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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Noted UAE-based businessman and philanthropist, Dr. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty announced the creation of “Finablr”, a new holding company which, subject to regulatory approvals, will consolidate his global portfolio of financial services brands under one single umbrella. Incorporated in the UK, Finablr will provide strategic direction and oversight for the category-leading brands across its network. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005741/en/ Finablr Leadership Team (L-R): Binay Shetty (Executive Director, Finablr), Dr. B.R. Shetty (Founder and Chairman, Finablr) and Promoth Manghat (Executive Director, Finablr) (Photo: AETOSWire) Finablr also seeks to drive financial enablement and empowerment by accelerating customer-focused technology innovation through R&D efforts, industry ecosystem engagements, investments and potential acquisitions. As a diversified network, Finablr will combine the cumulative industry expertise of its trusted network brands including UAE Exchange, Travelex, Xpress Money etc. to deliver innovative-technology-driven and market-leading experiences. As a platform of complementary capabilities, the Finablr network will facilitate seamless and connected experiences for individuals and enterprises. With over four decades of industry experience, 18,000+ employees, and handling more than 150 Million customer transactions annually, the Finablr network brands boast an impressive global footprint. Collectively touching over a billion lives through its retail stores, agents and digital channels, the Finablr network brands have a direct presence in 45 countries and a network reach across 165 countries. Technology innovation and integration into the new economy is key to Finablr’s growth strategy. Commenting on the announcement, Finablr Founder and Chairman, Dr. B.R. Shetty, said: “Finablr is driven by our desire to lead the evolution of the financial services industry to meet the customer demands of tomorrow. Our strength comes from over four decades of trust that we have built with our customers through a track record of innovation and excellence in service. Through investment in research and technology, we will bring forth game-changing products and services across our portfolio of brands, to ensure we maintain our competitive edge. We are inspired by our customers and Finablr will focus on creating an engaged customer community.” Binay Shetty, Executive Director at Finablr, explained: “Finablr will bring together the strengths across its network brands and investments in digital technologies to build scalable, cost-efficient customer propositions to enable and empower them. We see Finablr as an innovation platform that converges the strengths and capabilities of our network companies and a range of ecosystem partners. In effect, we are bringing together leading-edge capabilities across people, processes and technology.” In its efforts to embrace new technologies that transform the way customers and businesses engage, Finablr is setting up Innovation Hubs ( i-Hubs ) across its global network. i-Hubs will identify disruptive trends in the industry and implement innovations that deliver enhanced business benefits to its network of brands. Through its investment arm, Finablr will seek to acquire capabilities that complement its portfolio through inorganic pursuits. The Finablr investment arm will continue the inorganic pursuits on behalf of its network brands, including strategic investments and acquisitions plans (of USD 250-300 Million) announced by UAE Exchange. , Executive Director at Finablr, added: “As a network of category-leading and trusted brands, Finablr is uniquely positioned to lead the future of financial services for a seamless world. Keeping the innovation agenda squarely in sight, we have started our journey by collaborating with strategic partners and globally-renowned industry accelerator programmes. The formation of i-Hubs builds upon our early investments in technology and accelerates our pace in delivering cutting-edge solutions. Moreover, on the investment front, we are constantly on the lookout for the right opportunities that help further our innovation efforts be it on the industry capability or the technology side.” Finablr has also announced the intent to rebrand the non-UAE operations of UAE Exchange as “Unimoni. Short for “Universal Money”, Unimoni will offer a broad spectrum of financial services and will build on the brand equity and legacy of UAE Exchange. *Source: View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005741/en/ CONTACT: Finablr Lahcen Aterta, +971-55-6611849 Manager Media Relations press.office@finablr.com KEYWORD: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA MIDDLE EAST INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: Finablr Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 08:55 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 08:55 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005741/en

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is proposing Iran resume its uranium enrichment in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran. Ali Akbar Velayati was quoted Wednesday by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying Iran is "capable to spin centrifuges for enrichment" to higher levels should it choose to do so. Velayati says Iran should also accelerate production of nuclear propulsions and also research on advanced centrifuges. He claimed this wouldn't violate the nuclear deal which put limits on Iran's atomic program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. In the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the deal, several Iranian officials have indicated Tehran could resume its nuclear program.

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 50 28 18 4 60 155 134 17-7-1 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 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 Los Angeles 49 26 18 5 57 139 121 12-9-3 14-9-2 6-9-3 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 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 NOTE: 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. Monday's Games No games scheduled Tuesday's Games Minnesota 3, Columbus 2, SO Pittsburgh 5, San Jose 2 Florida 4, N.Y. Islanders 1 Anaheim 3, Boston 1 Carolina 2, Ottawa 1 New Jersey 3, Buffalo 1 Winnipeg 3, Tampa Bay 1 St. Louis 3, Montreal 1 Chicago at Nashville, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Vegas at Calgary, 9 p.m. Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Wednesday's Games N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Detroit, 8 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 8 p.m. Thursday's Games Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Montreal at Carolina, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m. Florida at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Vegas at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m. Dallas at Arizona, 9 p.m. Colorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Chicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Friday's Games Washington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Detroit at Carolina, 7 p.m. San Jose at Columbus, 7 p.m. Vegas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Leading Emirati rights activist Ahmed Mansoor has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 1 million dirhams, or about $272,000, by an appeals court in Abu Dhabi. The Dubai-based Gulf News reported on Wednesday that the defendant, identified as "AMS" by his initials, will also be under probation for three years after prison. Gulf News says Mansoor, who had a court-appointed lawyer, was convicted on Tuesday of defaming the United Arab Emirates on Twitter and Facebook by "publishing false information, rumors and lies ... that would damage the UAE's social harmony and unity." He was acquitted on charges of cooperating with a "terrorist organization" outside the country. Human Rights Watch condemned the sentencing, saying it exposes UAE's inability "to tolerate the mildest of criticisms from a genuine reformer."

ROME (AP) — Italian police have dismantled an international ring trafficking in what prosecutors allege are thousands of ancient artifacts illegally excavated in Sicily. Maj. Luigi Mancuso, in Palermo for the Carabinieri paramilitary art squad, said Wednesday that investigators allege that the digs were commissioned by a London art dealer, William Veres, 64, who was served with an international warrant. Twenty Italians were arrested in Italy, one in Spain, and one in Germany. Mancuso said Veres had been arrested in 2017 in Spain in an unrelated investigation by the Carabinieri art experts. Some 20,000 objects recovered included ancient coins, statues and pottery, as well as fake artifacts. Police say many objects were smuggled into Germany, where they were falsely labeled as legitimate and offered by auction houses in Munich.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it is reopening its embassy in Jordan after the two countries put a monthslong diplomatic spat behind them. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said on Tuesday that there will be a "gradual reopening" of the embassy in Amman but that no ambassador has been appointed yet. The embassy was closed after a shooting last summer there in which two Jordanians were killed. Israel's ambassador returned to Israel along with the guard involved in the shooting. The guard claimed self-defense and received a hero's welcome at home, angering Jordanians. The incident ruptured relations between the countries which signed a peace agreement in 1994 and cooperate on security and other issues. Israel has since reportedly expressed regret for the incident and offered compensation to the victims.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The air in Kaohsiung is covered with haze and low visibility as a thick layer of smog shrouded the city's 85 Sky Tower today (Dec.12), and the public is advised to avoid exposure to the unhealthy air, reported CNA. Out of the 12 EPA stations situated in Kaohsiung city, 11 flashed a red alert for a high index of air pollution, with the highest in Qianjin and Qianzhen districts (AQI159) of the city. Other districts are also reported red and orange levels of pollution. A red alert with the air quality index (AQI) exceeding 150 is considered "unhealthy for everyone," and members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The EPA reminds people in the city to avoid outdoor activities. If it is necessary to go outside, it is advisable to wear a protective mask, and people who have asthma may need to increase the frequency of their use of an inhaler.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say the death toll from two days of heavy monsoon rains in eastern Pakistan has risen to 15. The heaviest rains seen in Lahore since 1980 continued into Wednesday, flooding streets and causing some residents to join small demonstrations against local authorities. Rescue officials and police confirmed the death toll, saying most deaths were caused by electrocution and homes caving in. Pakistan has long struggled to cope with the annual monsoon rains, which trigger flash floods and mud slides that destroy homes.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek prosecutor has ordered an investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement in the local branch of UNICEF. UNICEF said last week it was "terminating its arrangements" with its national committee in Greece "due to concerns arising out of a recent independent audit." UNICEF said in a statement it has concluded that "the necessary reforms" in the Greek committee won't be achieved. It offered no further details. An Athens prosecutor ordered the probe Tuesday following claims by the head of UNICEF's Greek committee that an audit of the local branch's finances revealed alleged mismanagement. UNICEF has said it will continue its work with children in Greece through its regional office for Europe and central Asia, in collaboration with the Greek government and civil society partners.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't expect designer babies any time soon — but a major new ethics report leaves open the possibility of one day altering human heredity to fight genetic diseases, with stringent oversight, using new tools that precisely edit genes inside living cells. What's called genome editing already is transforming biological research, and being used to develop treatments for patients struggling with a range of diseases. The science is nowhere near ready for a huge next step that raises ethical questions — altering sperm, eggs or embryos so that babies don't inherit a disease that runs in the family, says a report Tuesday from the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine. But if scientists learn how to safely pass alterations of the genetic code to future generations, the panel said "germline" editing could be attempted under strict criteria, including that it targets a serious disease with no reasonable alternative and is conducted under rigorous oversight. "Caution is absolutely needed, but being cautious does not mean prohibition," said bioethicist R. Alta Charo of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "This committee is not saying we will or should do germline — heritable — editing. What we are saying is that we can identify a set of strict conditions under which it would be permissible to do it," Charo added. "But we are far, far away from being ready to try." Genome editing should not go beyond healing the sick and enhance traits such as physical strength, what's commonly called "designer babies," the panel stressed. But the public should get involved in these debates now, to say what might one day be acceptable. The long-awaited report offers advice — the prestigious academies cannot set policy. But it is considered a step toward creating international norms for responsible development of this powerful technology. The U.S. National Academies and its counterparts in Britain and China have been holding international meetings with the hope of doing just that. "Genome editing is a new tool for gene therapy and it has tremendous promise," Charo said. But, she added, it has to be pursued in a way that promotes well-being and is responsible, respectful and fair. Genome editing is essentially a biological version of cut-and-paste software, allowing scientists to turn genes on or off, repair or modify them inside living cells. There are a few older methods but one with the wonky name CRISPR-Cas9 is so much faster, cheaper and simpler to use that it has spurred an explosion of research. Under development are ways to treat a range of diseases from sickle cell and hemophilia to cancer. In lab experiments using human cells or animals engineered with humanlike e disorders, scientists are unraveling how gene defects fuel disease — and are even trying to grow transplantable human organs inside pigs. That kind of research is very promising, is adequately regulated today and should continue at full speed, the National Academies panel concluded. When it comes to the more sci fi-sounding uses, it's quite possible scientists will learn how to perform germline editing in five to 10 years, said panel co-chair Richard Hynes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Safety is one reason for caution, he said, as scientists will have to learn whether editing one gene has unwanted downstream effects. Some critics argue that families plagued by inherited diseases already have other alternatives — adopt, use donated eggs, or undergo in vitro fertilization and discard resulting embryos that inherit the bad gene. But Charo noted that sometimes parents carry two copies of a lethal gene, guaranteeing any children inherit it. Others oppose the discarding of embryos for religious reasons. For some families, "you can see there would be strong arguments for doing it" if the other criteria are met, said Robin Lovell-Badge of Britain's Francis Crick Institute. Some countries prohibit any germline editing research. Others, such as Britain, allow laboratory research with genome editing in embryos, not for pregnancy but to understand human development. In the U.S., scientists can perform laboratory embryo research only with private, not government, funding. Any attempt at pregnancy would require permission from the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently prohibited from using federal funds to review any such request. "The bottom line is there is no planetary government with enforcement power," Charo noted Tuesday.

SEATTLE (AP) — From the fourth floor of a striking rainforest-like conservatory built of glass and white steel in downtown Seattle, Amazon.com boss Jeff Bezos turned toward the top of his newest headquarters building to summon his favorite assistant. In a proud little show on Monday for the media and dignitaries — which also doubled as product placement for Amazon's voice assistant — the world's richest man ordered out loud, symbolically: "Alexa, open The Spheres." The domed structure is only steps away from the executive office tower where Bezos leads the online retail behemoth. It's part of the company's urban campus near downtown Seattle that is largely made up of unmarked office buildings where more than 40,000 people report to work. The four-story Spheres structure from the outside looks like three connected glass orbs planted into the ground in a caterpillar shape. Lighting mimics a position near the equator, with 12 hours of shade and sun. During the day, the interior is maintained at 72 degrees with 60 percent humidity, to emulate a cloud forest ecosystem. Amazon's Amazonesque rainforest-like conservatory is now home to more than 40,000 plants from 50 countries on five continents. Its centerpiece is a 50-foot (15.2-meter) fig tree. Most plants will flower and some can yield fruit, though visitors must keep their hands off all plant life. About 90 percent of the plants were grown and tended to in a suburban greenhouse for years in anticipation for their permanent home in The Spheres. Though masked by nature, the sleek and minimalist "alternative work space" is also designed to make you forget you're at work, in a startup environment that is rumored to be aggressively demanding. "The idea is that we connect them with nature. We get them away from their normal desk environment so you don't see any desks or cubicles around," said Ron Gagliardo, Amazon's leading horticulturist. The corporate office space, however selfie-worthy, is already such a hit that the company had to create a reservation system to contain the flow of traffic for the time being. Employees will have to snag a reservation to get in but it's currently already booked out until April. The building has capacity for about 1,000 people but is more comfortable with about 800 at a time. Once inside, workers can use nooks with tables and chairs that can serve as a casual meeting space. Coffee breaks can be taken in a cafe and "picnic" area offering an interior reprieve from Seattle's unrelenting rainy season. Critics have called the Spheres a vanity project, illustrating Seattle's sometimes strained relationship with its largest employer. The company's presence has changed the local economy and raised its cost of living — but none of that was on show at the unveiling of the Spheres. Instead, Bezos received glowing praise from the governor, mayor and county officials for his recent commitments to the city's homelessness crisis plus a personal donation of $33 million to a scholarship foundation that helps immigrant youth in the country illegally. Bezos was coy when asked by The Associated Press whether the company's much-anticipated second headquarters to be built in an undetermined U.S. city will have another statement building space like the Spheres, saying: "We'll see." ___ Follow Sally Ho at https://twitter.com/_sallyho

