ottawa 1\nNew Jersey 3, Buffalo 1\nWinnipeg 3, Tampa Bay 1\nSt. Louis 3, Montreal 1\nChicago 2, Nashville 1\nLos Angeles 3, Dallas 0\nVegas at Calgary, 9 p.m.\nColorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m.\nWednesday's Games\nN.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.\nSan Jose at Detroit, 8 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at Washington, 8 p.m.\nThursday's Games\nToronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.\nMontreal at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSt. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m.\nFlorida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.\nAnaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m.\nPhiladelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.\nLos Angeles at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.\nTampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.\nDallas at Arizona, 9 p.m.\nColorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m.\nChicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m.\nFriday's Games\nWashington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.\nDetroit at Carolina, 7 p.m.\nSan Jose at Columbus, 7 p.m.\nVegas at Minnesota, 8 p.m." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SAO PAULO (AP) — A woman believed to be the first in Brazil to ask the state for permission to end a pregnancy that did not result from a rape or involve medical issues has had an abortion — in Colombia.\nRebeca Mendes filed a case with the Supreme Court in late November seeking to have an abortion when she was six weeks pregnant, but the court rejected her request.\nWhile waiting for a decision on another petition, Mendes traveled to Colombia last week. She told The Associated Press on Monday that she had an abortion there.\nHer decision to have an abortion ends her involvement in a case that garnered national headlines in Brazil and sought to push back against restrictive abortion laws." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has decided not to punish anybody for now under new sanctions retaliating for Russia's election-meddling, the State Department said Monday, in a surprising move that fueled further questions about whether President Donald Trump is too soft on Moscow.\nThe government had until Monday to take two steps under a law passed by Congress last year in the wake of the 2016 presidential campaign. The first required the U.S. to slap sanctions on anyone doing \"significant\" business with people linked to Russia's defense and intelligence agencies, using a blacklist the U.S. released in October. The second required the administration to publish a list of Russian \"political figures and oligarchs\" who have grown rich under President Vladimir Putin.\nOn the first item, the administration decided it didn't need to penalize anyone, even though several countries have had multibillion-dollar arms deals with Russia in the works. State Department officials said the threat of sanctions had been deterrent enough, and that \"sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed.\"\n\"We estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions,\" said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. She did not provide evidence or cite any examples.\nOn the second item — the \"Putin list\" — the day came and went with no sign of if or when it would be released. The Treasury Department did not respond to several inquiries. In the past, the administration has breezed past several such deadlines, including the October deadline to produce a blacklist, only to follow through later after pressure from Congress mounted.\nBy itself, being on the Putin list doesn't trigger U.S. sanctions. Yet the list, being developed by the Treasury Department, has induced fear among rich Russians who are concerned that it could lead later to U.S. sanctions or to being informally blacklisted in the global financial system. It has triggered a fierce lobbying campaign, with Russia hawks in Congress pushing the administration to include certain names and lobbyists hired by Russian businessmen urging the administration to keep their clients off.\nCompanies or foreign governments that had been doing business with blacklisted Russian entities had been given a three-month grace period to extricate themselves from transactions, starting in October when the blacklist was published and ending Monday. But only those engaged in \"significant transactions\" are to be punished, and the United States has never defined that term or given a dollar figure. That ambiguity has made it impossible for the public to know exactly what is and isn't permissible.\nLate last year, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said one reason the U.S. was proceeding cautiously was that major U.S. allies have much at stake. Turkey, a NATO ally, has a deal to buy the S-400, Russia's most advanced air defense missile system. And key security partner Saudi Arabia recently struck an array of deals with Moscow, including contracts for weapons. It was unclear whether either country had since abandoned those deals to avoid running afoul of the U.S. sanctions.\nNew York Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lambasted the move to punish no one, saying he was \"fed up\" and that Trump's administration had chosen to \"let Russia off the hook yet again.\" He dismissed the State Department's claim that \"the mere threat of sanctions\" would stop Moscow from further meddling in America's elections.\n\"How do you deter an attack that happened two years ago, and another that's already underway?\" Engel said. \"It just doesn't make sense.\"\n___\nAssociated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.\n___\nReach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ERIN, Wis. (AP) — One of the many quirks at Erin Hills is what was originally called the Bye Hole — a devilish, downhill par-3 positioned between the old ninth and No. 10. It was initially built to be just for fun and wasn't supposed to count on the official scorecard.\nBy the end of the U.S. Open, a lot of these players might wish the course architects had kept it that way.\nThe old ninth hole is now No. 8, and the Bye Hole is now No. 9. The 135-yard par-3 is what the makers of Erin Hills consider their answer to one of the world's most picturesque golf holes — the short, downhill seventh at Pebble Beach.\n\"We didn't have the ocean, so we put in erosion bunkers,\" said writer/architect Ron Whitten, who helped design Erin Hills.\nThey also designed a rolling, multi-sectioned green that, in places, is near-impossible to hold, along with a tee box on an exposed, wind-swept hill.\nAs is the case at Pebble Beach, where the seventh measures 109 yards, on most days the shot requires nothing more than a pitching wedge. But where No. 7 at Pebble Beach ranked as the third-easiest hole at the 2010 U.S. Open, No. 9 at Erin Hills is designed to cause more trouble than that.\n\"Honestly, there are a couple spots where you just do not want to be,\" said Garrett Osborn, a onetime regular on the Web.com Tour who qualified for his first U.S. Open this year.\nNo. 9 has been described — and we'll keep it just to the printable things — as the shortest par-5 in golf, the hole with the scariest second shot at Erin Hills (if you miss the green on the first) and, as Alex Noren of Sweden said, \"a hole where there's no way you can just hit a decent shot to get on there, you have to hit a super-good shot to have a chance.\"\nDuring his practice round Wednesday, Noren tried to simulate what happens if the shot is not \"super good.\"\nHe randomly dropped a ball in one of the seven bunkers that surround the severely pitched green. He stepped in, leaned down and took a mighty hack. The ball stayed in. He leaned down again and got it out on the second try, then walked to the ball, picked it up, looked at it and threw it toward the stands. The ball had an inch-long gash just above the Callaway logo from his first failed attempt.\nNot that avoiding the bunkers guarantees success. The middle of the putting surface pitches severely right and funnels downhill into a tightly mowed collection area that can leave a tricky flop shot for a second.\n\"Guys are going to get a little upset with that if the ball hits the middle of the green and it rolls all the way off the green and maybe 10 yards down into a chipping area,\" Steve Stricker said. \"I think at some point that may need to get a little softened.\"\nRain might do that, but during summer in Wisconsin, rain almost always means wind, too, and picking a club while playing downhill with a helping or crossing wind will be hard.\nOsborn said he expects more players than not to end up short of the green, in part because the bunkers that guard the back are tougher — filled with uneven lies, uneven distribution of sand and little dimples of scrub and turf that protrude into the traps themselves.\nAll part of the plan.\n\"You could have a side-hill lie, a lie that might be in one of those little fingers where you can't even get the club on the ball,\" Whitten said. \"You might have a lie where you can't take the club back. You might have to turn sideways or turn backward.\n\"But if you were in the water, it'd be even worse.\"\nNo. 9 offers the most extreme example of the architects' philosophy across the course: Use the natural form of the land to turn bunkers back into hazards.\n\"They shouldn't be so cushy and consistent and uniform from hole to hole,\" Whitten said.\nThe bunkering will increase the degree of difficulty on what is already the longest layout in U.S. Open history, at 7,741 yards.\nAnd yet, it's the shortest hole that could give these players the biggest fits.\n\"Not super long,\" Noren said, \"but it's probably one of the hardest greens I've ever seen.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers failed to adopt a recovery plan for the endangered Mexican gray wolf that would protect against illegal killings and the consequences of inbreeding, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by environmentalists.\nA coalition of environmental groups filed the complaint in federal court in Arizona, marking the latest challenge in a decades-long battle over efforts to re-establish the predator in its historic range in the American Southwest and northern Mexico.\nThe lawsuit alleges the plan adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set inadequate population goals for the wolves, cut off access to vital habitat in other parts of the West and failed to respond to mounting genetic threats.\nIn approving the recovery plan, federal authorities acknowledged that majority of documented mortalities in the United States are human-caused\n\"Mexican wolves urgently need more room to roam, protection from killing and more releases of wolves into the wild to improve genetic diversity, but the Mexican wolf recovery plan provides none of these things,\" said Earthjustice attorney Elizabeth Forsyth, who is representing the groups. \"The wolves will face an ongoing threat to their survival unless major changes are made.\"\nFederal officials did not immediately respond Tuesday to emailed messages seeking comment about the lawsuit but have previously defended the plan, which was adopted in November after decades of legal wrangling and political battles.\nThe majority of documented Mexican gray wolf deaths in the U.S. are human-caused, and officials said in the recovery plan that reducing mortalities from illegal shootings and vehicle collisions may \"provide our best opportunity to improve population performance and speed the time to recovery.\"\nInvestigations of illegal shootings over the years have not produced suspects, but federal authorities offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of individuals responsible for illegal Mexican wolf killings. Other groups have donated more money, meaning tipsters could get as much as $58,000 depending on the information they provide.\nUnder the plan, management of the wolves would eventually revert to state wildlife agencies in New Mexico and Arizona but not until the population averages 320 wolves over an eight-year period. In each of the last three years, the population would have to exceed the average to ensure the species doesn't backslide.\nOfficials with the wolf recovery team are currently surveying the population to get an updated count. Last year, the survey found at least 113 wolves in the wild in mountainous areas along the Arizona-New Mexico border.\nEnvironmentalists have pressed for years for more captive wolves to be released into the wild. Ranchers and elected officials in rural communities argue against doing so, citing wolf attacks on livestock.\nAccording to the lawsuit, the Mexican gray wolf is one of the most genetically and ecologically distinct lineages of wolves in the Western Hemisphere.\nAfter extermination campaigns on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border decades ago, the last known wild Mexican gray wolf in the United States was killed in 1970, officials have said.\nSeven wolves formed the stock for a captive breeding program. Five had been captured in Mexico between 1977 and 1980 and the other two were already in captivity.\nThe reintroduction effort began in 1998 with the release of 11 captive-bred wolves." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — A spokeswoman for a New Jersey city where the Kushner Cos. is a major real estate developer says the firm has withdrawn its request for a 30-year tax break for one of its buildings.\nJersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill says the company owned by the family of Jared Kushner sent a letter about a week ago withdrawing a request for a break on city taxes for its planned One Journal Square building. The mayor recently came out against the break.\nIt is the latest setback for the Kushner real estate company in a city where it has several projects.\nThe shared office space company WeWork recently pulled out as anchor tenant of One Journal Square. That has reportedly put in doubt a state tax break that was tied to WeWork." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Police in Montenegro say they have picked up 17 migrants, including 11 Syrians, from an Italian fishing boat that sent a distress signal off the Montenegrin coast.\nThe police ship's crew said Tuesday they picked up the migrants from a small inflatable boat floating in the Adriatic sea. Police say two Moroccans, two people from Yemen, one from Afghanistan and one from Pakistan were also on the boat. The group included four children.\nIt was not immediately clear where the migrants started their journey.\nMontenegro has been largely spared from the migrant flow across the Balkans that peaked in 2016, with people fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia trying to reach the Western Europe." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City prosecutors say they have arrested a man who signed off on an apparently faulty construction project that collapsed in the magnitude 7.1 earthquake of Sept. 19 and killed two women.\nProsecutors have not identified the suspect, who faces homicide charges.\nBut they said Monday he was in charge of ensuring the seven-story apartment building was constructed according to approved plans in 2016.\nThe prosecutor's office says the building's foundations didn't meet specifications approved for the site. It says the structure had \"little resistance\" and didn't meet specifications.\nThe quake killed 369 people in all, 228 of them in the capital.\nExperts say recently built structures should have been able to withstand the quake.\nAnother suspect was arrested previously in the case." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Peloton, the technology company that revolutionized the fitness industry with its category-creating indoor cycling bike and its recently announced Peloton Tread, today announced that Pamela Thomas-Graham has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Thomas-Graham is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive and long-time public company board member with nearly three decades of experience in the financial services, media and fashion industries.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006292/en/\nPamela Thomas-Graham (Photo: Business Wire)\n“Peloton is reinventing the fitness experience in an incredibly innovative way, and I’m honored and thrilled to be joining its Board,” said Thomas-Graham. “As both an executive and a fitness enthusiast, I look forward to working with John Foley, his team and my fellow Board members to help drive the future of this disruptive business.”