Global Forecast as of 12:00 GMT Monday, December 11, 2017 _____ City/Town, Country;Monday's Weather Condition;Monday's High Temp (C);Monday's Low Temp (C);Tuesday's Weather Condition;Tuesday's High Temp (C);Tuesday's Low Temp (C);Tuesday's Wind Direction;Tuesday's Wind Speed (KPH);Tuesday's Humidity (%);Tuesday's Chance of Precip. (%);Tuesday's UV Index Abidjan, Ivory Coast;Partly sunny;33;25;A shower or two;31;25;SSW;9;69%;74%;8 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;Partly sunny;25;19;Partly sunny, breezy;25;17;NW;28;57%;0%;4 Aleppo, Syria;Sunny;13;3;Mostly sunny;16;4;NE;12;50%;0%;3 Algiers, Algeria;Plenty of clouds;20;10;Cloudy and cooler;13;8;SSW;9;71%;66%;1 Amsterdam, Netherlands;A little p.m. rain;2;-1;Rain and snow shower;3;-1;SSW;14;87%;63%;1 Anchorage, United States;Cloudy;6;0;An afternoon shower;4;0;NNE;12;74%;79%;0 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan;Plenty of sun;10;-2;Sunny, but chilly;7;-2;ESE;9;56%;8%;2 Astana, Kazakhstan;Cold with snow;-12;-14;Partly sunny, cold;-11;-19;ENE;9;69%;21%;1 Asuncion, Paraguay;Lots of sun, warm;35;20;Sunny and very warm;35;21;E;11;36%;0%;13 Athens, Greece;Sunny;15;8;Mostly sunny;18;9;W;7;69%;13%;2 Auckland, New Zealand;Brief a.m. showers;23;18;A shower in places;24;17;SW;19;60%;49%;11 Baghdad, Iraq;Plenty of sunshine;19;6;Abundant sunshine;19;6;NW;21;41%;0%;3 Banda Aceh, Indonesia;Showers, mainly late;34;23;Partly sunny;31;22;E;8;69%;42%;8 Bangalore, India;Mostly sunny, nice;29;17;Becoming cloudy;29;18;ESE;6;61%;25%;6 Bangkok, Thailand;Partly sunny;34;25;A shower in places;33;26;S;9;65%;55%;5 Barcelona, Spain;Windy, morning rain;16;5;Partly sunny;12;3;NNW;16;65%;44%;2 Beijing, China;Sunshine, but chilly;2;-7;Partly sunny, chilly;-1;-8;NNE;9;13%;4%;2 Belgrade, Serbia;Not as cool;13;8;Clouds and sun, mild;16;7;SSE;15;66%;28%;2 Berlin, Germany;Mostly cloudy;4;3;Rain and snow shower;6;-1;WSW;25;70%;74%;0 Bogota, Colombia;A few showers;19;8;A stray shower;19;7;NW;9;73%;63%;5 Brasilia, Brazil;A t-storm, cooler;23;18;A t-storm in spots;25;18;N;10;74%;65%;4 Bratislava, Slovakia;Warmer;13;9;Showers around;11;2;WNW;16;76%;85%;0 Brussels, Belgium;Chilly with rain;4;0;Rain and snow shower;3;0;SSW;14;82%;55%;1 Bucharest, Romania;Sunny intervals;8;0;Mostly sunny, mild;11;4;WSW;11;72%;0%;2 Budapest, Hungary;Warmer;12;8;Showers around;15;3;NNW;16;60%;85%;2 Buenos Aires, Argentina;Sunny and cooler;23;17;High clouds, warmer;29;20;NE;16;48%;0%;5 Bujumbura, Burundi;A t-storm around;29;18;Partly sunny, warm;33;17;SSW;7;35%;42%;11 Busan, South Korea;Partly sunny, colder;4;-5;Mostly sunny, cold;2;-2;NW;17;46%;0%;3 Cairo, Egypt;High clouds, breezy;23;13;Sunshine and nice;25;14;N;11;45%;1%;3 Cape Town, South Africa;Increasing clouds;25;15;Mostly sunny;21;15;S;27;52%;11%;12 Caracas, Venezuela;Partly sunny;27;16;Nice with some sun;27;18;NE;5;59%;9%;7 Chennai, India;Partly sunny, nice;32;24;A shower in spots;32;23;SE;6;74%;52%;5 Chicago, United States;A bit of a.m. snow;5;-7;Partly sunny;-3;-9;NW;27;54%;49%;2 Colombo, Sri Lanka;Partly sunny;32;24;A t-storm in spots;30;24;ENE;9;75%;86%;7 Copenhagen, Denmark;Inc. clouds;2;1;A snow shower;2;0;W;14;92%;87%;0 Dakar, Senegal;Turning cloudy;28;21;Partly sunny;26;21;N;22;54%;0%;6 Dallas, United States;Sunny and mild;24;5;Sunny and cooler;14;3;WSW;14;42%;2%;3 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;Mostly cloudy;31;24;Some sun, a shower;31;25;NNE;19;79%;53%;9 Delhi, India;Clouds and sun;24;12;Hazy sun;23;10;NW;7;69%;1%;4 Denver, United States;Mostly sunny, mild;15;0;Sunny and mild;18;2;SW;10;18%;2%;2 Dhaka, Bangladesh;Warmer;30;21;Rather cloudy;30;19;NE;8;67%;3%;3 Dili, East Timor;A shower;35;23;An afternoon shower;33;23;SSW;6;65%;60%;11 Dublin, Ireland;Partly sunny, chilly;4;-1;Rain and drizzle;6;3;W;18;91%;84%;1 Dushanbe, Tajikistan;Plenty of sun;8;-1;Clouds and sun;7;-2;NNE;9;40%;40%;2 Gibraltar, Gibraltar;Pouring morning rain;18;8;Mostly sunny;14;9;NNW;14;65%;2%;3 Hanoi, Vietnam;Cloudy;19;16;A shower or two;19;17;NNW;7;75%;88%;1 Harare, Zimbabwe;Rather cloudy;26;16;A little a.m. rain;25;17;NNE;11;59%;69%;9 Havana, Cuba;Mostly sunny;22;14;Mostly sunny;23;19;NW;12;53%;21%;3 Helsinki, Finland;Mostly cloudy;1;-1;Breezy with snow;4;-2;SW;26;94%;88%;0 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;Mostly sunny;32;23;A morning shower;32;23;SSE;9;68%;61%;7 Hong Kong, China;Sunny and pleasant;23;16;Partly sunny;20;16;ENE;12;56%;16%;4 Honolulu, United States;A passing shower;28;21;A shower or two;27;20;N;13;62%;81%;2 Hyderabad, India;Sunny and nice;30;15;Sunny and nice;31;17;ESE;7;35%;1%;5 Islamabad, Pakistan;Cooler with rain;17;8;Periods of rain;17;6;NNW;7;77%;83%;1 Istanbul, Turkey;Plenty of sunshine;14;11;Clouds and sun;16;11;SSW;11;67%;21%;2 Jakarta, Indonesia;Afternoon showers;32;24;Cloudy, downpours;32;24;SW;12;82%;88%;3 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;Mostly sunny, nice;30;22;Clouds and sun, nice;30;22;NNW;11;59%;0%;3 Johannesburg, South Africa;A t-storm in spots;23;14;Pleasant and warmer;28;15;NNW;16;49%;12%;14 Kabul, Afghanistan;Partly sunny;10;-3;Mostly sunny;8;-4;NNW;8;33%;37%;3 Karachi, Pakistan;Mostly sunny;26;12;Hazy sunshine;26;12;NW;10;17%;0%;4 Kathmandu, Nepal;Mostly sunny;23;6;Turning cloudy, nice;23;6;W;7;53%;2%;4 Khartoum, Sudan;Sunny and hot;36;20;Hot with sunshine;36;20;N;15;26%;0%;5 Kiev, Ukraine;Clouds and sun;4;3;Milder with some sun;10;4;SW;17;65%;20%;1 Kingston, Jamaica;Showers;28;25;Heavy showers;29;24;NNE;7;80%;96%;1 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo;A thunderstorm;31;23;More clouds than sun;32;23;W;9;69%;72%;8 Kolkata, India;Mostly cloudy;30;19;Partly sunny;30;18;S;7;71%;1%;4 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;A p.m. t-storm;30;25;A p.m. t-storm;31;25;WNW;7;79%;86%;4 La Paz, Bolivia;A t-storm in spots;16;3;A t-storm in spots;16;3;ENE;14;52%;55%;15 Lagos, Nigeria;Partly sunny;31;24;A shower in places;30;25;SSW;11;77%;63%;7 Lima, Peru;More clouds than sun;22;18;Mostly cloudy;23;18;SSE;14;70%;37%;11 Lisbon, Portugal;A passing shower;14;8;Mostly sunny;14;8;NNE;16;66%;4%;2 London, United Kingdom;Afternoon snow;3;-4;Partly sunny, cold;2;0;SSW;11;81%;57%;1 Los Angeles, United States;Mostly sunny;28;12;Plenty of sunshine;28;13;NNE;7;13%;2%;3 Luanda, Angola;Clearing;31;24;Partly sunny, nice;30;24;SSW;9;71%;42%;8 Madrid, Spain;A shower;11;0;Mostly sunny;10;-1;NE;6;61%;8%;2 Male, Maldives;Mostly sunny, nice;31;26;Partly sunny;31;25;SE;9;63%;14%;7 Manaus, Brazil;Clouds, a t-storm;31;24;A t-storm or two;29;23;WSW;9;87%;77%;2 Manila, Philippines;Clouds and sun;30;25;Partly sunny, nice;32;25;ENE;11;63%;44%;6 Melbourne, Australia;Partly sunny;24;12;Mostly sunny;27;14;E;12;57%;0%;11 Mexico City, Mexico;Mostly sunny;20;4;Mostly sunny;21;3;NNE;9;18%;0%;5 Miami, United States;Sunshine;21;9;Sunshine, pleasant;23;12;W;13;44%;8%;4 Minsk, Belarus;Cloudy;1;-1;Partly sunny, milder;6;1;SW;15;84%;44%;1 Mogadishu, Somalia;Mostly sunny, nice;31;24;Mostly sunny;31;24;ENE;21;61%;4%;9 Montevideo, Uruguay;Cooler;20;13;High clouds, warmer;27;17;NNE;13;51%;0%;6 Montreal, Canada;Partly sunny, cold;-9;-11;Snow;-3;-9;NNW;10;91%;92%;0 Moscow, Russia;Cloudy;2;-5;A little p.m. snow;1;0;S;12;61%;77%;1 Mumbai, India;Mostly sunny, nice;29;21;Hazy sunshine;28;21;N;12;60%;2%;5 Nairobi, Kenya;Some sun, pleasant;26;12;Partly sunny, nice;26;12;NNE;18;47%;2%;8 New York, United States;Clearing;5;1;A shower in the a.m.;10;-4;W;31;61%;63%;1 Nicosia, Cyprus;Partly sunny;19;9;Sunny and beautiful;21;9;NW;11;61%;0%;3 Novosibirsk, Russia;Colder;-5;-14;A little snow;-11;-16;WNW;8;90%;66%;1 Osaka-shi, Japan;Partly sunny, cooler;9;1;Partly sunny, chilly;6;1;W;23;45%;3%;1 Oslo, Norway;Snow showers;-1;-8;A snow shower;-5;-10;W;8;68%;61%;0 Ottawa, Canada;Mostly cloudy, cold;-8;-11;Breezy with snow;-5;-12;NW;23;86%;95%;0 Pago Pago, American Samoa;Spotty showers;28;25;A t-storm around;29;25;WSW;8;80%;97%;11 Panama City, Panama;Showers and t-storms;28;22;Showers and t-storms;29;23;NW;16;82%;70%;6 Paramaribo, Suriname;A passing shower;31;24;A t-storm in spots;30;24;ENE;11;77%;64%;5 Paris, France;Rain and drizzle;10;0;Partly sunny;5;2;SSW;11;62%;32%;2 Perth, Australia;Sunshine, not as hot;36;19;Sunny and cooler;27;16;S;26;51%;1%;12 Phnom Penh, Cambodia;Becoming cloudy;33;23;Partly sunny;32;24;NW;7;62%;14%;6 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea;Rain, a thunderstorm;29;23;Cloudy, a t-storm;29;23;NNE;10;80%;68%;3 Port-au-prince, Haiti;Periods of sun;31;21;A p.m. shower or two;30;22;WNW;7;59%;86%;4 Prague, Czech Republic;Milder;7;4;A passing shower;6;-1;WSW;27;61%;66%;1 Pyongyang, North Korea;Much colder;-8;-15;Sunny, but very cold;-7;-16;NW;11;40%;0%;2 Quito, Ecuador;Morning showers;18;10;A few showers;18;11;SSW;12;70%;87%;4 Rabat, Morocco;Rain, some heavy;16;7;Occasional rain;15;4;ESE;10;59%;57%;2 Recife, Brazil;Partly sunny;31;26;A morning shower;31;25;E;14;65%;55%;11 Reykjavik, Iceland;Becoming cloudy;2;0;Snow and rain;3;-1;SE;10;83%;82%;0 Riga, Latvia;A snow shower;1;0;A bit of snow;7;2;SSW;20;93%;85%;0 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Partly sunny;31;22;Rain and drizzle;24;21;E;13;72%;67%;3 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;Nice with sunshine;21;6;Sunshine and nice;24;5;N;12;13%;0%;4 Rome, Italy;A shower or two;17;14;Spotty showers;17;10;SW;20;74%;87%;2 Saint Petersburg, Russia;Low clouds;1;-5;A bit of p.m. snow;3;0;S;21;76%;81%;0 San Francisco, United States;Plenty of sunshine;18;9;Plenty of sunshine;18;8;NW;9;49%;2%;2 San Jose, Costa Rica;Showers and t-storms;20;17;A t-storm in spots;22;17;ENE;15;71%;45%;6 San Juan, Puerto Rico;Partly sunny;29;22;Partly sunny;30;22;SSE;10;67%;4%;5 San Salvador, El Salvador;Partly sunny, nice;22;15;Partly sunny;23;15;N;11;64%;14%;6 Sana'a, Yemen;Sunny and nice;26;0;Sunny and pleasant;24;1;ENE;10;5%;0%;6 Santiago, Chile;Not as warm;28;12;Nice with some sun;25;11;SW;12;56%;41%;12 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;Some sun, pleasant;29;20;An afternoon shower;28;21;SW;8;72%;45%;5 Sao Paulo, Brazil;Spotty showers;10;2;Mostly sunny;13;4;NE;8;70%;8%;2 Seattle, United States;Areas of morning fog;9;2;Mostly sunny;9;4;N;5;72%;9%;1 Seoul, South Korea;Sunny, much colder;-5;-12;Sunny, but very cold;-4;-11;NW;11;31%;0%;2 Shanghai, China;Sunny, but chilly;10;6;Partly sunny, chilly;10;6;ENE;16;48%;4%;2 Singapore, Singapore;Thunderstorms;32;25;Showers and t-storms;31;25;NNW;8;81%;92%;4 Sofia, Bulgaria;Not as cold;5;-5;Not as cool;10;-1;SSW;9;81%;0%;2 St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda;A shower or two;28;24;A shower in places;29;24;ESE;7;68%;42%;5 Stockholm, Sweden;A snow shower;1;0;Periods of wet snow;2;-5;WNW;15;95%;74%;0 Sydney, Australia;Sunny;27;20;Mostly sunny;27;20;NNE;22;59%;6%;12 Taipei City, Taiwan;Windy this afternoon;19;16;Rain and drizzle;19;17;E;18;72%;85%;1 Tallinn, Estonia;Partly sunny;-2;-3;Milder with snow;5;0;WSW;19;82%;88%;0 Tashkent, Uzbekistan;Partly sunny;5;-5;Sunny and cold;2;-5;ESE;8;83%;15%;2 Tbilisi, Georgia;Partly sunny;11;-1;Partly sunny;9;0;N;8;59%;3%;2 Tehran, Iran;Plenty of sunshine;12;1;Mostly sunny;10;0;SSW;10;31%;1%;3 Tel Aviv, Israel;Partly sunny, nice;26;14;Mostly cloudy, warm;26;14;S;7;33%;0%;2 Tirana, Albania;Mostly cloudy;16;11;A shower in places;18;10;ESE;8;65%;59%;1 Tokyo, Japan;Mostly sunny;16;2;Cooler;10;1;NNW;12;46%;4%;3 Toronto, Canada;A little p.m. snow;-2;-4;Cloudy, some snow;0;-9;NW;27;73%;86%;0 Tripoli, Libya;Sunny;20;10;Sunny and nice;22;11;SSE;5;44%;0%;3 Tunis, Tunisia;Mostly sunny, nice;22;10;Clouds and sun, nice;20;9;SSW;15;45%;3%;3 Ulan Bator, Mongolia;Turning cloudy, cold;-17;-24;Partly sunny, cold;-16;-24;ESE;8;66%;44%;2 Vancouver, Canada;Brilliant sunshine;10;4;Cloudy;10;4;NNE;5;61%;5%;1 Vienna, Austria;Increasingly windy;13;7;Spotty showers;10;1;WNW;21;63%;84%;0 Vientiane, Laos;Mostly cloudy;27;22;Decreasing clouds;27;21;ENE;8;62%;63%;1 Vilnius, Lithuania;Mostly cloudy;2;1;Milder;9;1;SW;22;72%;27%;1 Warsaw, Poland;Clouds and sun;7;5;Variable cloudiness;11;0;WSW;19;75%;41%;1 Wellington, New Zealand;Breezy with sunshine;21;17;Partly sunny;23;15;NNW;20;59%;29%;6 Yangon, Myanmar;Mostly sunny, nice;32;23;Sunny and humid;33;22;W;9;68%;16%;5 Yerevan, Armenia;Mostly sunny;4;-7;Plenty of sunshine;5;-6;ENE;4;48%;1%;2 _____ Copyright 2017 AccuWeather _____ Keywords: Forecast, Global, Celsius

CLEVELAND (AP) — A Muslim-American radio host has received a court judgment in his favor in his federal lawsuit against a neo-Nazi website publisher because the defendant never responded to the Ohio case in court. Dean Obeidallah accused The Daily Stormer's publisher, Andrew Anglin, of falsely labeling him as the "mastermind" behind a deadly bombing at concert in England last year. Cleveland.com reports neither Anglin nor any attorney for him responded, so the court entered a finding of default Tuesday. Obeidallah's attorneys said they had tried unsuccessfully to reach or locate Anglin or his legal representative through emails, private investigators and notices in a Columbus-area legal publication. Obeidallah didn't request a specific amount of damages. In that situation, judges typically have a hearing to determine the amount. No such hearing has been scheduled. ___ Information from: cleveland.com, http://www.cleveland.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Fifth Harmony is going on "hiatus." The girl group announced Monday on Twitter that Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui will pursue "solo endeavors." The group says the break will allow them "to gain new experiences, strengths and perspectives that we can bring back to our Fifth Harmony family." The group says it will perform remaining 2018 shows. Camila Cabello left the group in 2016. The singers auditioned as solo artists on "The X Factor" in 2012, but they were formed into a group and finished third in the competition. Fifth Harmony released their debut album "Reflection" in 2015. They released their third album "Fifth Harmony" in 2017

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden became the first player in NBA history to score 60 points as part of a triple-double as the short-handed Houston Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 114-107 on Tuesday night. Harden scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to eclipse the 57 points Calvin Murphy scored in 1978 to break Houston's single-game scoring record. After Harden broke the record, cameras in the arena showed a shot of Murphy, who works on the television broadcast team, smiling and clapping for the Beard, who also had 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The game was tied at 107 after a basket by Marreese Speights with just under four minutes to play. Neither team scored for more than two minutes after that before Harden took over, scoring the next six points to make it 113-107 with 45 seconds left. He set the scoring mark when he stepped back and made a 3-pointer before crashing to the court after being fouled by Mario Hezonja. He then made the free throw to give him 60 points and bringing the crowd to its feet. Harden, who also had four steals and a block, grabbed his 10th rebounds a few seconds later to give him his third triple double this season. He made 17 of 18 free throws and was 19 of 30 from the floor with five 3 pointers. Hezonja and Speights scored 17 points each for the Magic, who dropped their third straight. The Rockets started the game without Chris Paul, who has a sore groin, and Trevor Ariza, who is dealing with a strained hamstring. They lost another player when Eric Gordon, who is second on the team in scoring with 19.5 points a game, left early in the second quarter with lower back stiffness. Harden's big night came as he played a season-high 46 minutes and 26 seconds with Houston missing so many players. It was his fourth 50-point game this season and Tuesday's performance bested his previous career-high of 56 points set in November against Utah. Orlando led by two points with about 9 1/2 minutes left before the Rockets used a 10-4 run to make it 101-97 with about seven minutes to go. Harden made two 3-pointers in that stretch, and wowed the crowd on the second one that he came as the shot clock was about to expire and with Shelvin Mack right in his face. Houston didn't lead for long though, as Speights was fouled while making a 3-pointer and added the free throw to tie it seconds later. The Magic had a 2-point lead with about 5 1/2 minutes left before Houston used a 6-2 run, with all its points from Harden, to take a 107-105 lead with about four minutes left. The Rockets were up by 1 early in the third quarter when Harden scored all of the team's points in a 6-2 spurt that made it 64-59. Harden capped that run with his first 3-pointer of the game after missing all seven tries in the first half. Houston had pushed its lead to 7 later in the third after scoring four quick points. But the Magic used a 7-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Mario Hezonja, to get within 72-70 midway through the quarter. The Magic tied it on a basket by Jonathon Simmons with about four minutes left in the third, but the Rockets used a 5-2 run to regain the lead, 83-80. Speights made a 3-pointer to put Orlando back on top with just under a minute remaining in the quarter, but Houston scored the last four points of the quarter to take a 90-88 lead into the fourth. Harden found Luc Mbah a Moute for a layup for the first basket in that span and added a jump shot just before the shot clock expired for the other points. Harden piled up 16 points in the first quarter and had 24 by halftime despite his early 3-point shooting woes. Orlando led 55-54 at halftime. TIP-INS Magic: Aaron Gordon missed the game with an injury to his left hip that he suffered on Saturday night. He will likely sit out Wednesday as well. ... Simmons and Mack added 15 points each. Rockets: Ariza injured his left hamstring on Sunday. ... Coach Mike D'Antoni said he doesn't expect Paul to miss much time with his injury. ... Clint Capela finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. UP NEXT Magic: Host Lakers on Wednesday night. Rockets: Visit San Antonio Thursday night.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia is set to end a yearslong partisan battle and expand Medicaid after the state Senate voted Wednesday to approve a budget that expands the program's eligibility to about 400,000 low-income adults. The Senate passed Medicaid expansion by a 23-17 vote with four Republicans joining Democrats for passage. The budget still needs final approval from the House and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. But that's expected to happen with little difficulty. Virginia will become the 33rd state to approve Medicaid expansion, according to a tally from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Wednesday's vote marked the end of a more than four-year battle over whether Virginia should expand the publicly funded health care program for the poor. A fight over Medicaid expansion led to a standoff over the state budget in 2014 and again this year. Sen. Ben Chafin, a Republican lawmaker from Virginia's economically depressed southwest coal country, announced his support for expansion on the Senate floor. He said his rural area needed expansion to help bolster its hospitals and provide care for constituents in need. "I came to the conclusion that no just wasn't the answer anymore," Chafin said. But several Republican senators remained strongly opposed, saying Medicaid costs would eventually overwhelm the rest of the state's budget needs for schools and public safety. "This is raising the cost of health care and will do nothing to help the people of Virginia," said GOP Sen. Mark Obenshain. Expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income families was a key provision of the Affordable Care Act advanced by former President Barack Obama. Virginia Democrats have pushed for years to expand Medicaid, saying their state should not pass up the roughly $2 billion in extra federal funding the program would bring to the state. Republicans had previously blocked past expansion efforts, saying the long-term costs were unsustainable. President Donald Trump has sought to negate his predecessor's health law — but ironically, his administration's embrace of work requirements for low-income people on Medicaid prompted lawmakers in some conservative states to resurrect plans to expand health care for the poor. A federal-state collaboration originally meant for poor families and severely disabled people, Medicaid has grown to become the largest government health insurance program, now covering 1 in 5 people. Obama's health care overhaul gave states the option of expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income adults. The GOP-controlled General Assembly's support for Medicaid comes despite Trump administration rejections. Virginia saw its state legislature reshaped by an anti-Trump wave last year, as Democrats made unexpectedly large gains in the state House. And a failure by the GOP-led Congress to repeal and replace the health law helped spur several of Virginia's Republican state legislators to flip positions. Democrats campaigned heavily on expanding Medicaid last year and some House Republicans are eager to take the issue off the table for next year's election, when both House and Senate seats are up.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)- The music festival UNITE Tomorrowland Taiwan 2018 will kick off on Saturday, July 28 at Dajia Riverside Park, Taipei. What is Tomorrowland? Tomorrowland is a worldwide music carnival that features electronic music from famous DJs, unique stage designs and special sound and light effects. It was first held as an outdoor party by a night club in Boom, Belgium in 2005. As more music veterans joined the event, it soon grew in scale. After the Dutch entertainment company ID&T took over Tomorrowland, it started to develop various electronic music styles. In 2008, it reached its highest peak with 380,000 participants. In recent years, Tomorrowland began being staging overseas performances which are held simultaneously with the show in Belgium titled UNITE With Tomorrowland. The main stage in Belgium controls the sound and light effects in other countries via satellite. 2018 UNITE with Tomorrowland Taiwan Official trailer of 2018 UNITED With Tomorrowland (video by Tomorrowland) This year, Taiwan is the only country in East Asia to hold UNITE With Tomorrowland and alongside with other 6 countries, Abu Dhabi, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico and Spain. EDM fans will have a chance to enjoy the performance of many famous DJs on July 28 at Dajia Riverside Park. Tickets can be purchased on many online platforms, such as FunNow, ibon, festicket. For more information please visit the Tomorrowland official website and Facebook page. 2017 Tomorrowland Belgium trailer (YouTube video by Tomorrowland)

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police say the man suspected of plotting an ISIS-inspired attack in Colombia appeared on their radar for his hate-filled messages toward the United States, a country where he had lived and was allegedly trying to get to. A Colombian judge jailed Raul Gutierrez last week on terrorism and conspiracy charges. On instant messaging app Telegram, the 45-year-old Cuban man said that he would commit a suicide attack in the name of God and the Islamic state, two of the Spanish investigators following the case told The Associated Press. The agents said the alleged attack was initially planned for March 6 but was later rescheduled for March 13. They spoke anonymously out of security concerns. Gutierrez was arrested on March 12.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Walt Disney Studios has previewed a scene from the Star Wars spinoff "Solo" featuring the card game where Han Solo and Lando Calrissian meet at CinemaCon Tuesday in Las Vegas. The scene cuts off right as the two space scoundrels decide to bet their ships. The studio also unveiled early footage from its live-action adaption of "Dumbo" and "Aladdin," starring Will Smith as the Genie, and showed the first scene from "The Incredibles 2," which picks up right where the first left off in 2004. Both "Solo: A Star Wars" story and "The Incredibles 2" hit theaters this summer. Unlike most studio presentations at the annual theater owner convention, Disney doesn't generally bring out the stars of its films. Instead it lets the footage and behind-the-scenes reels do the selling.

AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto 000 002 002—4 6 1 Boston 001 012 02x—6 11 1 Gaviglio, Oh (7), Tepera (8) and Maile; Rodriguez, Barnes (7), Johnson (9), Kimbrel (9) and Vazquez. W_Rodriguez 6-1. L_Gaviglio 2-1. Sv_Kimbrel (18). HRs_Toronto, Hernandez (8). Boston, Nunez (4), Martinez (18). ___ Chicago 000 000 001—1 5 2 Cleveland 205 200 00x—9 13 0 Lopez, Volstad (3), Avilan (4), Rondon (5), Fry (6), Jones (7), Soria (8) and Narvaez; Kluber, Beliveau (7), Marshall (8), Taylor (9) and Gomes. W_Kluber 8-2. L_Lopez 1-4. HRs_Chicago, Sanchez (3). Cleveland, Ramirez (17), Encarnacion (13). ___ NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis 000 000 200—2 8 1 Milwaukee 000 010 20x—3 10 1 Reyes, Gant (5), Lyons (7), Tuivailala (7) and Kelly; Guerra, Jeffress (7), Hader (8), Knebel (9) and Kratz, Pina. W_Jeffress 5-0. L_Tuivailala 1-1. Sv_Knebel (5). HRs_St. Louis, Bader (5). Milwaukee, Yelich (7). ___ Cincinnati 000 402 001—7 12 0 Arizona 301 000 000—4 13 1 Romano, W.Peralta (6), Hughes (7), Garrett (7), Iglesias (8) and Barnhart; Corbin, Salas (7), Chafin (8), McFarland (9) and Murphy. W_Romano 3-6. L_Corbin 5-2. Sv_Iglesias (9). HRs_Cincinnati, Schebler (6), Duvall (10). Arizona, Goldschmidt (7), Murphy (7).

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--After initially launching in Asia and with an upcoming debut in the United States and Canada, SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX) is extending its popular anime collaboration to Europe as well with the launch of Skechers X One Piece. The colorful collection unites Toei Animation’s popular anime series with Skechers D’Lites, one of the footwear company’s original styles. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en/ Skechers launches limited edition One Piece collection in Europe (Photo: Business Wire) “Pairing the iconic long-running anime series One Piece with one of our top heritage styles resonated with our consumers in South Korea and China who have been driving trends for the past few years,” began Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “And now fashion moves at light speed, so as influencers around the world had already been embracing Skechers D’Lites and the chunky sneaker trend, we started to see style purveyors—from Hypebae, Hypebeast, GQ, and High Snobiety —covering Skechers X One Piece collaboration as a must have fashion style. We’ve moved fast to share the collaboration with the United States, Canada, and now Europe—one of the largest international markets for Skechers.” “We’re thrilled to partner with an amazing global footwear brand in Skechers to launch this exciting fashion initiative across Europe,” said Ryuji Kochi, President of Toei Animation Europe. “Skechers D’Lites embody an energetic trend that’s been taking the world by storm and much like the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, our fans are always enthusiastically seeking out the next new adventure in life, so this partnership is a perfect fit. We are confident that the combined merchandising efforts of both Toei Animation and Skechers will bring long-lasting success for this collaboration.” “The red hot chunky sneaker look has been taking over fashion runways in Europe, creating intense buzz,” added Marvin Bernstein, managing partner of SKECHERS S.à.r.l. “So it’s a unique opportunity for us to bring the collaboration of the D’Lites, the originator of the chunky look, and the legendary One Piece series to Europe where we expect it will resonate with stylish consumers across the continent. We’re thrilled that this is all happening with Toei Animation, the pioneers of Japanese animation.” Originally exclusive to the South Korean and China markets, the collection will be imported to Europe in multiple different colorways—each embracing a unique One Piece character: Luffy, Chopper, Sanji, Zoro, Law, and Doflamingo. The footwear will be available beginning July 2018 at Skechers retail stores and select specialty stores in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain/Portugal, United Kingdom, and Central Eastern Europe [Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia]. Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the best-selling manga in history with more than 430 million copies worldwide. In 1997, it spawned an acclaimed anime series that has produced 830+ episodes plus 15 movies. Following the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his fearless Straw Hat Pirates, fans are taken on a fantastical journey across a world teeming with wonders and imagination. A multi-generational property, it continues to captivate viewers both young and old. The story and its characters have also expanded across other media into film, television, and video/mobile games, as well as a theme park in Japan. Skechers pioneered the chunky sneaker look two decades ago with the Skechers Energy for men and women as well as the Skechers Stamina for men. The style evolved and the Company introduced Skechers D’Lites—a lighter version of its original style—in 2007. Though the collection has always had a dedicated consumer base, sales accelerated across Asia over the last two years after regional marketing included K-Pop groups. In 2017, the Company relaunched an even lighter update of Skechers D’Lites in celebration of its ten-year anniversary. About SKECHERS USA, Inc. SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops, and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States and over 170 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, 2,651 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party-owned retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe, and Latin America. For more information, please visit skechers.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA). About Toei Animation Europe Founded in 1956 in Tokyo, Toei Animation ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing with sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Paris. Toei Animation Europe is managing the distribution and exploitation of Toei Animation’s animated series in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Among its most famous titles: Dragon Ball, One Piece, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Digimon, Mazinger Z, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and Captain Future. www.toei-animation.com This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include international economic, political and market conditions including the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en/ CONTACT: Media Contact: SKECHERS CORPORATE Jennifer Clay, (310) 937-1326 jennc@skechers.com or SKECHERS UK/IRELAND Will Cheung, +441707655955 willch@eu.skechers.com or SKECHERS CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE Gordana Dulic, +36 30 749 1258 gordanad@eu.skechers.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES EUROPE NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: WOMEN ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING (ENTERTAINMENT) TV AND RADIO FILM & MOTION PICTURES GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CHILDREN RETAIL FASHION OTHER RETAIL CONSUMER FAMILY MEN SOURCE: SKECHERS USA, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 03:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 03:00 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge ruled Tuesday that a USC graduate student accused of stabbing a professor to death on campus was not guilty by reason of insanity. The ruling, based on reports from two psychiatrists, means that David Jonathan Brown could spend the rest of his life in a state psychiatric hospital. The 29-year-old has a March 6 hearing to determine where he will be placed. Brown killed his mentor, Siaufung "Bosco" Tjan, on Dec. 2, 2016, inside the University of Southern California building where the 50-year-old psychology professor ran an intensive lab that studied vision loss, authorities said. The killing occurred on the final day of classes before final examinations. Prosecutors said that Brown told authorities he believed he was "a victim of human experimentation." Tjan's widow spoke during the hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court. "He was not a soldier in a war zone or policeman in a dangerous street. He was murdered in his research lab," Carissa Pang said, according to City News Service. "I feel helpless when my son asked me why his father was killed," she said. She said she told him that the killer was "having bad thoughts." Brown's family "gives their condolences and hopes that you find some solace," defense attorney Steve Schoenfield told her. Tjan's family will be notified of any changes in where Brown is housed and what treatment he receives, Judge Leslie A. Swain told Pang. After the killing, Brown's fellow graduate students described him as nice and intelligent but possibly troubled. Brenton Keller wrote on Facebook that classmates knew things weren't right because Brown wouldn't always finish his work and would go missing for weeks at a time.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--The Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners – the governing body for the Port of Brownsville – has signed an option agreement covering up to 800 acres of property with Big River Steel LLC enabling the steel-maker to continue its due diligence pursuant to the company’s interest in developing a LEED-certified steel manufacturing plant, storage and distribution facility. The plant would cost more than $1.6 billion to construct. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006657/en/ The Port of Brownsville is the only deepwater seaport directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the largest land-owning public port authority in the nation with 40,000 acres of land. (Photo: Business Wire) “This is good news for Brownsville and the result of hard work by many individuals and organizations over a long period of time. Our rail partner OmniTRAX played an important role in introducing this opportunity to the port,” stated John Wood, Chairman of the BND. “We are excited about this step forward and remain confident the venture will be beneficial for all parties, for Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley. “The addition of 500 new full-time local jobs, and the impact of those jobs in terms of retail spending, services, and new housing impacts represent a transformational moment for Brownsville and the Valley,” Chairman Wood continued. Wood expects up to 1,500 construction workers would be needed to build the specialized steel plant. Additional details will be provided as they become available. About the Port of Brownsville: The Port of Brownsville is the only deepwater seaport directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the largest land-owning public port authority in the nation with 40,000 acres of land. It transships more steel into Mexico than any other U.S. port. In 2017, the Port of Brownsville moved 10.6 million tons of cargo. The port’s Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 is currently ranked second in the nation for the value of exports, reporting more than $2.8 billion in exported goods in 2016. FTZ No. 62 has consistently ranked in the top three nationally since 2012, and this marks the second time in two years that it achieved the nation’s number two ranking. With more than $43 billion worth of projects currently in the works, the Port of Brownsville is transforming the Rio Grande Valley by creating positive investment opportunities and jobs. Activity at the port is responsible for adding more than $2 billion to the regional economy, $3 billion to the Texas economy, and for the creation of more than 44,000 jobs. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006657/en/ CONTACT: Port of Brownsville Steve Tyndal, 956-346-3591 Senior Director styndal@portofbrownsville.com www.portofbrownsville.com or Patty Gonzales, 956-346-4148 Director of Communications pgonzales@portofbrownsville.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TRANSPORT MARITIME OTHER TRANSPORT MANUFACTURING LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT STEEL SOURCE: Port of Brownsville Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 05:45 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 05:45 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006657/en