\nCurrently, Thomas-Graham is the Founder and CEO of Dandelion Chandelier LLC, a private digital media enterprise reporting on luxury goods and services. Prior to that, she spent over six years with Credit Suisse, where she was the first female member of the bank’s Executive Board; Chief Marketing and Talent Officer; and Head of Private Banking and Wealth Management New Markets.\nBefore assuming leadership roles in financial services, Thomas-Graham served as a Group President at Liz Claiborne (subsequently Kate Spade & Company, now part of Tapestry), where she was responsible for the P&L of 18 global apparel brands.\nPreviously, Thomas-Graham spent six years at NBCUniversal, where she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CNBC.com and, later, as global Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CNBC Television. She began her career at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 1989, and became the firm’s first African-American female partner in 1995. She was named one of the “Top 10 Consultants in America” by Consulting Magazine in 1999. As a consultant she worked on strategy and operational issues with clients in consumer packaged goods, media and retail.\n“Pamela’s insight and perspective will be a welcome addition to our already impressive Board,” said Peloton CEO and Co-founder John Foley. “Her extensive experience across a variety of consumer businesses--from finance to beauty to media--will help us immensely as we continue to innovate and grow.”\nThomas-Graham holds Bachelor of Arts in Economics; Master of Business Administration; and Doctor of Law degrees from Harvard University. Since 2005, she has served on the board of The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX), and currently serves as its Lead Independent Director. In December 2017, she joined the board of N.T. Butterfield & Sons Bank (NASDAQ: NTB), a full service bank and wealth manager headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.\nAbout Peloton\nFounded in 2012, Peloton is revolutionizing the fitness industry by merging high design with modern technology to provide access to live and on-demand fitness group classes led by elite NYC instructors. With instant access to classes, performance tracking metrics and a motivating real-time leaderboard, Peloton is changing the way people get fit through a comprehensive and socially connected experience that makes every workout both efficient and addictive. Peloton is sold online and in a growing number of showrooms across the US. For more information, visit www.onepeloton.com.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006292/en/\nCONTACT: Media:\nPeloton:\nMichael Braun, (212) 334-0333\npeloton@id-pr.com\nor\nJessica Kleiman, (646) 829-1633\npress@onepeloton.com\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA NEW YORK\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: OTHER SPORTS LUXURY HEALTH FITNESS & NUTRITION HOME GOODS GENERAL SPORTS RETAIL SPECIALTY OTHER RETAIL SPORTS GENERAL HEALTH\nSOURCE: Peloton\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/23/2018 02:45 PM/DISC: 04/23/2018 02:45 PM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006292/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "BAGHDAD (AP) — An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric is urging his fighters to hand state-issued weapons back to the government following the declaration of victory against the Islamic State group.\nMuqtada al-Sadr also called on his forces to hand some of the territory they control to other branches of Iraq's security forces, but said his men would remain as protectors of a holy Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad.\nAl-Sadr's speech was broadcast on Iraq television on Monday.\nPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS in a national address on Saturday evening, after Iraqi forces cleared the last IS strongholds from Iraq's western desert.\nAl-Sadr's fighters took up arms against IS in the summer of 2014 after the fall of Mosul and are officially part of the government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The moon is putting on a rare cosmic show Wednesday.\nIt's the first time in 35 years a blue moon has synced up with a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse.\nHawaii and Alaska have the best seats, along with the Canadian Yukon, Australia and Asia. The western U.S. should have good viewing, too, along with Russia. The U.S. East Coast, Europe and most of South America and Africa are out of luck for the eclipse.\nThe second full moon in a calendar month is a blue moon. This one also happens to be an especially close and bright moon, or supermoon. Add a total eclipse, known as a blood moon for its red tint, and it's a lunar showstopper.\nNASA is calling it a lunar trifecta: the first super blue blood moon since 1982. That combination won't happen again until 2037.\nThe space agency plans to provide a live stream of the moon from ground telescopes, throughout the eclipse.\nA lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.\nScientists are keen to study the sharp, sudden drop in temperature at the lunar surface, as Earth's shadow blankets the moon. During the more than one hour of totality, the temperature will plunge 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), said lunar scientist Noah Petro of Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He's deputy project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, circling the moon since 2009. His team is taking special precautions to keep the spacecraft warm during the eclipse.\nPerhaps just as important, Petro and others are hoping the big event gets more people looking up — not just Wednesday, but every day.\nFor the trivia crowd, the moon will be 223,820 miles (360,200 kilometers) away at the peak of the eclipse, close enough for supermoon status.\n___\nOnline:\nNASA: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/lunar.html." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "PLANTATION, Fla. & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--In conjunction with World Immunization Week and National Infant Immunization Week, Pediatric Associates of Florida and TruMed Systems, maker of the AccuVax® Vaccine Management System, today jointly announced that AccuVax will be used at all Pediatric Associates sites to optimize vaccine storage and management. Pediatric Associates, America’s largest private pediatric practice, is replacing its conventional refrigerator/freezer units with the AccuVax Vaccine Management System, a state-of-the-art vaccine management platform that automates vaccine storage, monitoring and handling.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005650/en/\nLiz Wallin, clinical manager at Pediatric Associates, using the AccuVax Vaccine Management System. (Photo: Business Wire)\nAccuVax ensures that vaccine efficacy and safety is maintained to the strictest of standards through a unique door-less design and built-in battery backup that maintain ideal temperature management. Further, because it’s fully automated, it eliminates burdensome vaccine administrative work, allowing clinical staff to focus on patient care.\n“AccuVax optimally protects vaccines and minimizes cumbersome vaccine management activities, supporting Pediatric Associates’ mission to enhance the lives of all children, their families and communities by delivering the highest quality pediatric healthcare and services in a compassionate and healthy environment,” said Scott D. Farr, Pediatric Associates’ Chief Operating Officer. “AccuVax is the first and only door-less vaccine storage unit on the market, and it ensures that the temperature variation vaccines experience is minimal, which means they remain in their most effective and safe state until administered.”\nAccuVax was developed by TruMed Systems of San Diego, which is installing units in medical practices and health systems across the country. Pediatric Associates has unique experience with AccuVax as it participated as one of 20 pilot sites nationwide to provide real-world feedback to help improve the System. Clinical managers Virginia Lyons and Liz Wallin were part of the pilot and say the new system has helped to simplify the time-consuming procedures they had to follow to manage vaccine inventories. It has also given them peace of mind that the vaccines they are giving their patients are at optimal potency.\n“The storage of the vaccines is really important and often underappreciated,” said Lyons. “If you don’t keep them at the correct temperature, it can distort what the vaccine is meant to do, which is to protect our kids and keep them safe.”\nLyons estimates that her clinic alone dispenses more than 200 vaccine doses a day.\n“Doing inventory is a dream with AccuVax, we can easily keep track of inventory and temperature logs through the unit’s touchscreen interface or remotely via a secure web-based portal,” Wallin added. “Previously our staff would have to restock the conventional refrigerator/freezers in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Now we are able to keep hundreds of vaccine doses in the new unit and receive advance notices if a vaccine is going to expire or supplies are running low. It saves us a lot of time.”\nInventory losses due to power failure, 1 improper storage and expired doses are common, 2 and have created challenges for even the most advanced practices and health systems.\nWallin, who has worked at Pediatric Associates for 24 years, is all too familiar with the amount of effort and stress involved in managing a busy practice’s vaccine supply and trying to avoid inventory waste. She stated that the automated system has dramatically reduced the amount of work and worry involved in managing the large number of vaccines they deliver to their patients.\n“It sounds silly, but I sleep better because I’m not worried,” said Wallin, recalling having to go to the office at 2 o’clock in the morning after an alarm alerted her to temperature fluctuations in one of her old vaccine storage units. “You don’t have the alarm calling you in the middle of the night. We haven’t experienced any temperature excursions since the decision to implement AccuVax at all our sites; it’s perfect.”\nBecause of the benefits afforded by the AccuVax System, Pediatric Associates is now installing units throughout its network of clinics from Jacksonville to South Florida to better protect their patients and communities.\n“We can only optimally protect our children and communities from debilitating and deadly diseases if we safeguard the potency of the vaccines we rely on. TruMed’s vision is to provide the medical community with a solution that helps ensure optimal protection against preventable diseases,” said Jesper Jensen, CEO of TruMed Systems. “We’re honored to work with Pediatric Associates, a recognized leader in pediatric medicine, to place our AccuVax Systems across their 34 sites.”\nTruMed Systems announced the commercial availability of the AccuVax Vaccine Management System in September of 2017.\nAbout Pediatric Associates\nPediatric Associates is the nation’s largest privately owned primary care pediatric practice, with more than 250 providers and 34 convenient locations extending from Jacksonville to Miami. Its facilities offer families comprehensive services, including X-ray and state certified laboratories. Pediatric Associates is open 365 days a year with weekend, evening and holiday hours for patient convenience. Its mission is to enhance the lives of all children and their families by delivering the highest quality pediatric healthcare in a compassionate and healthy environment. For more information, visit www.pediatricassociates.com.\nAbout AccuVax® Vaccine Management System\nAccuVax is the purpose-built vaccine supply management system that automates product control and integrity, minimizes risks of incorrect vaccine delivery, and optimizes office work flow so that providers can focus on care delivery. AccuVax is an integrated solution that includes hardware, software, online access, software updates, training, optional integrations, technical support and maintenance. AccuVax is already being used in many individual clinics, major health systems and public healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. The vaccine management system is available as a monthly subscription, requiring no down payment and no capital expense.\nMore information about the AccuVax Vaccine Management System can be found by visiting http://www.accuvax.com or calling 1-844-TruMed1. Watch the YouTube video on AccuVax. Contact TruMed Systems at sales@trumedsystems.com today on how to order.\nAbout TruMed ® Systems\nTruMed Systems, a medical technology company, develops innovative point-of-care supply management systems for healthcare professionals. TruMed Systems’ mission is to improve healthcare practitioners’ total vaccine outcomes by creating point-of-care supply management systems that support product efficacy and practice objectives. For more information, visit www.trumedsystems.com.\n1 U.S. Energy Information Administration, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=27892. 2 Hibbs et al. Vaccine. 2015 Jun 22;33(28):3171-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.05.006. Epub 2015 May 14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25980429\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005650/en/\nCONTACT: Pediatric Associates\nKate Manly\nMarketing Communications Manager\n954.487.1089\nkmanly@pediatricassociates.com\nwww.pediatricassociates.com\nor\nTruMed Systems\nJesper Jensen\n858.429.9330\njesper.jensen@trumedsystems.com\nwww.trumedsystems.com\nor\nImpact Health Communications, LLC\nAmanda Crowe, MA, MPH\n203.829.6219\nacrowe@impacthealthcommunications.com\nwww.impacthealthcommunications.com\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA FLORIDA\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT HEALTH HOSPITALS OTHER HEALTH BABY/MATERNITY CHILDREN PARENTING CONSUMER MEDICAL SUPPLIES NURSING FAMILY GENERAL HEALTH\nSOURCE: TruMed Systems\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/23/2018 08:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 08:01 AM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005650/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Luke Air Force Base officials say an F-16C from the 56th Fighter Wing crashed while attempting to land at a municipal airport in Arizona. The pilot ejected and wasn't seriously injured.\nOfficials say the jet was on a training flight Tuesday when it diverted to the Lake Havasu City airport and went off the runway while landing, prompting the pilot to eject.\nStaff Sgt. Jenna Bigham says the pilot is in good condition and was transported to a hospital.\nShe says she couldn't provide information on why the plane diverted.\nThe Today's News-Herald newspaper posted a photo showing the plane apparently missing the nose area of its fuselage.\nLake Havasu City is 134 miles (216 kilometers) northwest of Luke, located in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish amateur league football club has transferred a player by paying him with Bitcoin, in what the club chairman said is the first signing of a player in cryptocurrency.\nHarunustaspor chairman Haldun Sehit told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency late Tuesday that the club paid player Omer Faruk Kiroglu 2,000 Turkish liras worth of Bitcoin (0.0534 Bitcoin) in addition to 2,000 Turkish Lira ($540).\nSehit told Anadolu the club decided to sign Kiroglu with the cryptocurrency to make the team known \"in Turkey and the world.\"\nSehit said: \"God willing, Bitcoin will bring us the championship.\"\nThe club competes in the first division of Sakarya's Amateur League." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "GAUHATI, India (AP) — A tiny wildlife sanctuary in northeastern India has reported a jump in the number of one-horned rhinoceroses.\nPradipta Baruah, supervisor of a census carried out Sunday at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, says there are now 102 one-horned rhinos living in the park, up from 93 during the last count, in 1993.\nThe reserve, which is just 38 square kilometers (15 square miles), is outside of the Assam state capital, Gauhati.\nIndia's Kaziranga National Park, also in Assam, is the main home of the one-horned rhino, with more than 2,000.\nAll of the world's five rhino species are under constant threat from poachers who sell their horns on black markets, often in countries where rhino horn is believed to increase male potency." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 4, 2018--The global lead market is expected to register a CAGR of close to 7% during the period 2018-2022, according to the latest market research report by .\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005211/en/\nTechnavio has published a new market research report on the global lead market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire)\nA key factor driving the market’s growth is the recyclability of lead. Recycling of waste products is crucial to the environment. accumulated waste release chemicals and harmful gases, which result in global warming. Recycling requires lesser energy than the manufacturing process. Lead has the highest recyclability rate when compared with other materials that are recycled. Most of the lead used in commercial applications is obtained from recycled lead.\nThis market research report on the provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook during the forecast period. Technavio predicts an emerging trend as a major factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.\nThis report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only:\nIn this report, Technavio highlights the increasing production of lead as one of the key emerging trends in the global lead market:\nGlobal lead market: Increasing production of lead\nThe production of lead is increasing globally. Manufacturers are concentrating on increasing the production of lead through primary and secondary sources because of the high demand for this element.\n“MMG, Glencore, South32, and Vedanta Resources are some of the players with well-established production facilities for lead,” says a senior market research analyst at Technavio.\nGlobal lead market: Segmentation analysis\nThis market research report segments the global lead market into the following applications (batteries and others) and key regions (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA).\nThe batteries segment held the largest market share in 2017, accounting for nearly 84% of the market. This application segment is expected to dominate the global market throughout the forecast period.\nAPAC held the highest share of the global lead market in 2017, accounting for a market share of approximately 59%. The market share occupied by this region is anticipated to increase during 2018-2022.\nLooking for more information on this market?\nTechnavio’s sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.\nSome of the key topics covered in the report include:\nMarket Landscape\nMarket ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis\nMarket Sizing\nMarket sizing Market size and forecast\nFive Forces Analysis\nMarket Segmentation\nGeographical Segmentation\nRegional comparison Key leading countries\nMarket Drivers\nMarket Challenges\nMarket Trends\nVendor Landscape\nVendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario\nAbout Technavio\nis a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.\nWith over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio’s report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio’s comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.\nIf you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at .\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005211/en/\nCONTACT: Technavio Research\nJesse Maida\nMedia & Marketing Executive\nUS: +1 844 364 1100\nUK: +44 203 893 3200\nwww.technavio.com\nKEYWORD: UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY OTHER TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING CHEMICALS/PLASTICS OTHER MANUFACTURING\nSOURCE: Technavio Research\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 07/04/2018 10:41 AM/DISC: 07/04/2018 10:40 AM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005211/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan journalists and media rights activists have lit candles and held placards to remember dozens of journalists who were killed, abducted or disappeared under a previous government.\nC. Dodawatta, convener of the Free Media Movement which organized the vigil, said even after three years in power, the current government has failed to punish those responsible for the crimes and deliver justice to the journalists and their families.\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015, promising to end a culture of impunity and punish those responsible for the crimes against the journalists.\nDuring former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure, dozens of journalists were killed, abducted and tortured and some fled the country." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope asks Vatican's top sex crimes expert to look into case of Chilean bishop accused of cover-up." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — With the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics slated to start next week, Lake Placid in upstate New York is rolling out the welcome mat for travelers who won't make that trip but might want to celebrate in a village that embraces the Olympic spirit like nowhere else.\nThe Empire State Winter Games kick off the monthlong celebration Thursday. Another highlight will be Winterfest, Feb. 24, which will include meet-and-greets with former Olympians.\nWhiteface-Lake Placid has been ranked No. 1 for much of the last three decades for off-hill activities by Ski Magazine. Its readers selected it the No. 2 resort overall in the eastern United States.\nThat's partly because of great lodging and restaurant options in addition to the variety of winter recreation." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A court in Hanoi has handed down prison terms up to eight years to three activists after finding them guilty of posting video clips on social media critical of the communist government.\nA lawyer says Vu Quang Thuan was convicted on charges of spreading propaganda against the state and sentenced to eight years in a trial that lasted half a day Wednesday.\nThuan's accomplices Nguyen Van Dien and Tran Hoang Phuc received 6 1/2 years and 6 years respectively on the same charges.\nThey were accused of posting 17 video clips prosecutors said vilified the country's leaders and the state. They have denied they committed a crime.\nHuman Rights Watch says at least 24 people were convicted for their writings and advocacy on democracy and human rights last year." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana Department of Correction spokesman says a man convicted in connection with a deadly Indianapolis house explosion has been found dead.\nDepartment spokesman Doug Harrison says 48-year-old Mark Leonard was found dead Tuesday morning at the Wabash Valley Correction Facility in southwestern Indiana. Garrison says the cause of death wasn't immediately known.\nLeonard was convicted in 2015 of murder, arson and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in the November 2012 natural gas explosion that destroyed his then-girlfriend's home and killed two next-door neighbors. That blast damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes on Indianapolis' south side.\nLeonard received two life sentences without parole, plus 75 years.\nLeonard also was sentenced to an additional 50 years in February 2017 for trying to have a witness killed." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "The Syrian government has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Georgian breakaway regions backed by Russia, as independent countries.\n\"A deal has been reached between the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia to exchange recognition and set up diplomatic ties at the embassy level,\" said a Syrian Foreign Ministry official in comments circulated by the state-run SANA news agency on Tuesday.\nRead more: Caucasus history almost repeats itself in Crimea\nThe move prompted the Georgian government to announce its decision to sever official ties with Syria, blaming Russia for orchestrating the diplomatic stunt.\n\"With this act, the Assad regime declared its support for Russia's military aggression against Georgia, the illegal occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali [South Ossetia] regions and the ethnic cleansing that has been taking place for years,\" said a statement from the Georgian Foreign Ministry.\nFollowing the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Abkhazia and South Ossetia were internationally recognized as part of Georgia. But in 2008, Russia waged war over the regions, deploying thousands of troops and recognizing them as independent states.\nPolitics of recognition\nAfter the brief war, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru recognized both regions as independent of Georgia. Although Syria has maintained close ties with Russia for decades, Moscow's involvement in the country's conflict in recent years has strengthened their bond.\nRead more: Georgia's internally displaced face uncertain future\nAbkhazia and South Ossetia have historically been autonomous regions of Georgia, even during the Soviet Union. In the wake of the Cold War, separatists fought a war against Georgian forces, a conflict that displaced 250,000 people and killed more than 12,000 others.\nBoth the US and EU have refused to recognize the breakaway regions, saying they form part of Georgia's territorial integrity.\nls/cmk (AFP, Reuters)\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. & LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is teaming up with home-based medical care company Landmark to offer an in-home medical, behavioral and palliative care coordination program for Humana Medicare Advantage members with multiple chronic conditions in seven states. The program gives patients the opportunity to receive quality care in the privacy and comfort of a residential setting.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005029/en/\nLandmark physicians and advanced practice providers (Complexivists®) utilize an integrated care model to treat the whole patient. The company also employs pharmacists, nurses, social workers, behavioral health clinicians, and dieticians to provide care management in support of, and in coordination with, the patient’s existing primary care physician - Landmark does not replace patients’ regular doctors, but augments their care plans in the home.\nThe program will be available to eligible Humana Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO members with complex health needs - due to multiple chronic conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, and end-stage renal disease – who live in select counties in Washington (starting in May); Kansas and Missouri (starting in June); Kentucky and Ohio (starting in July); and Louisiana and Mississippi (starting in August).\nAvailable services will include urgent house-call visits 24 hours a day, seven days a week; maintenance visits to proactively monitor conditions; post-hospital discharge visits to assist with transition back into the home; and continuity-of-care in coordination with the patient’s primary care physician or specialist.\n“This is a very exciting opportunity for Landmark for two key reasons,” said Landmark Chief Business Officer Eric Van Horn. “First, we are aligned in our beliefs that clinical excellence and coordinated care will help people reach their best health outcomes. Second, Humana offers us the opportunity to reach more chronically-ill patients with the type of care we’d want for our own loved ones.”\n“We’re pleased to work with Landmark to bring this kind of coordinated, at-home care model to our Medicare Advantage members for the first time,” said Humana Health Guidance Organization Vice President Chuck Stemple, D.O. “This collaboration will provide care in a comforting setting with the benefit of an entire care team working in coordination with the patient’s existing primary care physician in a holistic approach.”\nThe agreement with Landmark is part of Humana’s longstanding commitment to value-based care, which emphasizes:\nMore personal time with health professionals and personalized care that is tailored to each person’s unique health situation; Access to proactive health screenings and programs that are focused on preventing illness; Improved care for people living with chronic conditions with a focus on avoiding health complications (watch Humana’s “Better Chronic Management Through Value-Based Care” video); Leveraging technologies, such as data analytics, that connect physicians and help them work as a team to coordinate care around the patient; and Reimbursement to physicians linked to the health outcomes of their patients rather than solely on the quantity of services they provide (fee-for-service).\nHumana has an extensive and growing value-based care presence. As of December 31, 2017, Humana has 1.9 million individual Medicare Advantage members and approximately 140,000 commercial members who are cared for by 52,000 primary care physicians in more than 1,000 value-based relationships across 43 states and Puerto Rico. Humana reached its 2017 calendar year goal of having 66 percent of Humana’s 2.9 million total individual Medicare Advantage members seeing primary care physicians in value-based payment relationships. Humana’s total Medicare Advantage membership is approximately 3.3 million members, which includes members affiliated with providers in value-based and standard Medicare Advantage settings. For more information, visit humana.com/valuebasedcare.\nAbout Landmark\nLandmark is an industry leader of home-based medical care for patients with complex health needs, covering more than 80,000 lives. Its community-based, physician-led medical teams specialize in house calls and deliver medical, behavioral, social and palliative care to individuals with multiple chronic conditions wherever they reside, and wherever they need it. Landmark’s teams of mobile clinicians collaborate with patients’ families, caregivers and other medical providers to bring coordinated healthcare to people who need it the most. Landmark operates nationally, expanding coverage to reach 13 states in 2018. For more information, visit www.landmarkhealth.org.\nAbout Humana\nHumana Inc. is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.\nTo accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.\nMore information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:\nAnnual reports to stockholders Securities and Exchange Commission filings Most recent investor conference presentations Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls Calendar of events Corporate Governance information\nAdditional Information\nHumana is a Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in a Humana plan depends on contract renewal. The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information, contact the plan. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium and member cost-share may change on January 1 of each year. The Formulary, pharmacy network, and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary.\nY0040_GHHK6QKEN Accepted\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005029/en/\nCONTACT: Landmark Health\nJessica Diaz, 657-234-8416\njdiaz@landmarkhealth.org\nor\nHumana Corporate Communications\nAlissa Krinsky, 312-441-5576\nakrinsky@humana.com\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CARIBBEAN CALIFORNIA PUERTO RICO KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI OHIO WASHINGTON\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH OTHER HEALTH NURSING GENERAL HEALTH MANAGED CARE\nSOURCE: Landmark Health\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 10:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 10:00 AM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005029/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It looks like a perfectly staged assassination, straight out of the pages of a spy novel: North Korean royalty Kim Jong Nam, the estranged, exiled half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un, falls ill at a Malaysian airport, complains of being sprayed with some sort of chemical, and drops dead.\nBut, as with many things about the alleged motives of cloistered North Korea, the unknowns currently far outweigh the certainties.\nA look at what officials are trying to piece together as they work to reconstruct one of the most audacious, mysterious assassinations in recent Asian history:\n___\nWHY NOW?\nThis is the big one: Motive.