WASHINGTON (AP) — A spokeswoman says Democratic U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland is being treated at a Washington hospital for pneumonia but is expected to recover quickly. Spokeswoman Katie Grant said Wednesday in an emailed statement that the congressman was being treated with antibiotics and resting after being admitted to The George Washington University Hospital a day earlier. Grant says the 79-year-old Hoyer was diagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia. She says Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, looks forward to being back at work "very soon."

BALTIMORE (AP) — Even if Manny Machado doesn't switch teams this season, he almost certainly will be changing his position in the infield. Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Saturday that Machado will move from third base to shortstop this spring, and shortstop Tim Beckham will be shifted to third. The shuffle will become permanent unless something goes wrong — or Machado gets traded to another club. "There could be some adjustments if we don't like the feel of it, but that's where we're going to head into it," Showalter said at FanFest, an annual offseason event designed to promote interest in the club. Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop did not attend. Machado becomes a free agent after this year and is sure to demand a huge contract. The Orioles have entertained trade offers for the 25-year-old, who's been an All-Star in three of his six seasons with Baltimore. Dan Duquette, vice president of baseball operations for the Orioles, has to decide whether to deal Machado sometime between now and September or seek to sign him to a long-term deal. "That's a big decision for the organization, obviously," Duquette said. "But we're planning on Manny being with the club. We explored all those options. We think the strongest option is for Manny to be on the ballclub." Machado played in 156 games last season, offsetting a career-low .259 batting average with 33 home runs and 95 RBIs. He has averaged 35 home runs and 92 RBIs over the past three years. Machado avoided arbitration this month by agreeing to a $16 million contract for 2018. He received $11.5 million last season. Drafted as a shortstop as the third overall pick in 2010, Machado played third base with Baltimore next to slick-fielding J.J. Hardy, whose contract expired after last season. So when they return to the field next month in Florida, the Orioles will have Machado at shortstop with Beckham on his left. Beckham came to Baltimore from Tampa Bay in July and played shortstop for the injured Hardy over the final two months. "I think Tim would rather play shortstop, as Manny would," Showalter said. "Tim's big thing is getting an opportunity to play every day at one position. We need to settle both those guys into a spot and let them get into it." Showalter said Machado was enthusiastic about the switch. "All indications are, he's really excited about this," Showalter said. "I can't imagine him being in a better frame of mind or setup to do this. I think out of his respect for J.J. the past few years he's been very professional about it. But it's not like he's changing positions. He's going back to the position he's equipped to play." Deciding what to do with Machado is only one problem Duquette has faced this offseason. He's also been trying to fill out a starting rotation that currently consists of Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and perhaps Miguel Castro, who made his first major league start on Sept. 30 after pitching in relief for 75 games over three seasons. "Obviously we have work to do to address some of the deficiencies on our ballclub," Duquette said. "We're going to continue to build our pitching staff, most notably the starting pitching." If Castro joins the rotation, the Orioles will be further pressed to fill out the back end of the bullpen. Closer Zach Britton tore his Achilles tendon during an offseason workout and will likely miss the entire 2018 season, leaving setup man Brad Brach the odds-on favorite to take over as the stopper. "I'm hoping I get a shot to close. I'd be lying if I say I didn't," said Brach, who served significant time as a closer in 2017 while Britton was sidelined with elbow and knee issues. Brach had 18 saves but blew six chances. "I think I did all right," Brach said. "Hopefully, I get another chance to do it." ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

LONDON (AP) — Britain's key piece of Brexit legislation is starting a new battle in Parliament, as the government downplays a leaked internal document saying leaving the European Union will hurt the U.K. economy. The House of Lords on Tuesday began scrutinizing the EU Withdrawal Bill, which is designed to convert thousands of EU laws into British statutes when the U.K. leaves the bloc in March 2019. Without it, Britain could face a legal black hole after Brexit. A majority of members of Parliament's unelected upper house oppose Brexit, and will try to amend the legislation. Meanwhile, an assessment prepared for the government and leaked to news site BuzzFeed forecasts that Brexit will leave the economy between 2 percent and 8 percent worse off, depending what trade deal Britain strikes with the EU.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's army says militants opened fire on an army vehicle on patrol in the country's mountainous northwestern region near the Afghan border, killing two soldiers. Tuesday's statement says the military vehicle came under attack in the North Waziristan tribal region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamic militants have long been operating in the area. The military has carried out massive operation against them but militants are able to cross the porous Afghan-Pakistan border and shelter on the other side. They have also been able to carry out cross-border attacks. The Pakistani army has been constructing a series of fences along the border, which zigzags across a remote and difficult mountain terrain, to check the movement of militants. Afghanistan objects to the construction of the fences.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The gunman who shot a top GOP congressman and several other people Wednesday at a baseball practice outside the nation's capital had a long history of lashing out at Republicans and once frightened a neighbor by firing a rifle into a field behind his Illinois house. James T. Hodgkinson, 66, wounded House Rep. Steve Scalise before he was fatally shot by police who had been guarding the House majority whip. In the hours after the attack in Alexandria, Virginia, a picture began to emerge of an attacker with a mostly minor arrest record who worked as a home inspector and despised the Republican Party. On Facebook, Hodgkinson was a member of a group called "Terminate the Republican Party," a fact that seemed to take on new meaning in light of an account from South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan, who said that as he was preparing to leave the baseball field, a man politely asked him whether it was a Democrat or Republican team before quietly walking off. Until recently, Hodgkinson ran a home-inspection business out of his house. His Facebook page shows that he was a fan of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who last year made an unsuccessful presidential bid. Sanders acknowledged Wednesday that Hodgkinson had apparently been among many volunteers on his 2016 campaign. A search of online newspapers show that Hodgkinson frequently wrote letters to his hometown newspaper, the Belleville News-Democrat, which published nearly two dozen letters between 2010 and 2012, many of which included complaints about the same theme: income inequality. Hodgkinson, who lived in the community just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, compared the economic conditions of the time to those that preceded the Great Depression and excoriated Congress for not increasing the number of tax brackets and taking other tax reform measures. On May 14, 2010, he wrote: "I don't envy the rich; I despise the way they have bought our politicians and twisted our laws to their benefit." Less than a year later, on March 4, 2011, he wrote that Congress should rewrite tax codes to ease the tax burdens of the middle class. "Let's get back to the good ol' days, when our representatives had a backbone and a conscience," he wrote. Later that year, in October 2011, he applauded the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York and Boston, writing that the demonstrators "are tired of our do-nothing Congress doing nothing while our country is going down the tubes." Hodgkinson also had arrests in his background for a series of minor offenses and at least one more serious offense. Court records show that his legal trouble started in the 1990s with arrests for resisting police and drunken driving. His most serious problems came in 2006, when he was arrested on a battery charge. In April 2006, he was arrested on two counts of battery — one for striking a man in the face with a wood shotgun stock and another for punching a woman with his fist, as well as a count of unlawful damage to a motor vehicle for cutting the passenger seatbelt of the woman's car with a knife. According to the court clerk, the charges were dismissed in November of that year. Though there are no other legal problems listed in St. Clair County, which includes Belleville, since 2011, Hodgkinson did come to the attention of local law enforcement as recently as March 24 of last year. Bill Schaumleffel recalled that he heard loud shots being fired outside his house, which stands about 500 feet behind Hodgkinson's home. When he went outside, he saw Hodgkinson shooting a rifle into or on a cornfield. He was squeezing off five or six shots at a time and, according to the report of the incident, fired about 50 shots in all. "I yelled, 'Quit shooting toward the houses,'" he said. When Hodgkinson refused to stop, Schaumleffel called the sheriff's department. "I told the sheriff, 'I don't know what's the matter with that guy, but he can't be shooting like that,'" he said. St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson said Wednesday that Hodgkinson showed the deputy all required firearms licenses and documentation involving the high-powered hunting rifle, which he said he was simply using for target practice. The deputy cautioned Hodgkinson about doing such shooting around homes, given that the rounds can travel up to a mile. No charges were filed. "He said, 'I understand,' and said he needed to take the gun to a range to shoot it, Watson said. "There was nothing we could arrest him for, and there was no indication he was mentally ill or going to harm anyone. "The only thing I was concerned about was that it was such a high-powered gun, and that somebody could possibly get hurt. We try to make sure people are reasonable when doing this." Watson said the deputy on Wednesday recalled Hodgkinson as being "very cordial." Dale Walsh, 65, of Belleville, said he was a lifelong friend of Hodgkinson's. He said Hodgkinson spent most of his life building homes but in recent years turned to home inspections. Walsh said Hodgkinson never talked politics with him and did not seem prone to violence. But he said he was a passionate person who occasionally got into fights. "He was the type of person that if you challenged him, he wouldn't back off." ____ Babwin reported from Chicago. Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri; John O'Connor in Springfield; and Jake Pearson in Washington also contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched six innings of no-hit ball in his return to the majors following a second Tommy John surgery, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night. Eovaldi (1-0) faced one over the minimum through six innings in his Tampa Bay debut. He threw 70 pitches and had four strikeouts. The only runner to reach base against him was Matt Chapman, who drew a one-out walk in the first. Wilmer Font, acquired by the Rays from the A's last Friday, gave up Jed Lowrie's one-out single in the seventh for Oakland's only hit of the game. Vidal Nuno got the last three outs to finish the one-hitter. Rob Refsnyder hit a three-run home run off A's starter Sean Manaea (5-6), and Johnny Field also homered for the Rays. The game drew an announced crowd of 6,295, the smallest at the Coliseum since April 3, 2003. Eovaldi last pitched in the majors on Aug. 10, 2016, for the Yankees. Nine days later, he underwent a second elbow surgery. Eovaldi also had Tommy John surgery in 2007 when he was a junior in high school. The 28-year-old missed the first month of this season after undergoing surgery March 30 to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Eovaldi made four rehab starts in the minors before being activated off the disabled list prior to Wednesday's game. Eovaldi, the 12th pitcher in major league history to start in the majors after having two Tommy John surgeries, induced seven groundouts and retired the final 17 batters he faced following the walk to Chapman. Font then came in and retired Matt Chapman on a liner to shortstop in the seventh before Lowrie pushed a single up the middle. Nuno replaced Font in the ninth and gave up a leadoff walk to Chad Pinder then retired the next three batters. That was all the offense the A's could muster while being shut out by the Rays for the second time in three games. Oakland went into the game batting .216 in May, the second-lowest average in the majors. TRAINER'S ROOM Athletics: INF Marcus Semien was placed on the paternity leave list before the game. Chad Pinder started at shortstop in Semien's absence. RHP Josh Lucas was called up from Triple-A Nashville. ... RHP Liam Hendriks began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. UP NEXT Tampa Bay RHP Ryne Stanek (1-0, 3.24 ERA) will make his second career start, three days after getting a win coming out of the bullpen. RHP Daniel Mengden (5-4, 2.85) goes for Oakland. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An American scientist who shared this year's Nobel Prize for medicine bluntly criticized political developments at home in his address at the awards' gala banquet, saying that U.S. scientists are facing funding cutbacks that will hurt research. Michael Rosbash, who was honored for his work on circadian rhythms — commonly called the body clock — expressed concern that U.S. government funding such as that received by him and Nobel colleagues Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young is endangered. "We benefited from an enlightened period in the postwar United States. Our National Institutes of Health have enthusiastically and generously supported basic research ... (but) the current climate in the U.S. is a warning that continued support cannot be taken for granted," Rosbash said in a short speech Sunday night at Stockholm's ornate city hall. The 2018 federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump calls for cutting science funding by billions of dollars. "Also in danger is the pluralistic America into which all three of us of born were born and raised after World War II," Rosbash said. "Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research." Literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro of Britain expressed concern about increasing tensions between social factions. "We live today in a time of growing tribal enmities of communities fracturing into bitterly opposed groups," said Ishiguro, who was born in Japan. He said Nobel prizes can counterbalance such animosity. "The pride we feel when someone from our nation wins a Nobel prize is different from the one we feel witnessing one of our athletes winning an Olympic medal. We don't feel the pride of our tribe demonstrating superiority over other tribes. Rather it's the pride that from knowing that one of us has made a significant contribution to our common human endeavor," he said. In the Norwegian capital of Oslo, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima compared her struggle to survive in 1945 to the objectives of the group awarded this year's Nobel's Peace Prize. Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the U.S. bomb devastated her Japanese city during the final weeks of World War II, spoke as a leading activist with the Nobel-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Thurlow said the Hiroshima blast left her buried under the rubble, but she was able to see light and crawl to safety. In the same way, the campaign to which she belongs is a driving force behind an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons, she said after ICAN received the Nobel prize it won in October. "Our light now is the ban treaty," Thurlow said. "I repeat those words that I heard called to me in the ruins of Hiroshima: 'Don't give up. Keep pushing. See the light? Crawl toward it.'" The treaty has been signed by 56 countries — none of them nuclear powers — and ratified by only three. To become binding it requires ratification by 50 countries. ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn, who accepted the prize along with Thurlow, said that while the treaty is far from ratification "now, at long last, we have an unequivocal norm against nuclear weapons." "This is the way forward. There is only one way to prevent the use of nuclear weapons — prohibit and eliminate them," Fihn said. The prize winners were announced in October. All except the peace prize were awarded in Sweden on Sunday. The other laureates were American Richard Thaler for his work in behavioral economics; American physicists Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish for confirming the existence of gravity waves; and Jacques Dubochet of Switzerland, American Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson of the United Kingdom for advances in electron microscopy. ___ Heintz reported from Moscow.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the issues of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the chances of reinvigorating negotiations on the peace process. Mogherini has joined many EU leaders in expressing disapproval of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. She said during a joint media address Monday that "the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states with Jerusalem as the capital of both." Netanyahu insisted that what U.S. President Donald Trump did was "put facts squarely on the table. Peace is based on reality." He said the reality of seeing Jerusalem as Israel's capital "doesn't obviate peace, it makes peace possible."