\nKim Jong Nam, a jovial, overweight gambler and playboy, had embarrassed Pyongyang before — he tried to sneak into Tokyo Disney; he criticized his half-brother — but he's been generally seen more as an annoyance than an existential threat to North Korea's stability.\nWhy would Kim Jong Un go through the massive logistical trouble — and potential embarrassment — of staging the risky assassination of a blood relation on foreign soil?\nWithout elaborating, South Korea's spy service told lawmakers Wednesday that the North had been trying to kill Kim Jong Nam for five years. Spy officials offered a single, shaky motive for the death: Kim Jong Un's \"paranoia\" over his estranged brother.\nBut the South's National Intelligence Service has a long history of botching intelligence on North Korea and has long sought to portray the North's leadership as mentally unstable.\nSome in Seoul wonder if Kim Jong Un might have become enraged when a South Korean newspaper reported last week that Kim Jong Nam tried to defect to the South in 2012. South Korea's spy service denied this, but it's still an open question: Could public speculation that a member of the exalted Kim dynasty wanted to flee to the hated South have pushed Kim Jong Un to order his brother's assassination?\n___\nWHY THE AIRPORT IN MALAYSIA?\nThere would seem to be easier, less public places to kill such a high-profile target.\nA possible explanation might be found in another nugget provided by South Korea's spy agency: China had long protected Kim Jong Nam and his family in their home base of Macau. Analysts have seen Beijing as looking to Kim Jong Nam as a potential leader should North Korea's regime collapse.\nWith security, presumably overseen by China, tight in Macau, could there have been a security gap in Malaysia that offered North Korean assassins an opportunity they couldn't have gotten elsewhere?\n___\nWHO ARE THE MYSTERY WOMEN?\nThe details of the attack itself are a tangled mess as of now.\nKim told medical workers that he'd been sprayed with a chemical, which brings to mind past attacks with poison-tipped pens linked to North Korean assassins.\nSouth Korea's spy agency says two women believed to be North Korean agents attacked Kim. They then reportedly fled. Japanese media quoted the government in Tokyo as saying those women may now be dead. None of this has been confirmed yet.\nStill, finding out who these women are and who hired them could go a long way to unlocking the mystery.\n___\nWHAT NEXT?\nNorth Korea has said nothing officially about the death, but that's not unusual. The country's propaganda specialists are masters at reporting only details that lionize the Kim family as paragons of virtue. This clearly doesn't do that.\nChina may be angry at the killing of a close North Korean contact, so there could be some sort of reaction, possibly back-channel, from Beijing.\nBut a more concrete punishment could come from Washington.\nCheong Seong-Chang, a South Korean analyst, said the assassination might convince the U.S. Congress to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, further isolating the already widely shunned country.\n___\nAssociated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Theresa May is flying to China seeking a major economic partner for post-Brexit Britain.\nShe leaves behind a divided government, a feuding Conservative Party — and a question mark over how long she will remain leader once she returns.\nMay leaves Tuesday for a three-day trip with stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan and meetings with Chinese premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping. Accompanied by 50 British business leaders, May is looking to burnish the \"golden era\" between the two countries announced by Xi in 2015.\nChina is key to British hopes of forging new trade deals and partnerships around the world after it leaves the EU.\nChina expert Kerry Brown, of King's College London, says May's challenge is to \"inject a little dynamism into the relationship.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "FARGO, N.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2018--Don Kania, Ph.D., has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Aldevron, a leading global provider of plasmid DNA manufacturing, protein production and antibody discovery services. Dr. Kania joins Michael Chambers, CEO of Aldevron; and Ethan K. Liebermann and Mark H. Carter, both from TA Associates, on the board.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006332/en/\nDon Kania, Ph.D., joins Aldevron board. (Photo: Business Wire)\n“We welcome Don to the Aldevron board and look forward to his contributions as we grow the company and expand into new markets,” said Mr. Chambers. “He has successfully managed rapidly growing companies in the life science industry and brings significant scientific and management expertise and experience to the board. Don’s leadership will allow us to manage our growth while enhancing the exceptional reputation Aldevron has built over the past 20 years.”\nDr. Kania brings more than 25 years of experience that includes scientific research and development, global operations, and manufacturing. He served as Chief Executive Officer and President of FEI Company (FEIC) from August 2006 until its sale to Thermo-Fisher in 2016 for $4.2 billion. Prior to FEI, Dr. Kania served as the Chief Operating Officer of Veeco Instruments Inc (VECO), which provides manufacturing and development tools for semiconductors, disk drives, LEDs and academic research. Before serving as COO he had served in roles of increasing responsibility at Veeco since January 1998.\nBeginning in 1993, Dr. Kania served as a Senior Manager of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He served as Research Director of Crystallume, a venture funded thin film diamond company, from 1991 to 1993. Dr. Kania's other experience includes nine years of research experience at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos and Livermore Laboratories. He has been a Director of Leupold & Stevens, Inc., a family owned sporting optics company, since 2012 and FEI Company since August 2006. He served as a Director and Audit Chair of American Science & Engineering Inc. (ASEI) from February 2010 until the company was sold to OSI in 2016. He serves on the board or as an advisor to several privately held life sciences companies.\n“I am grateful to join Aldevron’s Board of Directors and excited to work with the other members as we chart the path for the company’s future,” commented Dr. Kania. “The company has built an outstanding reputation within the life sciences industry that has fueled its substantial growth. Aldevron plays an important role in the development and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals and makes significant contributions to revolutionary new treatments. The opening of a new 70,000 square-foot GMP facility this summer and the addition of new products, including GMP Cas9 nuclease, pALD-X80 AAV helper plasmid, and mRNA will enable us to meet the increasing demands of the industry.”\nAbout Aldevron Aldevron serves the biotechnology industry with custom production of nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies. Thousands of clients use Aldevron-produced plasmids, RNA and gene editing enzymes for projects ranging from discovery research to clinical trials to commercial applications. These products are critical raw materials and key components in commercially available drugs and medical devices. Aldevron specializes in GMP manufacturing and is known for inventing the GMP-Source™ quality system. Company headquarters are in Fargo, North Dakota, with additional facilities in Madison, Wisconsin, and Freiburg, Germany. To learn more, visit www.aldevron.com.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006332/en/\nCONTACT: Aldevron\nJames Brown, 701-499-7330\nVice President, Corporate Development\njames.brown@aldevron.com\nKEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA NORTH DAKOTA\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY NANOTECHNOLOGY HEALTH BIOTECHNOLOGY GENETICS INFECTIOUS DISEASES PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH OTHER SCIENCE SCIENCE\nSOURCE: Aldevron\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 05/30/2018 03:17 PM/DISC: 05/30/2018 03:17 PM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006332/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — The Rangers will buy out the final three years of Dan Girardi's contract, ending the defenseman's tenure in New York after 11 seasons.\nThe move will clear just under $2.9 million in salary-cap space next season and just under $1.9 million the two following years. Girardi was set to count $5.5 million against the salary cap through 2019-20 and with his no-movement clause would have had to be protected in the upcoming Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft.\nBy buying out the 33-year-old veteran, the Rangers can protect an extra player from Vegas and make room on their blue line for next season.\n\"Dan's contributions to the New York Rangers organization have been immeasurable,\" said team president Glen Sather, who was the GM when New York signed Girardi as an undrafted free agent in 2006. \"He has been a role model through his relentless determination, giving everything he had to this organization both on and off the ice.\"\nGirardi was the second-longest tenured player on the Rangers after goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and ranks ninth in franchise history with 788 games played. He put up 46 goals and 184 assists during the regular season and helped the team make the playoffs 10 times and reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.\nIn a lengthy statement released by the team, the Welland, Ontario, native called New York his family's second home and said, \"I poured my heart and soul into this team for the past 11 seasons and I enjoyed every minute of it.\"\nThe right-handed-shooting Girardi becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team beginning July 1. The buyout will cost New York more than $1.1 million on the cap in 2020-21, '21-22 and '22-23.\nThe Rangers on Wednesday also agreed to terms with forward Matt Puempel on a one-year contract worth $725,000. Getting a deal done with the 24-year-old helps New York satisfy the minimum expansion draft requirement of exposing at least two forwards under contract for 2017-18.\nThe Rangers claimed Puempel off waivers from Ottawa in November. He had six goals and three assists in 40 games last season and has 10 goals and five assists in 79 career NHL games.\nNew York also named former player Jed Ortmeyer as director of player development, Steve Eminger as a professional scout and Ben Prentiss as strength and conditioning consultant.\n___\nMore AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — Top American and North Korean officials plan a full day of meetings in New York aimed at deciding whether a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be salvaged.\nAhead of the meetings Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the North's former military intelligence chief, Kim Yong Chol, had dinner Wednesday night. Kim had flown in from Beijing and Pompeo from Washington.\nThe talks come as preparations for a highly anticipated summit in Singapore barrel ahead amid lingering uncertainty about whether it will actually take place, and when. Trump cancelled the June 12 summit last week, then suggested it could still happen.\nU.S. teams have been meeting with North Korean officials in Singapore and in the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The civil rights anthem \"We Shall Overcome,\" which has been quoted by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was made popular by folk singer Pete Seeger, has been declared a part of public domain.\nLudlow Music, the song's publisher, agreed in a New York federal court last week to back down on claims of copyright after losing a summary judgment in the case. The publisher said in a stipulation filed last Friday that it waived the right to appeal the judge's opinion and agreed the melody and lyrics are \"dedicated to the public domain.\"\nThe lawsuit was filed by the We Shall Overcome Foundation, a group that wanted to make a documentary about the song, and Butler Films, which produced the 2013 film \"The Butler.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Josh McDaniels didn't know what he didn't know.\nIn 2009, he was the baby-faced 32-year-old prodigy plucked out of Bill Belichick's roost and Tom Brady's shadow to serve as Mike Shanahan's replacement in Denver, holding down two jobs he'd never had: head coach and de facto general manager.\nHe'd trade away his starting quarterback, draft Tim Tebow and win his first six games, including one against his mentor. But he was fired halfway through his four-year contract, losing 17 of his next 22 games and presiding over his very own videotape scandal.\nThe Broncos blamed themselves for giving McDaniels too much power with so little experience. Denver then embarked on a renaissance under general manager John Elway and Peyton Manning.\nMcDaniels spent a year with the Rams before returning for a highly successful second stint with Brady and Belichick, preparing him for his second NFL head coaching gig with the Indianapolis Colts , which will become official after the Super Bowl.\nNow 41, McDaniels still doesn't look his age, but he says he is a much wiser than the brash coach who wore the gray hoodie in Denver eight years ago.\nMcDaniels said he was a much better trainee and tutor in his return to New England, much more appreciative of the breadth of Belichick's artistry and the depth of Brady's genius .\n\"It's a unique perspective,\" seeing things a second time after getting a firsthand look behind the coaching curtain, McDaniels said Wednesday, as he helped Brady and Belichick prepare for their eighth Super Bowl.\n\"Bill does a tremendous job of understanding the pulse of his team. He relates to everyone very well and I've been able to see that and look at that through a different lens. When we need a push, he pushes us. When we need love, he loves us. When we need a pat on the back, he does that. When we need to run hills, we run hills,\" McDaniels said.\n\"He just has a tremendous ability to understand when to do what as a head coach. And he serves us in so many ways to make us better coaches, to make the players better players. He's there to help us, he doesn't take it away from us. Believe me, I make tons of mistakes in my role and he's there to help.\"\nMcDaniels didn't think it was possible, but he now holds Belichick in even higher regard than he did during his first stint from 2006-08, because he now realizes all the juggling head coaches have to do.\n\"Before you leave and you do that, it's hard to say that you know what he's going through because you really don't,\" McDaniels said. \"I'm very happy for the experiences that I've gone through. A lot of the failings in my career have been some of the best teachers that I've had. I've really learned a lot from them, I think I'm a better person, a better coach, a better communicator, a lot of things because of the things that I haven't done well.\"\nOne thing he's done exceptionally well is working with Brady, who's going for his sixth Super Bowl ring Sunday when the Patriots play the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles .\nMcDaniels has long held that working with Brady made him a better coach, because he always had to be prepared to answer the quarterback's incessant questions, to justify the smallest of his decisions, to explain what everyone's role was on every single play.\n\"We haven't treated each other any differently. He treats me with the respect of a coach and I treat him like I need to make him a better player,\" McDaniels said. \"And I think that's the only way to do it. I know his experience and his understanding is above all others as a player. But I don't really focus a whole lot on that. I focus on the next team, the next week, the next practice, our scheme, what we're trying to do and he's very respectful of that. And we listen and learn from each other.\n\"We have a tremendous relationship and it's been an honor of my lifetime in coaching to have an opportunity to work with a guy like that as long as I have.\"\n___\nFor more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL\n___\nFollow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SYDNEY (AP) — The men's and women's finals of the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in 2020 will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as Cricket Australia affords both tournaments equal billing.