BERLIN (AP) — The prospective partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's next government appear to have broken an impasse over migrants' right to bring close relatives to Germany. Merkel's conservative Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats hope to conclude coalition talks Sunday. The Social Democrats are seeking more palatable compromises on some issues already discussed in preliminary talks. Those include whether close relatives can join migrants with a status below full asylum. They can't now, but that rule expires in mid-March. News agency dpa reported the two sides agreed Tuesday that, from August, a maximum 1,000 relatives monthly should be let in, plus people who can be admitted under existing rules for hardship cases. That's largely in line with a preliminary agreement that was considered a success for conservatives. But Social Democrat lawmaker Eva Hoegl said her party had ensured that relatives can come.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump promised to make health care more affordable but a government report finds that out-of-pocket costs — deductibles and copayments — would average 61 percent higher under the House Republican bill. And even though the sticker price for premiums would be lower than under the Obama-era law, what consumers actually pay would edge up on average because government financial assistance would be curtailed. The report from the Office of the Actuary, a nonpartisan economic unit at the Health and Human Services Department, was released earlier this week with little fanfare. "It's fascinating," said Chris Sloan, a policy expert with the Avalere Health consulting firm. "They actually think that on average people will be paying more even though the underlying premium is less." The estimates are for the year 2026, and apply to people who buy their own health insurance policies. That group was a major focus of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Individually-purchased coverage is also key to the GOP's American Health Care Act, which would roll back much of "Obamacare." The report tracks with findings by the Congressional Budget Office, which said millions more would be uninsured under the Republican legislation, in particular due to Medicaid cuts affecting low-income people. But at first blush the impact appears to be less dramatic. The budget office estimate of 23 million more uninsured in 2026 compares with 13 million projected by the experts at HHS. However, Sloan said much of the contrast appears due to a fairly technical issue: the two groups of experts make different assumptions about the number of people covered as a result of Obama's law. The HHS report also finds that the Republican bill would shorten the life of the Medicare hospital trust fund by two years, partly because it repeals a tax on upper-income earners. In a statement, the Trump administration said the new HHS estimate doesn't take into account other changes proposed by the president, including relief from burdensome regulations and additional health care legislation. While Trump celebrated passage of the House bill with a Rose Garden ceremony, lately he's told senators it's too "mean," and he's urged lawmakers to spend more money on health care. Republican senators are trying to find a compromise that will let them advance their own version. The HHS experts projected forward nearly a decade, estimating that sticker-price premiums would average $801 a month in 2026 if the Obama law stays in place. Under the GOP bill, that gross monthly premium would drop to $695, or about 13 percent less. Yet financial assistance would also be reduced under House bill, which provides government tax credits based on age, not income. After taking that and other changes into account, net premiums would average $380 under the GOP bill, a little bit more than the $360 a month consumers would pay under current law. The GOP bill also would eliminate current subsidies that help reduce deductibles and copayments for people of modest incomes. And it would allow insurers to offer plans that cover fewer benefits, among other changes. Both those shifts lead to higher deductibles and copayments. When all that is factored in, the HHS estimate found that cost-sharing would average $380 a month, 61 percent more than the estimate of $236 under current law. In a Washington Post interview shortly before taking office, Trump promised "much lower deductibles." "You can see promise of the lower premiums holding up," said Sloan. "But there is nothing in this proposal that is going to lead to lower deductibles or lower cost-sharing. There is just nothing there." The HHS report cautioned that averages don't tell the whole story. The impacts would vary widely by age, income, and where a consumer lives. And the cost-sharing average includes people who use their insurance a lot, and people who don't go to the doctor. ___ HHS Office of the Actuary report: https://tinyurl.com/ycc9cmvt

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a new health secretary in office, the Trump administration is proposing its first regulatory changes to the health insurance markets created by President Barack Obama's overhaul. Among the most noticeable change for consumers: a shorter sign-up window of 45 days, as opposed to three months. Administration officials said Wednesday the new regulations will help to stabilize the individual insurance market for next year. That could buy time for the Republican-led Congress to make good on its promise to repeal the Obama-era health care overhaul and replace it with a conservative approach. Many of the proposed changes reflect the wishes of the insurance industry. Even so, insurer Humana announced Tuesday it will not participate in next year in the government-run marketplaces. Human Services Secretary Tom Price was confirmed Friday.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawmaker who attracted national attention last year when he compared President Barack Obama and his wife to monkeys has been accused of sexual assault. The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting quotes Maranda Richmond as saying she has asked Louisville police to reopen an investigation of Dan Johnson. Johnson was elected to the state legislature in 2016 — after he posted the Facebook remarks about the Obamas. He didn't respond to a voicemail Monday. Richmond says Johnson assaulted her in 2012. She says she reported it to police in 2013, but the case was closed without charges. No one at the police department responded to a telephone call seeking comment. The Associated Press does not generally identify alleged sexual assault victims, but is doing so because Richmond has gone public.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A trial begins this week for three members of a militia group accused of conspiring to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somalis in the Kansas town of Garden City. Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen are charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights. Stein also faces a weapons-related charge and Wright has an additional charge of lying to the FBI. The three men, who were indicted in October 2016, have pleaded not guilty. Their federal trial in Wichita is expected to last six weeks, with jury selection beginning Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren. The government said in court filings that a militia member tipped off federal authorities after becoming alarmed by the heightening talk of violence, and later agreed to wear a wire as a paid informant. The government's case features months of investigation captured on profanity-laced recordings that referred to the Somalis as "cockroaches." Earlier in the case, a judge denied a defense motion to expand the prospective jury pool to encompass more rural western Kansas counties where the defense believed residents would be more conservative. Defense attorneys argued the case is "uniquely political" because much of the anticipated evidence is in reaction to the 2016 presidential election. They contended the case will require jurors to weigh evidence regarding whether the alleged conduct constitutes the crimes charged, or whether it is constitutionally protected speech and assembly and implicates the right to bear arms.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In keeping with tradition, dozens of couples have obtained marriage licenses in Las Vegas this Valentine's Day. The Clark County Marriage License Bureau reported issuing more than 110 marriage licenses by Tuesday afternoon. Its main office in downtown Las Vegas closes at midnight. A county spokesman, Dan Kulin, says the bureau issues about 120 licenses on a normal Tuesday. Nearly 380 couples obtained licenses last year's Valentine's Day, which fell on a Sunday. In an area where people can get married in venues that range from a shooting range to a Denny's restaurant, the bureau is one of the busiest in the nation. It issues more than 80,000 marriage licenses every year.

BRUSSELS (AP) — For Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the next few days will be a reassurance tour with a twist. As much he'll tell allies the U.S. is committed to NATO, he also is expected to visit Europe with a hand out, hoping to secure bigger defense spending commitments and greater assistance in military campaigns in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Mattis also will field questions on national security adviser Michael Flynn's resignation over his pre-inauguration discussions with Russia, and what the change means for U.S. policy on Moscow. Speaking to reporters on the way to a NATO defense ministers' meeting, Mattis said Flynn's departure "has no effect at all" on him. "Frankly, this has no impact," he said. "I haven't changed what I'm heading there for. It doesn't change my message at all. Who is on the president's staff is who I will work with. And so, you know, it's full speed ahead." Mattis also reinforced earlier comments he's made on NATO's importance. Calling it "the most successful military alliance in history," he told reporters on the plane that "our commitment remains to NATO." But he said allies need to discuss increasing their military funding to the benchmark goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product. After spending his first official trip telling America's Asian allies they wouldn't be abandoned, Mattis is on a similar journey in Brussels and Munich this week, where he will have to address the mixed messages from President Donald Trump on the value of NATO before and after he took office. "I think there will be a lot of reassuring words spoken over the next week," said Derek Chollet, a former senior defense official who is now senior adviser at the German Marshall Fund. Nations want Mattis to maintain the U.S. commitment to providing military support and troops to bolster Poland and the Baltics, who feel threatened by Russia, he said. While Mattis' words may provide some comfort, Chollet said: "It will leave the question: What does the president think? If anything, the sum total of all of this will just perpetuate the confusion." Wednesday marks Mattis' first NATO meeting as defense secretary. During his Senate confirmation hearing last month, the retired Marine general said he wanted the U.S. to "maintain the strongest possible relationship with NATO." With remarks such as those, Mattis has distanced himself from Trump's criticism of the military alliance and threats that the U.S. might not defend allies that don't fulfill their financial obligations as NATO members. Mattis, however, is aligned with Trump's call for the 27 NATO members to meet the defense spending requirement. Only a few are currently hitting the 2 percent mark, while the U.S. spends more on its armed forces than all the others combined. Washington also foots more than 22 percent of NATO's commonly funded budget. The U.S. also would like to see an increased NATO commitment in Afghanistan, where forces have been fighting the Taliban for more than 15 years, since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Washington wants more trainers in Afghanistan, where about 8,400 American troops are still deployed. There also will be discussions about how to accelerate the newer, U.S.-led campaign to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Europe's leaders will first be looking for clarity from Mattis. They're still rattled by Trump's declarations that NATO is "obsolete" and his repeated praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Such comments have triggered fears Trump will ease sanctions imposed on Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and supported an insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Another concern: lessened U.S. military support for eastern European allies near Russia's border who worry about being the next target. During his confirmation hearing, Mattis told senators that he has discussed NATO with the president and that Trump was "open" to changing his position. Among Mattis' first calls after Trump's inauguration was one to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. In recent weeks, Trump's public statements on NATO have softened somewhat. After meeting Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters that he assured her he was "100 percent" behind NATO. A joint statement issued after Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone said the two agreed on the "fundamental importance that the NATO alliance has for trans-Atlantic relations" and the need for all members to pay their fair share. Trump made similar comments in a call with French President Francois Hollande. Only four countries other than the U.S. — Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland — are meeting NATO's spending target. Many are increasing their budgets in response to Russia's actions.

LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer and Serena Williams are both back on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Wednesday as they look to advance to the third round. Federer will play Lukas Lacko of Slovakia as he continues his quest for a record-extending ninth title at the All England Club. Williams then faces Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova as she goes for a 16th straight match win at the tournament — having missed last year while pregnant. Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki and last year's men's runner-up, Marin Cilic, are also back in action as they try to avoid more upsets at the tournament. Three of the top-10 seeded men lost in the first round, while former champions Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova also went out on Tuesday. The forecast calls for more sunny skies, although there is a 30 percent chance of rain showers in the afternoon. ___ More AP tennis coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis

The Federal Reserve has left its benchmark interest rate unchanged but signaled that it expects to resume raising rates gradually to reflect a healthy job market and economy. At Janet Yellen's final meeting as chair Wednesday, the Fed kept its key short-term rate in a still-low range of 1.25 percent to 1.5 percent. It said in a statement that it expects inflation to finally pick up this year and to stabilize around the Fed's target level of 2 percent. In its previous statement, the Fed had predicted that inflation would remain below its target rate. The Fed also indicated that it thinks the job market and the overall economy are continuing to improve. "Gains in employment, household spending and business fixed investment have been solid," its statement said. Yellen has led a cautious approach to rate increases in her four years as chair, and Jerome Powell, who will succeed her next week, has indicated he favors a similar approach. The Fed raised its key rate three times in 2017, and most economists expect the Powell-led Fed to do so at least three additional times this year beginning in March. Powell has been a Yellen ally and among the Fed's consensus-builders in 5½ years on the central bank's board. The unemployment rate is at a 17-year low of 4.1 percent, and the economy expanded at a solid 2.6 percent annual rate in the October-December quarter, helping lift growth for all of 2017 to a decent 2.3 percent. Synchronized growth in major regions across the world has helped energize the U.S. economy. And the sweeping tax overhaul that Trump pushed through Congress last month is expected to further support U.S. growth. The Fed's next scheduled policy meeting in March, when most economists foresee the next rate hike, will be the first time that Powell is scheduled to hold one of the Fed leader's quarterly news conferences. In its statement Wednesday, the Fed said Powell would be sworn in on Monday. Last week, the Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nomination of Powell to be Fed chairman. Economists are roughly divided on whether they think Fed's policymakers will raise rates three times this year, as in 2017, or four times. The pivotal factor will likely be how inflation performs. For the past six years, inflation has been a no-show, running below even the Fed's target level of 2 percent. A tight job market, with pressure building for pay increases, and potentially higher consumer and business spending resulting from the Republican tax cuts, could accelerate inflation this year. The prospect of faster inflation could, in turn, lead the Fed to step up its rate hikes. The Fed has modestly raised its benchmark rate five times since December 2015, when it began tightening for the first time since the height of the financial crisis in 2008. When the crisis erupted, the Fed cut its rate to a record low near zero to help rescue the financial system and the economy and then held it there for seven years. This year, the lineup of Fed regional bank presidents who vote on the central bank's rate policy — a list that rotates annually — is expected to be somewhat more "hawkish" this year. Fed hawks are those who are less likely to favor low rates to maximize employment and more likely to back rate hikes to prevent future high inflation. Powell, a lawyer and investment manager by training, will be the first Fed leader in 30 years not to hold a Ph.D. in economics. Trump chose Powell for the post rather than offer Yellen a second term despite widespread praise for her performance as chair. With Yellen's departure, the seven-member Fed board will have four vacancies. Marvin Goodfriend, a conservative economist, has been nominated by Trump for one of the vacant board seats. Trump has yet to make nominations for the others.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday: 1. HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY PLAYING OUT A senior North Korean official arrives in New York in the highest-level official visit to the United States in 18 years, as President Trump and Kim Jong Un try to salvage their on-again, off-again nuclear summit. 2. 'I'M STILL ALIVE' Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko walks into a news conference a day after police said he had been assassinated. Authorities say his death was staged to foil a plot on his life by Moscow's security services. 3. GRAND JURY INDICTS HARVEY WEINSTEIN The indictment on rape and criminal sex act charges furthers the first criminal case to arise from a slate of sexual misconduct allegations against the former movie mogul. 4. WHICH CONSPIRACY THEORY IS BEING DEBUNKED There's no evidence that the FBI planted a "spy" on Trump's 2016 campaign, a senior House Republican says, despite the president's repeated assertions. 5. IN MIDEAST, AN UNEASY TRUCE With a cease-fire declared, Israel and Hamas appear to have avoided — for now — a fourth war after a day of intense rocket fire and airstrikes. 6. WHY DRUG COMPANY ISN'T TAKING BLAME The maker of Ambien says that "racism is not a known side effect" after Roseanne Barr cited the insomnia drug in explaining the tweet that led ABC to cancel her show. 7. WALMART WORKERS GET COLLEGE ON THE CHEAP America's largest private employer is offering its employees a new perk: affordable access to a college degree. 8. WHAT'S FUELING TRADE TENSIONS Europe braces for the U.S. to announce restrictions on imported steel and aluminum, a move that could provoke retaliatory tariffs. 9. BELTWAY ABUZZ OVER MELANIA'S WHEREABOUTS The first lady tries to tamp down speculation about why she's not been seen in public in nearly three weeks, tweeting that she's "feeling great." 10. WHOSE CAUSE REALITY TV STAR IS CHAMPIONING Kim Kardashian West visits the White House to advocate on behalf of a woman serving a life sentence for drug offenses.

PARIS (AP) — French drugmaker Sanofi has made another big purchase aimed at strengthening its position in rare disease treatments, buying Belgian biotech company Ablynx for 3.9 billion euros ($4.8 billion). Sanofi announced Monday that the deal was approved by the boards of both companies. Sanofi is paying 45 euros per share. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk had also sought to buy Ablynx but the Belgian company said Novo Nordisk's offers were too low. Ablynx is notably developing nanobodies, small antibodies that it hopes can be used to treat blood disorders, inflammation and respiratory diseases. Sanofi says the purchase will boost its rare blood disorder portfolio, after announcing earlier this month that it's buying U.S. hemophilia specialist Bioverativ for $11.6 billion. The pharmaceutical industry is seeing increasing interest in rare diseases.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The United States is accusing the World Trade Organization of losing its focus on trade. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Monday that the WTO is "losing its essential focus on negotiation and becoming a litigation-centered organization." Lighthizer also said some members try to gain concessions through lawsuits that he said they could never get at the negotiating table. He spoke Monday at the WTO's ministerial meeting that is being held in Argentina. President Donald Trump says the policy of the U.S. "is to aggressively promote and use American-made goods." Some member nations that favor free trade have decried what they say are Trump's protectionist measures. But many also acknowledge the WTO needs reform.