\nFor the first time, the men's and women's tournaments will be played as stand-alone events in the same country. The 10-team women's event will run from Feb. 21 to March 8 and the 16-team men's tournament from Oct. 18 to Nov. 15.\nBoth semifinals of the women's tournament will be played in Sydney while the men's semifinals will be split between the Sydney Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval. Finals will then take place at the 100,000-seat MCG, Australia's largest stadium and venue for the final of the 2015 men's one-day international World Cup, which drew 93,000 fans.\nA total of 13 stadiums in eight Australian cities — Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Perth and Brisbane — will host matches during the two events.\nThe men's tournament has been expanded so that the previous Super 10 stage now becomes a Super 12 with eight automatic qualifiers, and the top two teams from two four-team pools which will contest the group stage.\nThe International Cricket Council is hoping the women's final will draw a world record crowd for a women's sports event after 24,000 attended the final of the women's 50-overs World Cup at Lord's in July last year.\nThe Australian record for a women's sports event is 41,000, which attended a soccer match in Adelaide in 1929. The world record is 90,185 for the women's FIFA World Cup final in 1999.\n\"Australia is a sporting nation, with diverse and passionate fans who love cricket,\" organizing committee chief executive Nick Hockey said. \"We've designed ICC World T20, comprising stand-alone women's and men's events, to be more inclusive, more accessible and more connected than ever before so that everyone can join in.\"\nThe Australian women's team has won three of the previous five Twenty20 World Cups and will be attempting to win back the world crown they lost to the West Indies in 2016. The West Indies are also the current men's champions." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved JYNARQUE ™ (tolvaptan) as the first drug treatment to slow kidney function decline in adults at risk of rapidly progressing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006422/en/\nADPKD Infographic (Graphic: Business Wire)\nADPKD is a genetic disease with consequences that can lead to dialysis or kidney transplantation. It is a progressively debilitating and often painful disorder in which fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys over time. These cysts enlarge the kidneys and impair their ability to function normally, leading to kidney failure in most patients. 3 ADPKD is diagnosed in approximately 140,000 people in the U.S., 4,5 and impacts families across multiple generations, since a parent with ADPKD has a 50 percent chance of passing the disease on to each of their children. 6,7\nThe efficacy of tolvaptan was demonstrated in two pivotal trials, lasting one year and three years, respectively. In the one-year REPRISE study, the primary endpoint was the treatment difference in the change of eGFR from pretreatment baseline to post-treatment follow-up, annualized by dividing by each subject’s treatment duration. In the randomized period, the change of eGFR from pretreatment baseline to post-treatment follow-up was −2.3 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year with tolvaptan as compared with −3.6 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year with placebo, corresponding to a treatment effect of 1.3 mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year (p <0.0001). In the three-year TEMPO 3:4 study, tolvaptan reduced the rate of decline in eGFR by 1.0 mL /min /1.73m 2 /year (95 % confidence interval of 0.6 to 1.4) as compared to placebo in patients with earlier stages of ADPKD. In the extension trial, eGFR differences produced by the third year of the TEMPO 3:4 trial were maintained over the next 2 years of JYNARQUE treatment.\nThe primary endpoint in TEMPO 3:4 study was the intergroup difference for rate of change of total kidney volume (TKV) normalized as a percentage. The trial met its pre-specified primary endpoint of 3-year change in TKV (p<0.0001). The difference in TKV between treatment groups mostly developed within the first year, the earliest assessment, with little further difference in years two and three. In years 4 and 5 during the TEMPO 3:4 extension trial, both groups received JYNARQUE and the difference between the groups in TKV was not maintained. Tolvaptan has little effect on kidney size beyond what accrues during the first year of treatment. The key secondary composite endpoint (ADPKD progression) was time to multiple clinical progression events of: 1) worsening kidney function (defined as a persistent 25% reduction in reciprocal serum creatinine during treatment (from end of titration to last on-drug visit); 2) medically significant kidney pain (defined as requiring prescribed leave, last-resort analgesics, narcotic and anti-nociceptive, radiologic or surgical interventions); 3) worsening hypertension (defined as a persistent increase in blood pressure category or an increased anti-hypertensive prescription); 4) worsening albuminuria (defined as a persistent increase in albumin/creatinine ratio category). The relative rate of ADPKD-related events was decreased by 13.5% in tolvaptan-treated patients, (44 vs. 50 events per 100 person-years; hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.97; p=0.0095). As shown in the table below, the result of the key secondary composite endpoint was driven by effects on worsening kidney function and kidney pain events. In contrast, there was no effect of tolvaptan on either progression of hypertension or albuminuria. Few subjects in either arm required a radiologic or surgical intervention for kidney pain. Most kidney pain events reflected use of a medication to treat pain such as use of paracetamol, tricyclic antidepressants, narcotics and other non-narcotic agents.\nJYNARQUE can cause serious and potentially fatal liver injury, and acute liver failure requiring liver transplantation has been reported. JYNARQUE has been associated with elevations of blood alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST), with infrequent cases of concomitant elevations in bilirubin-total (BT). To ensure the safety of patients taking JYNARQUE, it is necessary to measure ALT, AST and bilirubin before initiating treatment, at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after initiation, then monthly for 18 months and every 3 months thereafter, for as long as the patient is on JYNARQUE (tolvaptan) treatment. Because of the risks of serious liver injury, JYNARQUE is available only through a restricted distribution program supported by a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program approved by the FDA. For more information about JYNARQUE, please visit www.JYNARQUE.com.\n\"The progressive nature of ADPKD means that kidney function gets worse over time, eventually leading to end-stage renal disease. This progression happens more rapidly for some patients than others.” said Michal Mrug, M.D., Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and investigator on the REPRISE trial. “Today’s approval is great news for adults at risk of rapidly progressing ADPKD because by slowing the decline in kidney function, this therapy may give them more time before kidney transplant or dialysis.”\nAndy Betts, CEO of the PKD Foundation, observed, “Today is an historic day in providing hope to patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, and we are thrilled to be a part of this first milestone in treatment. For the past 35 years, our goal has been to walk with PKD patients every step of the way. It is gratifying to play a part in the inception of the discovery of this treatment, and to see it come to fruition. We hope that this is just the beginning of a new chapter for adults at risk of rapidly progressing ADPKD who suffer from the disease.”\nAlso, Tatsuo Higuchi, president and representative director of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., commented, “This approval is important news for many adults at risk of rapidly progressing ADPKD in the U.S., who have had no therapeutic alternatives to delay the eventual end-stage interventions of dialysis or kidney transplantation. We are humbled to be able to offer an earlier, proactive course of action to slow the progression of this disease, which we know means so much to patients, their families and healthcare providers. Simultaneously, we are grateful to the patients and researchers who through their continued commitment made this milestone possible.”\nAbout ADPKD\nADPKD is a progressively debilitating and often painful genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys over time. These cysts enlarge the kidneys and impair their ability to function normally, leading to kidney failure in most patients. ADPKD can impact quality of life, and is also associated with cardiovascular complications that can cause death. 3 ADPKD is diagnosed in approximately 140,000 people in the U.S., 4,5 and is the fourth leading cause of end-stage renal disease. 1,2\nADPKD impacts families across multiple generations, since a parent with ADPKD has a 50 percent chance of passing the disease on to each of their children. 6,7 Risk factors for rapid disease progression include having a greater TKV than expected for age, 8,9 family history of end-stage renal disease before 58 years of age, 10 high blood pressure before 35 years of age, 11 certain urologic events before 35 years of age, 12 a historical decline in eGFR of ≥5 mL/min/1.73 m 2 within 1 year, 10 certain inherited genetic profiles, 12 or male sex. 12 Visit https://pkdcure.org/what-is-pkd/adpkd/ for more information about ADPKD.\nAbout JYNARQUE ™ (tolvaptan)\nJYNARQUE is a selective vasopressin V 2 -receptor antagonist indicated to slow kidney function decline in adults at risk of rapidly progressing ADPKD. The medication has been approved as a treatment for adults with ADPKD in Japan, the EU, Canada, South Korea, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Australia, Turkey and Taiwan. See local prescribing information for specific indications in each country.\nThe FDA approval of JYNARQUE is supported by data from the TEMPO 3:4 (Tolvaptan Efficacy and Safety in Management of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease and Its Outcomes) and REPRISE (Replicating Evidence of Preserved Renal Function: an Investigation of Tolvaptan Safety and Efficacy in ADPKD) clinical trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine in November 2012 and November 2017, respectively.\nJYNARQUE will be sold in a 28-day treatment pack at a wholesale acquisition cost of $13,041.10.\nMore information for U.S. Healthcare Providers can be found at www.JYNARQUEhcp.com.\nINDICATION and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for JYNARQUE TM (tolvaptan)\nINDICATION:\nJYNARQUE is indicated to slow kidney function decline in adults at risk of rapidly progressing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).\nIMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:\nWARNING: RISK OF SERIOUS LIVER INJURY\nJYNARQUE (tolvaptan) can cause serious and potentially fatal liver injury. Acute liver failure requiring liver transplantation has been reported Measure transaminases (ALT, AST) and bilirubin before initiating treatment, at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after initiation, then monthly for the first 18 months and every 3 months thereafter. Prompt action in response to laboratory abnormalities, signs, or symptoms indicative of hepatic injury can mitigate, but not eliminate, the risk of serious hepatotoxicity. Because of the risks of serious liver injury, JYNARQUE is available only through a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program called the JYNARQUE REMS Program\nCONTRAINDICATIONS:\nHistory, signs or symptoms of significant liver impairment or injury. This contraindication does not apply to uncomplicated polycystic liver disease Taking strong CYP3A inhibitors With uncorrected abnormal blood sodium concentrations Unable to sense or respond to thirst Hypovolemia Hypersensitivity (e.g., anaphylaxis, rash) to JYNARQUE or any component of the product Uncorrected urinary outflow obstruction Anuria\nSerious Liver Injury: JYNARQUE can cause serious and potentially fatal liver injury. Acute liver failure requiring liver transplantation has been reported in the post-marketing ADPKD experience. Discontinuation in response to laboratory abnormalities or signs or symptoms of liver injury (such as fatigue, anorexia, nausea, right upper abdominal discomfort, vomiting, fever, rash, pruritus, icterus, dark urine or jaundice) can reduce the risk of severe hepatotoxicity. To reduce the risk of significant or irreversible liver injury, assess ALT, AST and bilirubin prior to initiating JYNARQUE, at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after initiation, then monthly for 18 months and every 3 months thereafter.\nHypernatremia, Dehydration and Hypovolemia: JYNARQUE therapy increases free water clearance which can lead to dehydration, hypovolemia and hypernatremia. Instruct patients to drink water when thirsty, and throughout the day and night if awake. Monitor for weight loss, tachycardia and hypotension because they may signal dehydration. Ensure abnormalities in sodium concentrations are corrected before initiating therapy. If serum sodium increases above normal or the patient becomes hypovolemic or dehydrated and fluid intake cannot be increased, suspend JYNARQUE until serum sodium, hydration status and volume status parameters are within the normal range.\nInhibitors of CYP3A: Concomitant use of JYNARQUE with drugs that are moderate or strong CYP3A inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, lopinavir/ritonavir, indinavir/ritonavir, ritonavir, and conivaptan) increases tolvaptan exposure. Use with strong CYP3A inhibitors is contraindicated; dose reduction of JYNARQUE is recommended for patients taking moderate CYP3A inhibitors. Patients should avoid grapefruit juice beverages while taking JYNARQUE.\nAdverse Reactions: Most common observed adverse reactions with JYNARQUE (incidence >10% and at least twice that for placebo) were thirst, polyuria, nocturia, pollakiuria and polydipsia.\nOther Drug Interactions:\nStrong CYP3A Inducers: Co-administration with strong CYP3A inducers reduces exposure to JYNARQUE. Avoid concomitant use of JYNARQUE with strong CYP3A inducers OATP1B1/3 and OAT3 Transporter Substrates: Caution should be used in patients who take JYNARQUE and OATP1B1/B3 and OAT3 substrates (e.g., statins, bosentan, glyburide, nateglinide, repaglinide, methotrexate, furosemide), as the plasma concentrations of these substrates may be increased. BCRP Transporter Substrates: Tolvaptan is an inhibitor of BCRP. Patients who take JYNARQUE, should avoid concomitant use with BCRP substrates (e.g., rosuvastatin) V 2 -Receptor Agonist: Tolvaptan interferes with the V 2 -agonist activity of desmopressin (dDAVP). Avoid concomitant use of JYNARQUE with a V 2 -agonist.\nPregnancy and Lactation: Based on animal data, JYNARQUE may cause fetal harm. In general, JYNARQUE should be discontinued during pregnancy. Advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with JYNARQUE.\nTo report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 1-800-438-9927 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 ( www.fda.gov/medwatch ).\nPlease see FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION, including BOXED WARNING.\nOtsuka, maker of JYNARQUE (tolvaptan), is committed to helping patients access the medications they need.\nOtsuka is committed to helping adults at risk of rapidly progressing ADPKD and will work closely with these patients, providers and payers to ensure JYNARQUE is broadly accessible. Otsuka offers a number of support programs for eligible patients, including the JYNARQUE Copay Savings program, which ensures that eligible commercially insured patients do not pay more than $10 per prescription for JYNARQUE. Further details about program limitations and legally required exclusions are available at www.JYNARQUE.com/Copay-Savings. The Otsuka Patient Assistance Foundation (OPAF), a separate and independent entity, provides support for eligible patients who are unable to afford their medication. OPAF’s mission is to eliminate financial barriers to drug therapies for uninsured or underinsured patients. For more information, please visit www.otsukapatientassistance.com.