BOSTON (AP) — The single bottle of juice delivered to your door will set you back at least $55. But the bag of marijuana that comes with it? On the house. Retail marijuana stores are months away from opening in Massachusetts, but some companies have been quietly operating for more than a year, selling and delivering marijuana via a legal loophole. Companies like HighSpeed, which describes itself as a juice delivery service, are exploiting so-called "gifting" provisions that are on the books in Massachusetts and most other states where marijuana has been legalized. They generally allow the exchange of small amounts of the drug so long as it's given away — "gifted" — from one adult to another. In other words, passing a joint at a party or dropping a bud in your brother's Christmas stocking won't result in fines or jail time. But some entrepreneurs see the provisions as an opportunity to get ahead of the regulated market, planting an early stake in what could become a crowded and lucrative industry. Gifting also allows cannabis capitalists to undercut licensed shops because they don't face the same oversight or pay marijuana sales taxes. And underground sellers could complicate things in places like Vermont, Maine and Washington, D.C., which have legalized pot but have no firm plans to open regulated retailers. "Under any fair reading of the law, these businesses are illegal," said Roger Katz, a Republican state senator in Maine who is studying the issue. "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck." At least four enterprises have done gifting business in Massachusetts since marijuana was legalized in December 2016, two of them in the Boston area, The Associated Press found in an investigation that included records gathered from law enforcement agencies around the state. In addition to HighSpeed, a Boston-area company cleverly called Duuber has drivers delivering marijuana-themed T-shirts that come with gifts of pot. Officials in western Massachusetts also looked into a Craigslist ad offering plastic sandwich bags costing up to $325 apiece (the marijuana in them was free) but dropped the case after they couldn't identify the seller. In Springfield, officials ordered a smoke shop called Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing to shut down last March after it gave marijuana to customers who paid a $25 to $50 admission fee. That hasn't scared HighSpeed, which also operates in D.C. "We've had no issues with law enforcement, and we're going to do our best to keep it that way," said founder David Umeh. "We're not doing anything wrong. We're abiding by the current legislation until it changes." Gifting provisions are on the books in Massachusetts and all but one of the other states that have legalized marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state, plus D.C. Most instituted the measure specifically as part of new marijuana laws. Vermont does not have a provision, but local experts and activists argue the exchanges will be permitted there, too, since they're not expressly banned. Some states have tried to stem abuse of the laws by prohibiting businesses from advertising marijuana giveaways or specifically banning "delayed or disguised" payments for marijuana gifts, said Leo Beletsky, a law professor at Northeastern University in Boston. But businesses simply find ways to obscure what they're doing, he said, and then rely largely on word of mouth to make sales. Clued-in customers can infer how much pot they're ordering judging by the price and size of the items accompanying it, but for the most part, they're at the mercy of the seller. In the case of HighSpeed, there is no mention of marijuana on its website. The company sells drinks priced from $55 to $150, depending on whether the beverage comes with "Love" or "Lots of Love." The AP recently put in a $60 order for "Raspberry Roxbury" with "Love" and received a bottle of Tazo juice along with about an eighth of an ounce of marijuana. Duuber also doesn't explicitly spell out its marijuana "gift" on its website. But when the AP ordered a $100 product listed as "Luxury Tshirt - Citrus - small," the brown paper bag delivered by a driver contained a white T-shirt with the company's name in black over an image of a marijuana leaf — and a clear plastic bag of marijuana labeled "1/4 Ruthless OG." The opening of retail shops in states with marijuana laws should eventually make most gifting operations obsolete, said Morgan Fox, spokesman for the D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. "People want quality control-tested products," he said. "The sooner that happens, the sooner this sort of thing disappears." But in Colorado, where pot shops opened in 2014, gifting businesses are still hatching creative ways to skirt the law, said Detective Kerry Linfoot of the Colorado Springs Police Department. The department shut down 14 gifting businesses last year. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to rescind an Obama-era policy that called for non-interference with legal state marijuana operations could also help bolster gifting and other underground operations, Beletsky said. "If the feds somehow came down on state regulators or licensed retail operations," he said, "that could provide a convenient opening for these gray-market operators to scale up what they're already doing." ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/philip_marcelo.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian government says a plague of locusts could "disgrace" the country by destroying World Cup fields. Locusts often feast on crops in southern Russia and Pyotr Chekmaryov, who oversees plant protection at the agriculture ministry, says they could descend on stadiums, too. In comments reported by state news agencies, Chekmaryov says "we've more or less learned how to deal with locusts, but this year I'm afraid we could end up in an international locust scandal." He adds that "locusts like places where there is a lot of green," and says that it is important "not to disgrace ourselves in front of global society, especially where we will have guests from all over the world." Chekmaryov pointed out the Volgograd region as a particular concern.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tony McGahan won't wait around to see if the Melbourne Rebels survive to play Super Rugby next year: the head coach and the club announced a mutual parting of the ways on Thursday. The Australian Rugby Union must decide which of the five Australian franchises is cut by the league for the 2018 Super Rugby season. The Rebels and Western Force have been most often mentioned as one of the teams to be cut. A statement on behalf of the Rebels and McGahan said both parties arrived at the decision in the best interests of the Rebels "in order for the club to develop the long-term direction of the rugby program." Melbourne has just one win and a draw in 13 matches and is a distant last in a mediocre Australian conference. The Rebels meet the Western Force in Perth on July 7 and McGahan will coach his last game in Melbourne against Argentina's Jaguares on July 14.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Tass news agency says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at a Russian military air base in Syria. Tass said that Putin's plane landed at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad's Alawite minority. The visit marks Putin's first trip to Syria and comes as Assad's forces have retaken control over most of Syria under the Russian air cover. The air base has served as the main foothold for the air campaign Russia has waged since September 2015 in support of Assad.

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (AP) — How has the Earth evolved, and what's in store for the future? It's a sticky question that has graduate student Loes van Dam covered in corn syrup by the end of a day in the lab. She thought using a computer model would be limiting. So she designed and built a large tank, filled it with 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of corn syrup, and added six counter-rotating belts to study how tectonic plates drift and shift. The corn syrup represents the Earth's mantle, which melts to form magma at volcanoes and ridges. The belts are the drifting and shifting tectonic plates. Their intersection is the ocean ridge. Syrup in the tank, which measures 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and 1½ feet (0.3 meters) tall, slowly moves as the belts pull apart. Cameras record the flow in what van Dam has named the "ridge zone replicator." One minute of each experiment equals more than a million years in time, to show how tectonic plates move mantle material. "It's really cool that with our little experiments, we get clues about how this process has been going on in the past and why those plates are positioned the way they are now," said van Dam, who studies geological oceanography at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography in Narragansett. How plates drift is not thoroughly understood, and computer simulations have difficulty capturing it. Her experiments aim to show how plate tectonics created the sea floor over billions of years, and how those forces are at work today. "We can understand the flow at all points in the syrup. We're not limited to measuring at a few points, like in a numerical simulation," she said. Her experiments are showing that the lava that erupts from volcanoes to form new sea floor may originate at a shallower depth in the Earth than geologists currently think. The model shows more horizontal flow of mantle material than previous models have shown. That may tell researchers more about the chemical makeup of the Earth's interior, said URI Professor Chris Kincaid, an expert in geophysical oceanography. To his knowledge, he said, it's the first 3-D model of a mid-ocean ridge system that can migrate in any direction. "She's trying to put together a clearer picture of the evolution of the Earth," he said. "If you're trying to understand how the Earth is changing in the future, you need to know that." Van Dam, 23 and born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, moved to Novato, California, when she was young. She always picked up rocks that fascinated her and got her first introduction to plate tectonics in a third-grade earth science class. The research is funded with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, but he won't be the only one trying to send a message. Here's a look at some of the ways lawmakers are using the speech to make a point: ___ #METOO Many female Democratic lawmakers plan to follow the lead of celebrities at this year's Golden Globe Awards by wearing black to the State of the Union. Allegations of sexual harassment have had a big impact on Capitol Hill in recent months, forcing resignations and retirements on both sides of the political aisle as well as ongoing Ethics Committee investigations. "Wearing black to #SOTU isn't about Trump," tweeted Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla. "It's about showing solidarity with a movement- from hotels to farm fields, to Congress, we're standing with workers to end sexual harassment in all workplaces." Some lawmakers are also bringing attention to the issue through the guest they have invited to the State of the Union. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., has invited Chessy Prout, a victim of sexual assault while she attended high school. "The conversation about sexual harassment and assault in our nation is long overdue, but through the efforts of Chessy and the #MeToo movement, it is finally gaining steam," Kuster said. ___ FACES OF IMMIGRATION Dozens of young immigrants will be sitting in the House gallery overlooking the president as he speaks. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and other Democratic lawmakers invited them to put a face on an immigration debate that is dominating Congress's attention. The guests are among the nearly 700,000 people who received protection from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump canceled the program last year but gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix. The "Dreamers" in the gallery include aspiring nurse Karen Bahena of San Diego and Virginia high school student Nicolle Uria, who was brought into the United States as a 1-year-old. Bahena is the guest of Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif. Uria is the guest of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. "This country is all she has ever known and through her volunteer work she has made our community better," Connolly said. Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., is also making a statement on immigration. His guest, Tommy Fisher, is president of a company that was given a contract to develop a prototype wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. "As Congress develops comprehensive immigrant enforcement legislation, I am proud to know a North Dakota company is a finalist to construct the border wall between our nation and Mexico," Cramer said. ___ EMPTY SEATS At least eight Democratic lawmakers have announced they are boycotting the president's address: Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, John Lewis of Georgia, Frederica Wilson of Florida, Gregory Meeks of New York, Maxine Waters of California and Bobby Rush and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. "Rather than listening to yet another destructive and divisive speech by Trump, I will not attend this year's annual address to Congress," said Blumenauer, who also skipped the Trump inauguration. ___ THE SCIENCE GUY Bill Nye the Science Guy is also on the guest list. The harsh critic of Trump's environmental policies is the guest of Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine, Trump's nominee to serve as the next administrator of NASA. Nye said he has enjoyed a productive working relationship with Bridenstine on space issues. Democratic lawmakers have been highly critical of Bridenstine, saying that placing a politician at the head of the agency, instead of someone steeped in the sciences, would be a mistake. A Senate committee approved Bridenstine's nomination on a party-line vote, but the full Senate hasn't yet taken it up. "I hope to hear the president present plans for an ambitious, science-driven space exploration agenda," Nye said. ___ REBUTTAL Rep. Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts will deliver the Democratic response to the president's address. He is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, the former senator and U.S. attorney general, and the son of former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, who served in the House from 1987 to 1999. Democratic leaders are pitching Kennedy as someone who can champion Democratic policies to the middle class.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Why did the chicken cross the road? In New Hampshire, the answer may soon cost its owners. The Legislature is considering a bill that would make trespassing fowl a violation, not for the chicken, but for its owners. Under the proposal, anyone who knowingly, recklessly or negligently allows their domestic fowl to enter someone else's property without permission can be convicted of a violation if the birds damage crops or property. The law already makes such trespassing illegal when it comes to sheep, goats, cows, horses or pigs. Republican Rep. Michael Moffett, of Loudon, told a House committee Tuesday that a constituent's frustration with a neighbor's ducks led to the legislation. Committee members raised numerous questions, including whether the proposal would apply to someone whose pond attracts wild ducks.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bond yields climbed again on Wednesday and U.S. stocks held close to their record highs after more reports showed the economy continues to strengthen. The encouraging data could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates sooner rather than later in its gradual move away from record low rates during the Great Recession. KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index was close to flat at 2,338 as of 9:57 a.m. Eastern time. The index closed at a record high Tuesday after rising for the sixth straight day. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 37 points, or 0.2 percent, to 20,541. The Nasdaq composite rose 8, or 0.1 percent, to 5,790. ENCOURAGING ECONOMIC GAINS: Wednesday's economic reports give the Federal Reserve more leeway to raise interest rates. Retailers had stronger sales in January than economists expected, and inflation at the consumer level was the highest in years. Consumer prices rose 2.5 percent in January from a year earlier, the highest rate since March 2012. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday that the strengthening job market and a modest move higher in inflation should warrant continued, gradual increases in interest rates. The central bank raised rates in December for just the second time in a decade, after keeping rates at nearly zero to help lift the economy out of the Great Recession. Yellen speaks before a House committee Wednesday. BOND YIELDS: Treasury yields jumped immediately after the release of the retail sales and inflation reports. The 10-year yield rose to 2.50 percent from 2.47 percent late Tuesday. The two-year yield inched up to 1.25 percent from 1.24 percent, and the 30-year yield rose to 3.09 percent from 3.06 percent. DAMPENED DIVIDEND DEMAND: When bonds are paying more in interest, it can mean less demand from income investors for stocks that pay big dividends. Utility stocks, which are some of the biggest dividend payers, fell 1.2 percent, the largest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500. Real-estate investment trusts and telecom stocks are also go-to buys for dividend seekers, and they were weak as well. GLOBAL MARKETS: In Europe, the German DAX index lost 0.2 percent, while the French CAC 40 and U.K. FTSE 100 each added 0.4 percent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 1 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.2 percent and the Kospi in South Korea gained 0.4 percent. CURRENCIES: The strong U.S. economic reports helped lift the value of the dollar against many of its rivals. The dollar ticked up to 114.64 Japanese yen from 114.22 late Tuesday. The euro fell to $1.0557 from $1.0572, and the British pound dipped to $1.2411 from $1.2465. COMMODITIES: Benchmark U.S. crude rose 2 cents to $53.22 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 11 cents to $55.85 in London. Natural gas rose 5 cents to $2.96 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold slipped 30 cents to $1,225.10 per ounce, silver was close to flat at $17.89 per ounce and copper was flat at $2.74 per pound.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has issued a decree to adjust its current laws to a new presidential system that comes into effect with last month's presidential and parliamentary elections. The decree issued Wednesday changes the wording in some 5,000 laws, removing references to the prime minister — whose office has been abolished — and transferring some powers to the president. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the presidential election on June 24 with 52.6 percent of the vote, according to results which have yet to be confirmed by Turkey's electoral council. Erdogan will now rule with substantially expanded powers in line with constitutional changes that were narrowly approved in a referendum last year. He is expected to be sworn in over the weekend.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have drafted Chris Singleton, whose mother was among those killed two years ago during the shooting inside a South Carolina church. Singleton was selected Wednesday by the defending World Series champions with the final pick of the 19th round, No. 585 overall. He is a right-handed-hitting center fielder at Charleston Southern University. The outfielder's mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was one of nine people killed by Dylann Roof on June 17, 2015, during a Wednesday night Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, one of the South's first African-American churches. Coleman-Singleton, who was 45, was a track coach at Goose Creek High School. In a news release detailing the amateur draft, Major League Baseball says Chris Singleton was honored by the New York Yankees during the team's annual HOPE Week in 2015, "following his courageous response to the tragic shooting inside a Charleston, South Carolina church that claimed the life of his mother."

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's military says a roadside bombing has killed at least two soldiers and wounded three in the country's northwestern tribal region that borders Afghanistan. A military statement says that Wednesday's bombing took place in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. It says the bomb exploded as a vehicle ferrying soldiers drove near it. The casualties were transported to a military hospital in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The tribal region was a sanctuary for militants until several massive military operations claimed to have pushed them out of the safe havens. The army claims to have cleared the area but militants in North Waziristan sporadically strike back, targeting security forces.