\nAbout Otsuka\nOtsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.\nIn pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging area of mental health and also has R&D programs in areas including nephrology and cardiology. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a “big venture” company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.\nOtsuka Pharmaceutical Company is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 46,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 11.1 billion in 2017.\nAll Otsuka stories start by taking the road less travelled. Learn more about Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company on its global website at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en. Learn more about Otsuka in the U.S. at www.otsuka-us.com and connect with us on Twitter at @OtsukaUS.\n1 United States Renal Data System. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2016. Available at: https://www.usrds.org/2016/download/v2_ESRD_16.pdf (accessed August 8, 2017).\n2 Lentine, K. L. (2015). Renal Function and Healthcare Costs in Patients with Polycystic Kidney Disease. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology , 5, 1471-1479.\n3 Chebib F, Torres V et al. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: core curriculum 2016. Am J Kidney Dis. May 2016; 67(5): 792-810.\n4 Data on file. Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., 2018\n5 Willey, CJ et al. Epidemiology of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease in the United States. Poster presented at American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week; 2013 Nov 5-10; Atlanta, GA\n6 Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet. NIH Reports. Accessed online on March 30 2018 at https://report.nih.gov/NIHfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=29&key=A#A\\\n7 Torres VE, Grantham JJ. Cystic diseases of the kidney. In: Taal MW, Chertow GM, Mardsen PA, Skorecki K, Yu ASL, Brenner BM, eds. Brenner & Rector’s The Kidney. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:1626-1667\n8 Irazabal MV. Imaging Classification of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a simple model for selecting patients for clinical trials. J Am Soc Neph. 2015 vol. 26 no. 1 160-172.\n9 Chapman A. et al. Kidney Volume and Functional Outcomes in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2012; 7; 479-486.\n10 Gansevoort RT. Recommendations for the use of tolvaptan in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a position statement on behalf of the ERA-EDTA Working Groups on Inherited Kidney Disorders and European Renal Best Practice. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 2016, Vol. 31, 337–3489\n11 Schrier JASN 2010/p891/col1/1/ln1-3]\n12 Cornec Le Gall E. The PROPKD score: a new algorithm to predict renal survival in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016 Mar;27(3):942-51\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006422/en/\nCONTACT: Otsuka\n(In the U.S.)\nOtsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.\nKimberly Whitefield\nCorporate Communications\n+1-609-535-9259\nKimberly.whitefield@otsuka-us.com\nor\n(Outside the U.S.)\nOtsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.\nJeffrey Gilbert\nLeader, Pharmaceutical Public Relations\n+81-3-6361-7379\nGilbert.jeffrey@otsuka.jp\nKEYWORD: ASIA PACIFIC JAPAN\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH BIOTECHNOLOGY CLINICAL TRIALS INFECTIOUS DISEASES PHARMACEUTICAL OTHER HEALTH FDA\nSOURCE: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 03:00 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 03:01 PM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006422/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Gaza health official says the death of a 9-month-old girl remains under investigation, two weeks after a medical official cast doubt on claims she died from Israeli tear gas.\nA medical report issued on May 14, the day of Layla Ghandour's death, and seen by The Associated Press makes no mention of tear gas. It says she suffered from a congenital heart defect and died after her blood circulation and respiratory system stopped.\nDozens of Palestinians were killed that day by Israeli fire and hundreds were hurt, including by tear gas, in Gaza border protests. Layla's relatives claimed she was at the scene of the protests.\nHealth Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said Wednesday that her death remains under investigation. The ministry initially announced she was killed by tear gas." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MEXICO CITY (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell has won nine of the 29 deep-water oil exploration blocks Mexico put up for bid in the Gulf of Mexico.\nThe Anglo-Dutch oil giant won four of those bids in alliance with other companies. Shell was the biggest winner in the bidding round, in which 10 blocks drew no bids.\nMalaysia's PC Carigali won seven blocks alone or in alliances, and Mexico's state-owned Pemex won four blocks, two of them as part of an alliance.\nThe head of Mexico's National Oil Commission said Wednesday the bidding ensures that nearly two dozen deep-water exploration wells would be drilled as part of billions of dollars in investment.\nShell said in a statement México \"is ready to successfully compete in attracting investment in the oil and gas sector.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was overheard Tuesday night telling a Republican lawmaker he is \"100 percent\" in favor of releasing a classified memo on the Russia investigation that has sparked a political fight pitting Republicans against the FBI and the Justice Department.\n\"Oh yeah, don't worry,\" the president told South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan on the House floor after his first State of the Union address. \"100 percent.\"\nDuncan had implored Trump to \"release the memo.\"\nTelevision cameras captured the exchange as Trump was leaving the chamber.\nThe White House had said before the speech that it was still conducting a legal and national security review of the document, and press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters earlier Tuesday that Trump still had not been briefed on its contents.\nThe memo arrived at the White House on Monday evening after Republicans on the House intelligence committee brushed aside opposition from the Justice Department and voted to release it. Under committee rules, the president has five days to object to its release.\nThe four-page memo was written by Republicans on the committee, led by chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California, a close Trump ally who has become a fierce critic of the FBI and the Justice Department.\nRepublicans have said the memo reveals improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation. Democrats have called it a selectively edited group of GOP talking points that attempt to distract from the committee's own investigation into Russian meddling.\nOn Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he supports the memo's release but doesn't want Republicans to use it to attack special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign was involved.\n\"This is a completely separate matter from Bob Mueller's investigation and his investigation should be allowed to take its course,\" Ryan said, noting that he also supports Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller.\nRyan said the memo shows \"there may have been malfeasance at the FBI by certain individuals.\" He did not provide additional details, only saying that \"there are legitimate questions about whether an American's civil liberties were violated by the FISA process,\" a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.\nIt's unclear how FBI malfeasance could have solely resulted in a judge signing off on a FISA warrant. Applications for such warrants are submitted by Justice Department lawyers before a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Those lawyers would have to authorize and ultimately prepare any filing that is made.\nThe vote to release the memo is an unprecedented move by the committee, which typically goes out of its way to protect classified information in the interest of protecting intelligence sources and methods.\nIt also came after Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray warned White House chief of staff John Kelly that releasing the memo publicly could set a dangerous precedent, according to a person familiar with the conversation.\nRosenstein and Wray voiced their concerns personally to Kelly during a meeting at the White House on Monday ahead of the vote by the House intelligence committee, said the person, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rosenstein also told Kelly the memo didn't accurately characterize the FBI's investigative practices, the person said.\nThe Washington Post first reported the details of the White House meeting. The FBI and the Justice Department declined comment.\nThe Justice Department had said in a letter last week that it would be \"extraordinarily reckless\" to release the memo without first giving the FBI and the department the chance to review it.\nAfter those complaints, Wray reviewed the memo over the weekend. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who was with Wray when he reviewed the memo, said the FBI director did not raise any national security concerns with him. Gowdy said the memo doesn't reveal any intelligence methods but it does reveal \"one source.\"\nBut Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said Wray told him Monday that the review didn't satisfy his concerns about the memo's release. Wray wanted to brief the committee about FBI and Justice Department concerns ahead of any release, a request committee Republicans blocked, Schiff said.\nOn Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pushed back on reports that the release was imminent, saying the White House has no \"current plans\" to do so. \"The President has not seen or been briefed on the memo or reviewed its contents,\" she said.\nA senior White House official said the National Security Council is leading an interagency review of the memo. If Trump decides to release the memo, it could be made public as early as Wednesday afternoon, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential internal deliberations.\nSo far, the official said, the Justice Department is the only agency opposing its release. Asked Tuesday about the department's position on the memo's release, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores declined comment.\nRepublicans said they are confident the release won't harm national security. They also said they would not release the underlying intelligence that informed the memo.\n\"You'll see for yourself that it's not necessary,\" said Texas Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, who's leading the House's Russia investigation.\nBut Schiff said the memo's release could compromise intelligence sources and methods.\nSome Republican senators have also said they don't want to release the memo, and Democrats have pushed back on Republican criticism of the FBI, saying it is an attempt to discredit Mueller's investigation. The probe has already resulted in charges against four of Trump's former campaign advisers and has recently moved closer to Trump's inner circle.\nIn response, Democrats on the panel have put together their own memo. On Monday, the committee voted to make the Democratic memo available to all House members — but not the public. Conaway said he was open to making it public after House members have a chance to review it.\nSeparately Tuesday, the House committee's interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was delayed, according to two people familiar with the decision. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private committee deliberations.\nBannon was set to be interviewed behind closed doors Wednesday. But one of the people familiar with the decision to delay it said it was premature to schedule it this week because discussions have only just started with the White House over what Bannon can tell the committee.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Eric Tucker, Jonathan Lemire, Tom LoBianco, Mary Clare Jalonick and Andy Taylor contributed to this report." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A contractor working at a Pennsylvania newspaper who was pinned underneath a piece of machinery that was being removed from the pressroom has died.\nThe Lehigh County coroner says the man became trapped at The Morning Call in Allentown on Tuesday afternoon. Crews have been dismantling the printing press after the paper's printing operations moved to Jersey City, New Jersey.\nThe coroner says the victim is a 32-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida. His name wasn't immediately released.\nThe Morning Call reports that newsroom workers heard a loud boom shortly after 5 p.m. The cause of the accident is under investigation.\nPublisher and editor Robert York expressed \"heartfelt sympathy\" to the man's family and says the company is cooperating with authorities. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified of the contractor's death." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii emergency management official who said last week that his retirement had nothing to do with a mistaken missile alert that stirred panic statewide now says it was because of the fallout from the warning.\nToby Clairmont said Wednesday that he stepped down as executive officer of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency because it was clear action would be taken against agency leaders after the Jan. 13 alert.\nState officials revealed changes to the agency Tuesday after an internal investigation. They said Administrator Vern Miyagi resigned, the worker who sent the alert was fired, a second employee quit before disciplinary action was taken and another was being suspended.\nClairmont acknowledges he's the employee who quit but says it's unfair to lump him in with the others because it implies he was about to be disciplined.\n___\nThis version corrects Clairmont's title was executive officer, not executive director." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court is weighing in on an unusual lawsuit by a group of young people who say the Trump administration is violating their constitutional rights by failing to address climate change.\nA three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday from attorneys for the administration and the 21 young people, who range in age from 10 to 21.\nThe Trump administration wants the 9th Circuit to order a lower court to dismiss the suit, saying it is broad and without merit.\nThe San Jose Mercury News reports (http://bayareane.ws/2knQczY ) that two of the judges voiced skepticism about the administration's request.\nThe lawsuit was originally filed against the Obama administration in 2015." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has cancelled one of the key joint cooperation projects with South Korea planned for next month's Winter Olympics, officials said, further proving the delicate nature of ties between the rivals split for seven decades.\nNorth Korea on Monday night sent a message saying it won't hold a joint cultural event at the North's Diamond Mountain on Feb. 4 to mark the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.\nThe ministry cited North Korea as saying it has no other option but to cancel the project because of South Korean media reports that it says defamed its \"sincere\" measures for the Olympics. The North also accused South Korean media of picking a fight over an unspecified domestic festival in North Korea, according to the ministry statement.\nThe statement said South Korea considers the North's decision \"very regrettable.\"\nThe North didn't say which media reports were at issue. But some reports had criticized the North's plan to stage a major event to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of its military on Feb. 8, just one day before the Olympics' opening ceremony. South Korean officials have said the North plans a massive military parade on the anniversary.\nIt's not clear how the latest development would affect other planned Olympics-related cooperation projects between the Koreas. They agreed to field a joint women's hockey team and have their athletes parade together under a single flag during the Feb. 9 opening ceremony. A dozen North Korean hockey players arrived in South Korea last week to practice with their South Korean teammates.\nNorth Korea has a history of last-minute cancellations and unexplained reversals, and some experts say it might have sought to gain concessions from the South. The visit earlier this month of a prominent band leader to inspect artistic venues in the South was delayed by North Korea but eventually took place.\nThe Koreas' current reconciliation mood followed a year of heightened animosities over North Korea's nuclear program. Many analysts say the North may want to use improved ties with South Korea to weaken U.S.-led international pressure and sanctions on the country." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the war in Syria (all times local):\n2:15 p.m.\nRussia says demands for Iran's complete withdrawal from Syria are \"unrealistic.\"\nForeign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday after meeting with his Jordanian counterpart that Iran is one of the key powers in the region, and that it would be \"absolutely unrealistic\" to expect it to abandon its interests. He said regional powers should discuss mutual complaints and negotiate a compromise.\nRussia and Iran have provided crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, helping them turn the tide in the civil war.\nIsrael has said it will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in Syria and has launched military strikes against Iranian targets there in recent months.\nLavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would discuss the situation in southern Syria, where government forces are waging a new offensive, at their July 16 summit. He said a cease-fire in the region brokered by Russia, Jordan and the U.S. had envisioned the withdrawal of non-Syrian forces and the deployment of Syrian troops along the frontier with Israel.\n___\n10:45 a.m.\nIslamic State media outlets are reporting that the son of the group's leader has been killed fighting Syrian government forces.\nThe announcement of the death of the young son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared on the group's social media accounts late Tuesday. It included a picture of a young boy carrying a rifle and identified him as Huthaifa al-Badri.\nThe statement did not specify when he was killed. It said he was an elite fighter who was killed while fighting Syrian and Russia troops at a power station in the central Homs province.\nAl-Baghdadi has been reported killed or wounded on a number of occasions but is widely believed to still be alive. IS has been driven from nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ISLAMABAD (AP) — A mountain climber who was rescued from a Himalayan peak where her climbing partner is presumed to have died has returned home to France, a representative of a Pakistani mountaineering group said Tuesday.\nKarrar Haidri of the Alpine Club of Pakistan said Elisabeth Revol left Pakistan before dawn. Revol praised everyone who participated in rescuing her from Nanga Parbat, said Haidri, who visited her at the Islamabad where she was treated.\nSuffering from frostbite and exhaustion, Revol was rescued Sunday by Polish climbers who were on a separate expedition and braved high winds and low nighttime temperatures to bring her down from Nanga Parba, the world's ninth-highest peak at 8,126 meters (26,660 feet.)\nIn an account published Tuesday, the climbers, Denis Urubko and Adam Bielecki, described the difficult decision to call off trying to save Revol's partner, Tomasz Mackiewicz of Poland, after Revol reported the poor condition he was in when she last saw him.\nRevol said Mackiewicz had frostbitten hands and legs and face, no sense of time or space, was snow blind, and unable to move unassisted.\nThe two mountaineers got stuck Thursday while climbing Nanga Parbat, Pakistan began a rescue operation when the weather cooperated Saturday. The Polish climbers thanked the Pakistani helicopter pilots who transported them.\nTheir expedition to attempt the first winter ascent of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, plans to resume.\n_________\nMonika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SEATTLE (AP) — A man who was brought to the U.S. illegally as a child but was protected from deportation by the Obama administration has been taken into custody in the Seattle area in what could be the first case of its kind in the country.\nNorthwest Immigrants Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams told The Associated Press Tuesday that 23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina was arrested Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Adams says he believes the young man was apprehended by mistake.\nAdams says agents were at the Seattle home to arrest the man's father and that they took both men into custody. Ramirez Medina has a work permit under Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He's being held in Tacoma.\nAdams says the man is the first person he knows of with DACA status who has been detained." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) — The man fired from his radio DJ job for groping superstar Taylor Swift has been hired by a Mississippi radio station.\nThe Washington Post quotes Delta Radio CEO David Fuss as telling news outlets he believes David Mueller's side of the story and hired him because he sounds good on air.\nSwift sued Mueller for a dollar last year, saying he grabbing her bare backside while posing for photo. Mueller, who uses the last name \"Jackson\" on air, denies the allegation and started co-hosting a show on Monday called \"Jackson and Jonbob.\"\nMueller's hiring comes amid the #MeToo movement aimed at drawing attention to sexual assault and harassment. Fuss says the hiring decision was also \"maybe a tiny bit\" about publicity.\nNeither party has responded to the newspaper's requests for comment." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Olympic swimming gold medalist Grant Hackett was detained by police on Australia's Gold Coast on Wednesday after his father called for help.\nHackett's brother, Craig, said the family was struggling to cope with the 36-year-old retired swimmer's mental health issues.\n\"The whole family have done everything that we can but now it's kind of out of our hands,\" Craig Hackett was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press. \"The Grant Hackett that Australia fell in love with, they can still have that affection toward him. This is not 'Grant Hackett.'\"\nCraig Hackett said his younger brother's personality had become almost unrecognizable.\n\"This is a completely different person,\" Craig Hackett said. \"I don't know this person, my mum and dad don't know this person. He's there in body, but he's not there in mind, soul or spirit.\"\nHackett's father, former police detective Neville, called police to his Gold Coast home around noon Wednesday after two-time Olympic 1,500-meter freestyle champion became agitated and aggressive.\nThe former swimming star agreed to go with police and was later released, but not before the episode had made national news.\n\"This is now a chronic problem and it looks like it's not going to go away in a hurry,\" Craig Hackett said. \"From a mental health perspective I hope something can be done.\n\"To see someone who is so dominant and had the world at his feet to now, really we don't know what's going to happen — it doesn't look encouraging.\"\nHackett had a high profile as a swimmer and TV personality after winning gold in the 1,500 at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics, holding the world record in the event, and finishing with silver at Beijing in 2008.\nAfter his TV career unraveled following a series of out-of-competition troubles, he tried to make a comeback for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last year but didn't qualify for the Australian team.\nLast April, he publicly apologized for a drunken incident on a flight home from the Australian Olympic trials when he was accused of groping a male passenger who reclined the seat in front of him.\nHackett admitted he'd been drinking alcohol before the flight and would seek help to quit.\nHe said his career was tarnished by \"pure stupidity, making poor decisions at crucial times in my life\" and he felt \"a huge amount of regret.\"\nHackett said he struggled being back in the public spotlight after six years away from competitive swimming, leading to \"unacceptable\" and \"embarrassing\" actions.\n\"I have to live with that. It is very difficult. A deep sense of shame, guilt, embarrassment, of regret, I am so sorry for my actions and the people it has impacted,\" he said.\nHackett traveled to the United States in 2014 to undergo treatment for a dependency on the sleeping medication Stilnox. His stint in rehabilitation followed the publication of a photograph of him partially nude and disoriented at a Melbourne hotel, searching for his young son, and the very public breakup of his marriage." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON (AP) — British package holiday travelers used to having to rush to secure poolside lounge chairs first thing in the morning can now sleep in.\nTravel company Thomas Cook is offering to reserve poolside chairs for a fee of 25 euros ($31) per person per stay, sparing its guests the morning dash to put a towel on a lounger to claim it for the day.\nBritish travelers to southern Europe have long complained that diehard sun worshippers — especially the German ones — get up early and claim loungers as soon as hotel pools open and hog the spaces all day, even when they aren't beside the water. Videos on social media have captured moments that resemble stampedes as pools open and guests race in, tossing towels on choice spots.\nThe Sun tabloid splashed the story on its front page Monday, showing a poolside lounge chair draped in a Union Jack with the headline \"Brits beat Germans by booking sunbeds. Wish you were here?\"\nJust to show the feeling is mutual, the Germans counter that the Brits are the real sun lounge lizards. The popular newspaper Bild, for example, noted \"Wait a minute: the Brits are worse than the Germans, aren't they?\"\nThomas Cook, the British travel company credited with inventing the package holiday, points no fingers, sticking with careful neutrality.\nInstead, the company insists its policy is about choice. Anyone can pay for a little marker on the poolside chair that denotes a reserved seat. The plan should cover 30 hotels by the summer.\nThomas Cook says the loungers will be displayed on a map featuring a compass to help people determine whether certain areas will be in the sun or shade at different times of day. Only a portion of loungers will be bookable, so travelers who don't want to pay extra can vie for sunny spots in the poolside equivalent of open seating — just like before.\n\"Traditional package holidays are a thing of the past,\" said Thomas Cook's U.K. Managing Director Chris Mottershead. \"Holidaymakers today want to personalize their package, mixing and matching the elements that best fit their needs and lifestyle.\"" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in North Korea on Thursday for talks with senior officials.\nThe visit comes amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts by Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington to restore a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore but later canceled by Trump.\nWhat happened\nLavrov met with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho and others at the Supreme People's Assembly building in the North Korean capital.\nLavrov and his deputy Igor Morgulov paid their respects at a monument to Soviet soldiers in Pyongyang's Moranbong Park.\nThe Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier Lavrov and Ri were expected to discuss \"vital issues of bilateral relations and key international and regional issues.\"\nFurther details of Lavrov's schedule in Pyongyong were not disclosed.\nap/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters)\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "CINCINNATI (AP) — Police near Cincinnati say the mother of a 10-month-old girl sat her down in a car seat on a driveway and then apparently forgot she was there and backed a vehicle over the child, who later died.\nPolice say it appears to be a tragic accident that occurred midday Tuesday in Union Township, just east of Cincinnati in Clermont County.\nTownship police say the woman left her younger child on the driveway while tending to an older child in the vehicle, then started to drive and hit the younger child. Police say the girl was rushed by helicopter to a children's hospital but died Tuesday evening.\nInvestigators haven't publicly identified the family involved. The incident remains under investigation." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "Bernhard Langer has compiled 36 victories and just over $25 million in earnings on the PGA Tour Champions, and he is a seven-time player of the year. It might help the others if the 60-year-old German takes a week off every now and then.\n\"Sometimes they say, 'Why don't you take a week off?' I joke back and say, 'If you pay me some disappearance fee, I might.' But I haven't received any yet,\" Langer said Monday while previewing the Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Michigan.\nLeave it to Langer's son to arrange that.\nLanger revealed that he won't be able to defend his title on May 24-27 because his youngest son, 18-year-old Jason, is graduating from high school that weekend.\n\"Family always comes first in my life, so I've got to be there to support him, to celebrate him moving on to college,\" Langer said.\nHe said his son will attend Penn's Wharton School of Business and plans to play golf.\n\"I wouldn't want to miss that,\" Langer said. \"I'm going to miss competing for this, but hopefully, there will be more chances in the future.\"\nLanger won last year at Trump National outside Washington to complete the career Grand Slam on the 50-and-older circuit.\nA year ago, Phil Mickelson sat out the U.S. Open at Erin Hills went his second-oldest daughter graduated from high school. Corey Pavin nearly had the same conflict in 2005 for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, but he flew cross-country after his opening round Thursday and caught a redeye back to North Carolina for his second round.\nTOP 60 LOOMS\nPatton Kizzire already has two PGA Tour victories this season and is No. 2 in the FedEx Cup. That still might not be enough to avoid qualifying for the U.S. Open.\nThe USGA in 2012 eliminated its exemption for multiple winners on the PGA Tour from the previous U.S. Open when it revamped its criteria that focused more on the top 60 in the world ranking. Kizzire is at No. 57 this week.\nThe cutoff for being among the top 60 is on May 21, after the AT&T Byron Nelson. There also is another cutoff for the top 60 on June 11, the final ranking going into the U.S. Open on June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills.\nChief among the prominent names not yet eligible is Adam Scott, who has played in 67 consecutive majors dating to the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Scott, who missed the cut last week in the Texas Open, is at No. 64.\nAlexander Levy of France moved up 19 spots to No. 47 with his victory last week on the European Tour, and that might be enough to secure his spot.\nAmong those near the top 60 with three tournaments remaining — the Zurich Classic in New Orleans does not offer world ranking points as a team event — are Luke List and Thomas Pieters (tied at No. 54), Bernd Wiesberger (No. 60), Ryan Moore (No. 62), Charles Howell III (No. 63) and former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (No. 65). Schwartzel has played in every major dating to the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.\nThe winner of The Players Championship in three weeks gets a three-year exemption.\nNIEMANN'S DEBUT\nJoaquin Niemann already has shown a knack for the big occasion this year.\nThe 19-year-old from Chile thought he was playing his final round as an amateur in January until he shot a 63 in the last round to win the Latin American Amateur Championship, which got him into the Masters.\nHe delayed turning pro to play at Augusta National. And in his pro debut, Niemann shot 67-67 on the weekend to finish sixth in the Texas Open. The top-10 finish will get him into the Wells Fargo Championship next week at Quail Hollow, along with giving him a big start toward earning special temporary membership on the PGA Tour and having access to unlimited sponsor exemptions.