All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Tampa Bay 72 49 19 4 102 260 202 26-8-2 23-11-2 15-7-2 Boston 70 45 17 8 98 235 179 25-7-4 20-10-4 15-5-2 Toronto 72 43 22 7 93 243 204 25-8-2 18-14-5 13-6-3 Washington 72 41 24 7 89 225 214 25-9-2 16-15-5 13-7-3 Pittsburgh 72 41 26 5 87 237 218 26-8-1 15-18-4 15-6-1 Philadelphia 73 37 25 11 85 218 215 18-13-6 19-12-5 11-7-5 Columbus 72 39 28 5 83 200 199 24-11-2 15-17-3 13-10-3 New Jersey 72 37 27 8 82 217 215 18-14-3 19-13-5 12-9-1 Florida 69 35 27 7 77 210 216 22-11-3 13-16-4 12-6-2 Carolina 72 31 30 11 73 194 225 16-14-6 15-16-5 9-10-5 N.Y. Rangers 72 32 32 8 72 208 231 20-13-4 12-19-4 9-8-3 N.Y. Islanders 72 30 32 10 70 231 262 16-14-4 14-18-6 10-12-2 Montreal 72 26 34 12 64 182 230 17-11-8 9-23-4 10-8-5 Ottawa 71 26 34 11 63 197 244 15-14-6 11-20-5 8-11-4 Detroit 72 26 35 11 63 184 224 13-14-8 13-21-3 6-13-4 Buffalo 72 23 37 12 58 172 236 11-21-5 12-16-7 10-8-3 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Nashville 72 48 14 10 106 236 178 25-7-4 23-7-6 17-4-2 Vegas 72 46 21 5 97 244 199 25-9-2 21-12-3 17-3-2 Winnipeg 72 43 19 10 96 240 189 26-7-2 17-12-8 13-8-2 Minnesota 72 41 24 7 89 224 206 24-6-6 17-18-1 11-11-0 San Jose 72 40 23 9 89 219 199 21-11-3 19-12-6 19-4-3 Colorado 72 39 25 8 86 231 209 25-9-2 14-16-6 10-10-3 Anaheim 73 37 24 12 86 206 197 22-10-5 15-14-7 11-6-7 Los Angeles 72 39 27 6 84 207 181 19-14-3 20-13-3 11-10-4 Dallas 73 38 27 8 84 209 197 24-10-3 14-17-5 11-13-0 St. Louis 72 39 28 5 83 201 193 21-15-0 18-13-5 10-10-3 Calgary 73 35 28 10 80 202 217 15-17-4 20-11-6 10-9-3 Chicago 73 30 34 9 69 208 223 17-15-4 13-19-5 7-10-3 Edmonton 72 31 36 5 67 201 231 16-17-3 15-19-2 13-9-1 Vancouver 72 25 38 9 59 186 236 12-18-6 13-20-3 6-16-1 Arizona 71 23 37 11 57 170 228 14-20-4 9-17-7 7-10-6 NOTE: 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. Sunday's Games Colorado 5, Detroit 1 Vegas 4, Calgary 0 Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1 Carolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 3 Philadelphia 6, Washington 3 Winnipeg 4, Dallas 2 St. Louis 5, Chicago 4, OT Anaheim 4, New Jersey 2 Monday's Games Nashville 4, Buffalo 0 Columbus at Boston, 7 p.m. Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Calgary at Arizona, 10 p.m. Tuesday's Games Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Vegas, 10 p.m. New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday's Games Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Boston at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Calgary, 9:30 p.m. Thursday's Games N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Arizona at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Columbus, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Washington at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m. Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.

All the top 2018 football prospects at St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey took advantage of the new NCAA signing period and wrapped up their recruitments in December. Still, St. Peter's coach Rich Hansen has been kept busy lately by college recruiters. "Duke just left. Syracuse was in this morning. Northwestern's in tomorrow. Virginia," Hansen said recently. The day before, Rutgers coach Chris Ash and coaches from Penn State swung by the Jersey City school that has produced Alabama All-American Minkah Fitzpatrick and Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush in recent years. The previous week, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer dropped by. "It's the same traffic. It's the same schedule," Hansen said. "The agenda just changed a little bit. But they're not going to give up an open (recruiting) period." The first two-legged signing period in major college football began Dec. 20 and will largely wrap up on Feb. 7, the traditional first Wednesday of February. The modified agenda for schools this January has been to fill a handful of open spots in the 2018 class and get a running start on 2019 and beyond. Several longtime, successful high school coaches gave the new recruiting calendar generally positive reviews. They were hopeful early signing would create more clarity and opportunities for their players. They said they have seen an increase in the recruitment of their remaining prospects. And while adding signing-day planning to the to-do list during playoff time was not ideal, none of the four thought it distracted players to the detriment of the team. According to recruiting and scouting analyst Tom Luginbill of ESPN, about 2,800 prospects sign in a typical year. During the Dec. 20-22 signing period, 2,003 high school players signed with Bowl Subdivision schools. Another 360 prospects are unsigned but committed heading into next week's traditional signing day, Luginbill said. Hansen had six players sign in December, including three of the top 20 prospects in New Jersey, according to 247 Sports' composite rankings. "It's over and done and I can start getting the kids going to D-IIs and IIIs, and the juniors and sophomores and freshmen," Hansen said. "But if I'm on the other side of the table and I'm waiting for that offer and it hasn't come, I don't know how I'm going to feel about it." Hansen said having most of the top prospects signed should help clear the "logjam" of prospects farther down the board that in past years would be holding out for better offers. With 10 days remaining before signing day, only 18 of 247 Sports' top 100 prospects were uncommitted. Another 13 were verbally committed, but unsigned. Steve Mask, head coach at St. Paul's Episcopal in Mobile, Alabama, had his best player, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, sign with the Crimson Tide in December. Mask's quarterback, Swift Lyle, held out, hoping that a Power Five offer might come. That's happened, Mask said. It's impossible to know if that would have happened without the early signing period, but it seems like a positive sign to Mask. "It may benefit those kids to some degree," Mask said. "The other side of that coin is it could also backfire. If Timbuktu College is a Group of Five and they're recruiting three quarterbacks and they say, 'You know what? We're going to take the first one that signs in December.' All of sudden that kid that gambled a little bit may not have the opportunity to come back." With college recruiters no longer having to focus on verbally committed recruits through January, guarding against last-minute flips, they have more time to take a swing at a top uncommitted recruit such as linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu from Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei. "That many more phone calls started to happen. That many more tweets. I guarantee these guys are coming in and (asking), 'What do you know about Solomon?'" Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. Rollinson's team won the state championship in 2017 in a game played four days before the early signing period opened. He said he never felt as if the looming decision-day affected his players. Kevin Wright, head coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a school that draws elite athletes of all kinds from all over the world, had 19 players sign with FBS schools in December. It didn't necessarily hurt his team, he said, but he could tell recruiters were anxious to have players signed in December. "It definitely weighs on those kids," Wright said. "They're getting pushed hard right in the middle of the season to commit." Rollinson said the only nuisance caused by the early signing period was trying to prepare a signing day celebration for players inking a national letter of intent in December. He said the event lost some of its luster. "Whereas in February, we as a school try to make it as special, as we have done in the past," he said. Mask said less attention on signing day was fine by him. "Most people were out for the holidays. You didn't have all that fanfare," Mask said. "You didn't have ESPN using 19 channels to try to cover everybody from all over the country. And from that standpoint I thought that was a major benefit." ___ Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ___ More AP college football: https://collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2018--The global smart home market ended on an upbeat note in 2017 reaching $84 billion, up 16% from $72 billion in 2016 according to a report just released by. According to the report, “”, worldwide consumer spending on smart home devices, systems and services will total nearly $96 billion in 2018 and grow at 10% CAGR over the forecast period (2018 to 2023) to $155 billion. North America will account for 41% of total spending or $40 billion, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at $26 billion and Western Europe at $17 billion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006126/en/ Households with "Smart" Systems: Global Total (Graphic: Strategy Analytics) New offerings from big brand tech firms such as Amazon, Google (Nest), ADT and Samsung are driving adoption in North America. In Europe, UK-based Centrica Connected Homes’ Hive along with Deutsche Telekom’s Magenta Home, Germany’s eQ-3 and the Netherlands Enco’s Toon are stimulating market demand. In Asia-Pacific, China’s Xiaomi, Korean service provider LG U+, Japan’s iTSCOM and Panasonic, as well as, Origin and Telstra in Australia are powering the market. “The market continues to mature,” stated Bill Ablondi, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Smart Home Strategies advisory service. “Consumer awareness is rising, prices are coming down, and the technology is becoming more intuitive. Yet, there is still a high degree of fragmentation, with numerous firms competing for smart home consumers. Who will ultimately succeed in capturing growth in this market remains unclear.” About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006126/en/ CONTACT: Strategy Analytics, Inc. Bill Ablondi, +1 617-614-0744 wablondi@strategyanalytics.com or Jack Narcotta, +1 617-614-0798 jnarcotta@strategyanalytics.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MASSACHUSETTS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER ELECTRONICS HARDWARE INTERNET AUDIO/VIDEO SECURITY MOBILE/WIRELESS SOURCE: Strategy Analytics, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 05/30/2018 12:52 PM/DISC: 05/30/2018 12:52 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006126/en

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan officials are abandoning their most highly overvalued foreign exchange rate, which has been used for state imports of food and medicine as the nation's economic crisis worsens. Authorities announced in the nation's official gazette that all transactions will instead utilize a second official exchange rate known as Dicom. The Dicom rate still contrasts sharply with the current black market exchange rate: One U.S. dollar buys 3,345 bolivars at the Dicom rate while Venezuelans are paying an average of nearly 250,000 bolivars per U.S. dollar on the black market. The rate being abandoned was set at 10 bolivars per dollar. Venezuela has been operating with two official exchange rates, though most Venezuelans can only buy dollars on the illegal black market.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots for his eighth shutout of the season and the Nashville Predators set a franchise record by earning a point in their 15th consecutive game with a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. Mike Fisher and Ryan Johansen scored goals 4:34 apart in the second period, and Filip Forsberg and Ryan Hartman sealed the victory by scoring in the final four minutes. The NHL-leading Predators improved to 14-0-1 in their past 15, and also extended their team-best road winning streak to nine straight. Rinne won his 11th straight to match his personal best in a stretch in which he's allowed just 18 goals. The shutout was the 51st of his 12-year career and third in nine games. Rinne also improved to 40-9-4 in becoming the NHL's seventh goalie to win 40 games in a season three or more times. BLUE JACKETS 5, BRUINS 4, OT BOSTON (AP) — Cam Atkinson scored 2:55 into overtime to lift Columbus to its eighth straight win, spoiling a splendid NHL debut for Boston forward Ryan Donato. Sonny Milano, Boone Jenner, Thomas Vanek and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Blue Jackets. Nick Foligno had two assists, and Vanek and Jenner each added one. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 34 shots. Atkinson cut in on the left wing and fired a wrister past Rask for the game-winner. Columbus moved into a tie with Philadelphia with 85 points, but the Flyers hold the tiebreaker for third place in the Metropolitan Division and the Blue Jackets hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. Donato had a goal and two assists for Boston, which moved a point behind idle Tampa Bay for first in the Atlantic. Riley Nash, Brad Marchand and David Krejci also scored for the Bruins, and Tuukka Rask finished with 20 saves. KINGS 4, WILD 3, OT. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jeff Carter scored his second goal of the game with 33.8 seconds left on the clock in overtime and Los Angeles recovered after giving up a two-goal lead. Tanner Pearson and Dustin Brown also scored for Los Angeles, which has alternated wins and losses over its past nine games. The Kings pulled into a tie with Anaheim for third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points, and hold the tiebreaker over the Ducks. Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for the Kings, who appeared headed to a second straight loss until Brown tipped home a point shot from Drew Doughty with 46.5 seconds left in regulation. Doughty finished with three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek scored for the first time in 13 games with 2:31 left to give Minnesota the lead after trailing 2-0. Eric Staal added his 39th and Zach Parise had his second goal in three games for the Wild. Devan Dubnyk stopped 26 shots for Minnesota, which is in third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Colorado. PANTHERS 2, CANADIENS 0 MONTREAL (AP) — Roberto Luongo stopped 28 shots for his third shutout of the season and 76th of his career to lead Florida. Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov scored to help the Panthers inch closer to a playoff position, pulling three points behind idle new Jersey for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Florida has two games in hand on the Devils. Antti Niemi finished with 38 saves for Montreal, which was shut out for the second straight game and 12th time this season — including three against the Panthers. The Canadiens were coming off a 4-0 loss at Toronto on Saturday.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Britain's Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge have taken a shot at bandy hockey to kick off a visit to Sweden and Norway. William and Kate, who is pregnant with their third child, began their four-day tour Tuesday with a visit to an outdoor ice-skating venue in Stockholm. Later they will head to the royal palace for a luncheon with Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia before visiting a museum that tells the story of the Nobel prizes. Their trip also includes a visit to a medical institute to meet academics and discuss Sweden's approach to managing mental health challenges, a subject the royals have campaigned about. The royal couple, both 35, will continue to Norway on Thursday for a two-day visit.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The suspect in February's massacre at a Florida high school made chilling cellphone videos announcing his intention to become the next school shooter, aiming to kill at least 20 people and saying "you're all going to die." The three videos released by prosecutors Wednesday were found on the cellphone of suspect Nikolas Cruz after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. Cruz introduces himself in the first video and says he is "going to be the next school shooter of 2018." He goes on to say that he wants to use an AR-15 to kill at least 20 people and specifies the high school in Parkland. He laughs and then says, "You're all going to die." Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. ___ This story has corrected the spelling of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the accident involving a train carrying lawmakers to a policy retreat in West Virginia (all times local): 7 p.m. Aides to Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis say he's been discharged from a Virginia hospital after suffering a concussion when a train carrying House Republicans to a retreat struck a truck. A tweet from Lewis' account late Wednesday said Lewis was heading for the retreat and planned to participate as much as he could as he recovers. The train taking House Republicans from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia collided with the garbage truck in Crozet, Virginia, on Wednesday. One person in the truck was killed. Fellow Minnesota Reps. Erik Paulsen and Tom Emmer were also on board the train. Both lawmakers say they were unhurt. ___ 6:15 p.m. A congressman who was on the train that hit a garbage truck in Virginia says the truck's driver was killed instantly. Tennessee Rep. Phil Roe, who is a doctor, told reporters about the death Wednesday evening. The White House earlier had confirmed one fatality and one serious injury after the chartered train carrying dozens of Republican lawmakers to a retreat in West Virginia hit the truck. Texas Rep. Michael Burgess, also a doctor, described the accident near Crozet, Virginia, as a "scene you don't ever want to see." Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says seeing lawmaker doctors tending to the injured reminded him of Rep. Steve Scalise's shooting at a GOP baseball practice last year. ___ 5 p.m. A man who lives near the railroad crossing where a train carrying Republican lawmakers struck a garbage truck says the crossing arms have not been working correctly. Benny Layne said the truck landed on his property Wednesday after it collided with the Amtrak train near Crozet, Virginia. Layne told The Associated Press that he has recently seen lines of cars stopped at the crossing, with the crossing arms lowered even though no train was approaching. He said motorists would get out of their cars to help guide other motorists around the malfunctioning arms so they could cross the tracks. Layne says he has seen the arms stay down for hours. He also says he saw a man examining the crossing arms this week. CSX Transportation owns the tracks where the crash occurred. Buckingham Branch Railroad leases the tracks and is responsible for maintenance, signaling and traffic dispatching on the line. A spokeswoman for Buckingham said she was not aware of any problems with equipment at the crossing but referred questions to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. ___ 3:30 p.m. The railroad crossing where a train carrying Republican lawmakers struck a trash truck is equipped with two advance warning signs, two roadway gate arms, two mast-mounted flashing lights and a bell to warn of an approaching train. Those details are included in a U.S. Department of Transportation Inventory Form dated Jan. 3 describing the warning system at the crossing near Crozet, Virginia. According to the report, three freight trains pass through the intersection during the day and two at night, on average. The report says passenger trains don't go through very often — an average of less than one per day. The maximum speed for trains crossing the intersection is 60 miles per hour. One accident report filed by CSX Transportation in 1999 said a train hit a vehicle that was stuck between the rails at the crossing. No injuries were reported, but there was damage to the train's engine and the vehicle, which was driven by a 70-year-old woman who got out of her car before the train hit. ___ 3:15 p.m. President Donald Trump says he has spoken to House Speaker Paul Ryan after a train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat hit a truck on the tracks in Virginia. The president says in the Oval Office that the lawmakers are "doing pretty good" and are "proceeding with their conference." Trump says he was told "it was a pretty rough hit." The White House says one person was killed and another was seriously injured after the chartered train struck a garbage truck. Trump is planning to address the Republican lawmakers Thursday at the conference at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. ___ Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee was injured Wednesday morning when a train taking Republican members of Congress to a retreat hit a garbage truck in Virginia. The Tennessean reports that Fleischmann said in a phone call from the scene, where he was being treated for his injuries, that he was on his way to the restroom when the crash occurred. He said he was thrown around upon impact and suffered neck, back and foot injuries. Fleischmann said he was in a "bit of shock" and significant pain. ___ 2:30 p.m. Staff members say Rep. Jason Lewis of Minnesota has been taken to a hospital after being injured in a train accident in Virginia. Members of his staff tweeted that the first-term congressman was being checked for a possible concussion after the Wednesday crash. Officials say the train was carrying Republican lawmakers from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia when it hit a truck on the tracks near Crozet, Virginia. The White House is confirming one fatality and one serious injury after the chartered train hit a garbage truck. ___ 2 p.m. Amtrak says two crew members and two passengers have been taken to a hospital with minor injuries after a train crash in Virginia. Amtrak spokeswoman Beth K. Toll says the four were injured when the train hit a truck on the tracks Wednesday morning near Crozet, Virginia. Police and a local hospital have given differing figures, but the reason for the discrepancies wasn't immediately clear. The train was carrying Republican lawmakers to a conference at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The accident happened at an intersection that crosses the tracks at the top of a hill where visibility is limited. There is a train arm at the crossing. Crozet is a small town west of Charlottesville, which is home to the University of Virginia. ___ 1:55 p.m. The organization that's hosting a retreat for congressional Republicans says the event will go on with an adjusted program in the wake of the train accident carrying participants to a West Virginia resort. The Congressional Institute says the decision was made after consulting with Republican leaders. The White House is confirming one fatality and one serious injury after the chartered train hit a garbage truck. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says there are no serious injuries among members of Congress or congressional staff. ___ 1:15 p.m. A congressman on the train involved in an accident on its way to a GOP retreat in West Virginia says three lawmakers who are doctors tended to crash victims. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky says the collision destroyed a garbage truck, leaving it "just in pieces." Comer says Reps. Larry Bucshon of Indiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Brad Wenstrup of Ohio came to the aid of crash victims before emergency personnel — including a transport helicopter — arrived. The train was en route to a conference at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and hit the truck in Crozet, Virginia — which is near west of Charlottesville. Comer says lawmakers, spouses, and aides had been on the train for about two hours when suddenly there was a crash. The impact made him jump out of his seat. ___ 12:40 p.m. An Amtrak spokeswoman says a train has come into contact with a vehicle on the tracks in central Virginia — the same area where members of Congress are reporting their train struck a truck. Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods says there are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members after the incident that happened around 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia. Crozet is about 15 miles west of Charlottesville. Woods says the train originated in Washington, but she couldn't confirm that members of Congress were aboard. She says local law enforcement is investigating and crews are inspecting equipment for damage. ___ 12:35 p.m. The White House is confirming one fatality and one serious injury after a chartered train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat in West Virginia hit a garbage truck. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says there are no serious injuries among members of Congress or congressional staff. Sanders says President Donald Trump has been fully briefed on the matter and is receiving regular updates. The train carrying the lawmakers hit a garbage truck south of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lawmakers are heading to their annual legislative retreat at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say they have deported 69 Afghans whose asylum requests were rejected back to their home country. A plane carrying the men from Munich to Kabul landed in the Afghan capital early Wednesday. It was one of the largest collective deportation flights yet organized by Germany, which has vowed to step up the removal of people who don't have a right to remain in the country. The state interior minister of Bavaria, where 51 of the men had been living, welcomed the deportation flight. Joachim Herrmann noted that unlimited deportations to Afghanistan had recently been approved by Germany's federal authorities. In recent years deportations to Afghanistan were limited to people with criminal convictions.