\nHe has 100 FedEx Cup points and needs 365 to earn special temporary membership. Niemann says he already has received exemptions for the AT&T Byron Nelson and the Memorial.\n\"I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence to try to do my card for this year,\" Niemann said. \"Thing is, I've got a couple more tournaments coming and I just can't wait for it.\"\nNiemann also is exempt into the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying. He gave that up from his Latin American Amateur victory by turning pro, but the U.S. Open exempts Mark H. McCormack Medal winners (No. 1 in the world amateur ranking) into sectional qualifying if they no longer are amateur.\nSCOTT'S SCHEDULING\nAdam Scott tends to play less rather than more, though he's not opposed to making it up as he goes along depending on the mood and the game. That's one reason he chose to play the Texas Open coming off a 70-71 weekend at the Masters.\nIt didn't work out as Scott played in the windy side of the draw in San Antonio, didn't play particularly well and missed the cut.\nBut it reminded him of an occasion 10 years ago, when he tied for 25th at the Masters with a reasonable performance. He flew home to Australia and played golf with some of his friends. And he was playing well.\n\"And I'm like, 'Why am I wasting my good golf on you guys?'\" Scott said. \"So I flew back the next week to Dallas and won the Byron Nelson. Kind of one of those things where you can't be so stubborn. I'm trying to be really in tune with where my game's at and identify why I'm just not having better results. To change that, I've got to change something. Otherwise, I'm just going to do the same thing.\"\nDIVOTS\nLuke Donald is stepping away to try to heal an ailing back. Donald, a former world No. 1 who hasn't won since the end of 2013 in Japan, said on Twitter that he has been trying to play with back pain for the last few months and has decided to get treatment and take time off to recover. \"Gutted about this but I'm fully committed to getting back out onto the course,\" he tweeted. ... CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz will receive the Ambassador of Golf Award this year at the Bridgestone Invitational. He joins two former colleagues, producer Frank Chirkinian and lead analyst Ken Venturi, in receiving the award. ... The LPGA Tour is back in Los Angeles and San Francisco, giving California 12 tournaments on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions combined. ... Inbee Park has returned to No. 1 in the world in women's golf. Five players were at No. 1 since Park last topped the ranking in October 2015.\nSTAT OF THE WEEK\nThe Zurich Classic is the first time the four reigning major champions are at the same tournament since the Tour Championship.\nFINAL WORD\n\"I feel like a veteran right now. I feel like a tour player now. I know I can beat these guys and just going to wait for my week and try to win.\" — Joaquin Niemann after finishing sixth in his professional debut at the Texas Open." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — A 21-year-old North Carolina man suffered severe burns after falling into a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park.\nPark officials say Gervais Dylan Gatete of Raleigh, an employee of park concessionaire Xanterra Parks and Resorts, fell into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin just north of Old Faithful late Tuesday.\nGatete was with seven other people when he fell. The group flagged down a ranger, Gatete was taken by ambulance to the airport in West Yellowstone, Montana, and he was flown a Salt Lake City burn hospital.\nPark spokeswoman Morgan Warthin says the incident is still under investigation. She did not know Gatete's medical condition.\nThis is the first serious injury in a thermal area in Yellowstone this year. Last June, a man left the boardwalk and died after falling into a hot spring in the Norris Geyser Basin." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on disclosures the Kushner Cos. filed false documents with the New York City (all times local):\n11:50 a.m.\nA New York City official is launching an investigation into falsified documents filed by the Kushner Cos. with the city, saying that they should have been discovered earlier because the documents were hidden in plain sight.\nCouncilman Ritchie Torres says that the Department of Buildings should have spotted the falsified numbers because paperwork at the city taxation agency contradicted those them. The Associated Press reported Sunday that a tenant rights watchdog group found that the Kushner Cos. had filed more than 80 documents stating that it had no rent-regulated units in its buildings. It had hundreds.\nThe falsified documents allowed the Kushner Cos. to escape extra scrutiny during construction projects that the watchdog group said led to harassment of rent regulated tenants.\n------\n1 a.m.\nJared Kushner's family real estate company routinely has filed false documents with New York City claiming it had no rent-regulated tenants in its buildings when, in fact, it had hundreds.\nDocuments compiled by a tenants' rights group and shared with The Associated Press show the Kushner Cos. filed at least 80 construction applications over three years claiming it had zero rent-regulated tenants in 34 buildings. Tax records show those buildings actually had more than 300 rent-regulated units.\nTenant advocates say the tactic is used by landlords to avoid protections that prevent them from forcing out low-paying tenants.\nThe Kushner Cos. says it outsources the preparations of such documents and fixes any mistakes immediately. Records show the company did file some amended documents, often more than a year later." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--, a global procurement intelligence advisory firm, has announced the release of their ‘ .’ The insights and data in this report provide a strategic analysis of the supply markets, factors influencing purchasing decisions, procurement best practices, pricing models, supplier landscape, and an analysis of the supplier capability matrix for the . This report breaks down the data and analysis behind the procurement of pharmaceutical packaging equipment and acts as an all-inclusive guide for making smart purchasing decisions.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006252/en/\nPharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Report\n“The rapidly growing CRO and biopharma industries worldwide drive the growth of the global pharmaceutical packaging equipment market,” says SpendEdge procurement analyst Bhuvaneshwari Udayakumar. “APAC is considered as a major contributor to the market, owing to the increasing foreign investments in the region,” added Bhuvaneshwari.\nLooking for more insights from this report?\nSpendEdge sample reports are free of charge and provide insights that focus on cost-saving aspects of procurement and optimization of category spend.\nProcurement analysts at SpendEdge highlight the following top three market trends that are contributing to the growth of the Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment Market:\nRising popularity of modular platforms with integrated packaging technologies Increasing equipment automation Increasing equipment automation\nThis report is available at USD 1000 discount for a limited time only:\nRising popularity of modular platforms with integrated packaging technologies\nIn the pharmaceutical packaging equipment category, the suppliers are focusing on manufacturing modular equipment that is compact and equipped with the latest packaging technologies. It helps the buyers gain faster and efficient automated packaging solutions.\nIncreasing equipment automation\nGlobally, the suppliers are incorporating high levels of automation in their equipment such as robotics. This helps the buyers to obtain clarifications regarding environment-friendly practices.\nIncreasing development of production lines for small batch size\nThe suppliers in the market are increasingly adopting practices for manufacturing equipment that produces smaller lot sizes. This practices also help the buyers reduce amortization and storage costs.\nto gain detailed insights into the current market trends.\nGet unlimited access to all our reports. Our Insights platform provides ready-to-use procurement research reports, latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button.\nWe also reports to meet clients’ requirements.\nRelated Reports:\nAbout SpendEdge\nSpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are a preferred procurement market intelligence partner for Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence that helps sourcing and procurement professionals make informed decisions. These innovative procurement solutions help enterprises transform structural capabilities, improve execution efficiency, and fast-track time to savings.\nView source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006252/en/\nCONTACT: SpendEdge\nAnirban Choudhury\nMarketing Consultant\nUS: +1 630 984 7340\nhello@spendedge.com\nKEYWORD:\nINDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING PACKAGING\nSOURCE: SpendEdge\nCopyright Business Wire 2018.\nPUB: 04/24/2018 04:31 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 04:31 PM\nhttp://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006252/en" ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (AP) — A man is accused of hitting another man with a machete during a road-rage incident in Florida.\nA Zephyrhills police report says 34-year-old Jonathan Bailey was arrested Tuesday night outside a Wal-Mart store.\nThe Tampa Bay Times reports that Bailey pulled his car up beside the victim's vehicle and \"swung a sword,\" cutting the man's hand.\nThe victim told officers the incident happened because he had cut Bailey off in traffic earlier. Bailey told police he used a machete but only because the other driver was following him.\nBailey was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and remained in jail Wednesday on a $10,000 bond. A lawyer wasn't listed in jail records.\nThe victim had a cut on his hand between his thumb and index finger." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress to extend by one year the martial law he declared in the south to ensure the \"total eradication\" of pro-Islamic State group extremists.\nDuterte warned that extremists continue to plot public uprisings aimed at establishing a caliphate in Southeast Asia despite a failed but disastrous attempt to set up one in the southern Philippines.\nDuterte said in a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives that extending his martial law declaration in the south through the end of 2018 would allow government forces to press offensives against other armed groups, including the brutal Abu Sayyaf group and communist guerrillas, who have intensified their attacks.\nA copy of the president's letter was made available to reporters Monday." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A government safety panel on Monday urged the temporary shutdown of twin oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac until their operator can finish inspections and repair coating gaps, after some members expressed concerns over a recent deal between the state and Enbridge Inc.\nThe Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board approved the non-binding resolution after members of Gov. Rick Snyder's administration who sit on the panel abstained from voting. Other non-binding resolutions call for temporarily halting the flow of oil during storms that produce sustained waves at least 3 feet (0.9 meter) high for longer than an hour, instead of an 8-foot (2.4-meter) threshold included in the agreement, and recommended that a \"more robust\" study of alternatives to Line 5 be completed.\nThe agreement, announced Nov. 27, sets an Aug. 15 deadline for determining the future of the nearly 5-mile-long (8-kilometer) segment beneath the channel where Lakes Huron and Michigan converge. Options include shutting down the pipeline or routing it through a tunnel beneath the lakebed where it now rests.\nBecause five or six members of the 16-person board voted for the measures while many others abstained, there was confusion over whether they had passed. Co-chairwoman Valerie Brader, executive director of the Michigan Agency for Energy, said she expected the Republican governor's administration to consider the resolutions as advisory while also taking note of the number of abstentions.\nBoard member Jennifer McKay of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council said she hopes the governor gives the resolutions \"due consideration\" and seeks amendments to the deal. Although the federal government regulates oil pipelines, Michigan owns the lake bottom and in 1953 granted an easement to the Canadian company allowing the pipeline to go there.\n\"We know we have coating gaps. It's a violation of the easement and it only makes sense to shut down the pipeline until Enbridge can adequately address and fix the coating issues to ensure we don't have any type of rupture or leak,\" she said.\nThe line transports about 23 million gallons (87 million liters) daily between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.\nAt least four board members expressed frustration that Snyder struck the agreement without their input, contending it short-circuited the public process and signals that tunneling the pipeline is ultimately the state's preference. State officials on the board, however, said the deal is an interim one and is not intended to \"prejudge\" the fate of the pipeline.\n\"Certainly apologies if there was any perceived disrespect,\" said Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh. \"As we heard about the entire length of the pipeline, there were some measures put into place ... to ensure that there was a higher standard essentially in the interim as this board contemplates the future of Line 5.\"\nWhile not ruling out a permanent shutdown, the agreement includes a series of steps intended to boost the underwater pipes' safety. Enbridge agreed to evaluate three options by June for routing the underwater segment through a tunnel or trench, on or beneath the lakebed — either using the existing pipes or building a new one.\nThe company promised steps to prevent the lines from being damaged by a ship anchor, expedite monitoring of the pipelines with cameras or other devices, and speed up methods for detecting potential ruptures and responding to spills.\nAdditionally, Enbridge said it would replace another section of Line 5 beneath the St. Clair River where it crosses the U.S.-Canadian border with a new pipe inside a tunnel after receiving federal and state permits.\n___\nFollow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert ." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor has signed a law meant to speed and encourage adoptions, partly by allowing unmarried couples to adopt children in the socially conservative U.S. territory.\nThe law also allows biological mothers to hand over a newborn to hospitals without facing charges of child abandonment.\nAnd the law signed will create a central registry of people seeking to adopt a child. It aims to streamline the process so children can be placed with their adoptive parents within two months.\nThe measure was submitted by Puerto Rico House of Representatives President Carlos Mendez. He is adopted and has said that his case took 19 years to resolve under old laws.\nMost U.S. states require couples to be married if they jointly adopt children." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }

{ "text": [ "PARIS (AP) — Survivors and families of victims of the deadly 2015 attack on Paris' Bataclan concert hall have brought a case before France's administrative court to find out why French soldiers stationed nearby were ordered not to intervene when Islamic State gunmen stormed the venue.\nThe new procedure Wednesday seeks to expose who was responsible in the French government for the soldiers' actions. It comes one month after victims filed a legal complaint with the same goal.\nDuring the attacks, eight soldiers standing near the Bataclan as part of an internal security operation were ordered not to use their weapons. The government later clarified the rules of engagement for its military in similar situations.\nThe attack on the Bataclan and other Paris venues on Nov. 13, 2015, killed 130 people and wounded hundreds." ], "answer_start": [ 0 ] }