Efforts by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in assisting its diplomatic allies through medical aid reflect the country’s soft power and commitment to advancing global health, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs June 13. The success of Taiwan’s annual international medical mission in the Marshall Islands serves as a prime example in these regards, MOFA Deputy Minister Paul Wen-liang Chang said, adding that the country will continue to strengthen bilateral collaboration with the South Pacific ally to help improve its medical care. The deputy minister made the remarks during the launch of the book “The Guardian from Dawn to Dusk: the Stories of Shuang Ho Hospital Medical Missions in Marshall Islands,” which documents the efforts of medical professionals dispatched every year byTaipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital to the island state since 2013. According to Chang, the dedication of the local medical missions to enhancing public health in the Marshall Islands is greatly appreciated by the nation’s people. They expressed this sentiment to MOFA Minister David Tawei Lee when he visited the ROC diplomatic ally in April this year, the deputy minister added. Taiwan medical teams’ achievements underscore the effectiveness of the ROC government’s steadfast diplomacy, which is helping safeguard the global health system, Chang said. In a video recorded for the occasion, Marshall Islands Health Minister Kalani Kaneko thanked Taiwan for providing medical assistance to his country. Anjanette Kattil, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the Marshall Islands in Taipei, also expressed gratitude for the medical teams’ successful efforts. According to the MOFA, since diplomatic relations between the ROC and Marshall Islands began in 1998, the two countries have maintained close cooperation in such areas as agriculture, clean energy, education, medicine and public health. A recent example of the firm bilateral ties is an agreement signed by Kaneko and Shuang Ho Hospital Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lin Jia-wei Feb. 24, 2017 in Marshall Islands. Under the pact, the hospital will oversee a residency program for Marshallese medical doctors graduating from the College of Medicine at Kaohsiung City-based I-Shou University, with the internship set to begin in August this year at Majuro Hospital under the supervision of Shuang Ho physicians. Taiwan’s medical missions in the Marshall Islands are representative of broader efforts to contribute to global health security. The Pacific island nation has played a major role in this endeavor, most recently by advocating for the ROC’s participation in this year’s World Health Assembly—the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, the MOFA added.

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts gambling regulators are holding a special meeting to discuss sexual misconduct allegations against casino magnate Steve Wynn, whose company is building a $2.4 billion casino outside Boston. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will receive an update on an investigation Wednesday. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says if the allegations are true, Wynn would "fail to meet the suitability standard under the state gaming law." The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a number of women said they were harassed or assaulted by Wynn, and that one case led to a $7.5 million settlement. The 76-year-old Wynn has denied the allegations. Under the 2011 casino law, a license is considered a "revocable privilege," and can be suspended or revoked if a licensee is found "unsuitable to operate a gaming establishment."

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Mercantile Bank of Michigan and Abe AI are launching the MercMoney® Chatbot to support consumer financial health. In launching today, the organizations particularly want to draw attention to the need for financial health training and information for students and recent graduates. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006705/en/ What did I spend last night? (Photo: Business Wire) The nonprofit Center for Financial Health Services Innovation (CFSI) is putting a spotlight on the state of Americans’ financial health with #FinHealthMatters Day. This year, on April 25th 2018, #FinHealthMatters Day will focus specifically on the financial health of America’s students. With over 20 million Americans pursuing higher education and roughly 70% graduating with debt, the issue is critical. “We were delighted to see such support for #FinHealthMatters Day in 2016 and 2017,” said Jennifer Tescher, founder and CEO of CFSI. “It’s an annual day to draw attention to Americans’ financial health -- one of the most pressing issues of our time, and one that affects nearly everyone in some way.” The MercMoney® Chatbot will help users improve their financial health by providing secure, simple access to their accounts through Google Home, SMS, and Messenger. After linking their accounts, users can track spending, set budgets, and manage their finances simply by sending a message through their phone, or talking to their Google home. “At Mercantile we want to do everything we can to support our customers, and our students in particular, and that starts by re-thinking how we deliver relevant and timely financial insights that shape day-to-day financial decisions. That’s why we decided to expand accessibility by meeting them in the voice-and-messaging channels they are already using on a daily basis,” said John Schulte, Chief Information Officer. “To do this we’ve partnered with Abe AI, to expand the functionality of our personal financial management tools into Google Home, SMS (text-messaging), and Messenger. We want to make the management of money feel more like a conversation, rather than a chore.” “This is the most sophisticated conversational banking interface available today from any financial institution,” said Rob Guilfoyle, CEO of Abe AI. “Being able to say, ‘How much do I have left in my grocery budget this month?’ or even make a new savings goal just by talking to my Google Home - that’s groundbreaking, and has the potential to transform the way we interact with our finances, taking away some of the potential intimidation, and making them simpler and more approachable.” About Mercantile Bank of Michigan Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mercantile Bank Corporation is the bank holding company for Mercantile Bank of Michigan. Mercantile provides banking services to businesses, individuals and governmental units, and differentiates itself on the basis of service quality and the expertise of its banking staff. The mission of Mercantile is to provide value in a highly professional and personalized manner. Mercantile has assets of approximately $3.2 billion and operates 47 banking offices. Mercantile Bank Corporation’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “MBWM.” For more information on Mercantile Bank of Michigan, visit https://www.mercbank.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @MercBank. About Abe AI Abe AI exists to create simplicity and convenience in everyone’s financial lives. Established in 2016, Abe AI makes it possible for financial institutions to utilize the latest advancements in artificial intelligence to engage and support consumers on conversational interfaces including Google Home, SMS, Facebook Messenger, smarter IVRs and more to drive acquisition, support engagement, and user experience. With Abe AI’s artificial intelligence platform, financial institutions can effortlessly build their own AI-powered banking solutions. For more information, visit www.abe.ai. Follow Abe AI on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006705/en/ CONTACT: Mercantile Bank of Michigan John Schulte, 616-813-3894 jschulte@mercbank.com or Abe AI, Inc. Keith Armstrong, 407-310-8166 media@abe.ai KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA FLORIDA MICHIGAN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT NETWORKS SOFTWARE OTHER TECHNOLOGY SECURITY MOBILE/WIRELESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BANKING FINANCE OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOURCE: Abe AI, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 07:30 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 07:30 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006705/en

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Latest on three juveniles being injured in bear mauling near Anchorage (all times local): 3:45 p.m. Three juveniles were mauled Wednesday after coming across a grizzly bear and her two cubs while they were hiking in a heavily wooded area just north of Alaska's largest city. Anchorage authorities said four young people were hiking in the woods around the Eagle River campground when three of them were injured after running into the bears. Police say three juveniles were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other youth wasn't injured. Ken Marsh is the spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He says it's possible this group just surprised the bears, and the mother reacted "defensively, pretty much in brown bear fashion." The search for the bears has been called off. Officials will put up signs warning people of bear activity in the area. ___ 1:57 p.m. Three hikers have been injured following a run-in with a bear at a campground near Alaska's largest city. Anchorage authorities say four young people were hiking in the woods around the Eagle River campground when three of them were injured by a grizzly bear with two cubs. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Anchorage police said in a news release say that while responding officers were searching for the hikers they were charged by the bear and shot at it. The bear's status was not immediately known.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Researchers say the world's last male northern white rhino, Sudan, has died after "age-related complications." A statement from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya says the 45-year-old rhino was euthanized on Monday after his condition "worsened significantly" and he was no longer able to stand. The rhino had been part of an ambitious effort to save the subspecies from extinction with the help of the two surviving females. "He was a great ambassador for his species and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity," said the conservancy's CEO, Richard Vigne. Sudan was something of a celebrity, attracting thousands of visitors.

SHANGHAI (AP) — The government of China awarded U.S. President Donald Trump valuable rights to his own name this week, in the form of a 10-year trademark for construction services. The registration became official on Feb. 14 and was published in a trademark registration announcement on the website of China's Trademark Office on Wednesday. This may well be the first foreign trademark to be handed to Trump during his presidency, but is unlikely to be the last. In China alone he has 49 pending trademark applications and 77 marks already registered in his own name, most of which will come up for renewal during his term. Critics say Trump's global intellectual property interests could be used by foreign states as leverage over the president and may violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars public servants from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless explicitly approved by Congress. These concerns are particularly sharp in China, where the courts and bureaucracy reflect the will of the ruling Communist Party. The registration this week came as a surprise win for Trump after a decade of trying — and failing — to wrest the rights to his name back from a man named Dong Wei. The a href='https://apnews.com/c113029cef374b29b22e0d836f41a1ef/With-Trump's-win-in-China,-will-Trump-toilets-get-flushed?'abrupt turn in Trump's bureaucratic fortunes/a once he declared his candidacy has raised questions about the extent to which his political status may be helping his family business. Any special treatment from China would mean that Trump effectively accepted a present from Beijing, an act that would violate the Constitution, Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said in an email. "A different conclusion might be reached if Trump had been treated like everyone else seeking a trademark, but the evidence does not point in that direction." Alan Garten, chief legal officer of The Trump Organization, said Trump's trademark activity in China predates his election. Trump has turned management of his company over to his children and a team of executives in order to remove himself from his business and its trademark portfolio, he added. China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which oversees the Trademark Office, and the foreign ministry could not be reached for comment Wednesday. ___ Associated Press researcher Fu Ting in Shanghai contributed to this report. ___ Follow Kinetz on Twitter at twitter.com/ekinetz

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's governor has signed the nation's tightest abortion restrictions into law. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1510 on Monday afternoon. It becomes law immediately and bans most abortions after 15 weeks' gestation. Bryant has frequently said he wants Mississippi to be the "safest place in America for an unborn child." The law's only exceptions are if a fetus has health problems making it "incompatible with life" outside of the womb at full term, or if a pregnant woman's life or a "major bodily function" is threatened by pregnancy. Pregnancies resulting from rape and incest aren't exempted. Abortion rights advocates are calling the law unconstitutional because it limits abortion before fetuses can live outside the womb. The owner of Mississippi's only abortion clinic opposes the law and has pledged to sue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate overwhelmingly approves new package of sanctions to punish Russia for meddling in 2016 election.

The spectacle of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak being hauled to court to face corruption charges gripped Malaysians and marked a historic moment in the nation's politics. Najib, who until recently was at the apex of power in the Southeast Asian country, now must face the ignominy of defending himself against accusations of corruption. The massive graft scam involving the state-run multibillion-dollar 1MDB fund, tarnished Najib's reputation and many believe it played a major role in his party's defeat in recently held elections, which upended the nation's political landscape. On Wednesday, Najib pleaded not guilty to three charges of criminal breach of trust and a fourth for abuse of power. He has been released on bail and was ordered to surrender his two diplomatic passports. His trial will begin in February 2019. The court also granted an interim gag order that Najib's lawyers requested. This would limit media coverage to only "the merits of the case," and hamper reporting on a high-profile story spanning six countries. Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas, who leads a 12-member prosecution team, will file a formal response opposing the order. The return of good governance? Social media has been awash with posts and memes by Malaysians welcoming the news of the imminent trial of a leader who they see as having enriched himself with public funds while tainting the country's image. Many attribute the swift investigation and Najib's subsequent arrest to the current ruling party Pakatan Harapan's pre-election promise to deal with the 1MDB scandal. "Truth be told, I believe that his being brought to justice was partly driven by public pressure. After all, it is us who put the current government in charge of running this country," Kuala Lumpur-based legal consultant, Madeleine D’Angelus, told DW. Bridget Welsh, associate professor of political science and Southeast Asia expert at the John Cabot University, who is currently in Kuala Lumpur observing the proceedings, said that this case will also reinforce the issue of good governance — something that the public found lacking during Najib's tenure as premier. "It is a precarious situation because it's a highly politicized arrest that shows that what goes around comes around. It also shows that Malaysia is moving towards a cleaner process and there's a lot of hope. People are pleased. For many Malaysians, Najib betrayed the public's trust," she told DW. Read more: Malaysia says seized items in ex-premier probe valued at €234 million Death knell for corruption? Described as the "world’s biggest financial scandal," the 1MDB issue laid bare the rampant and deep-rooted corruption within the Malaysian government and some of the external bodies associated with it. "The problem of corruption is endemic in Malaysia — it's not just within politics but also businesses. So this is the beginning of a very important step and sends a signal that leaders are accountable and cannot misuse public funds. It moves Malaysia in the right direction to clean out the dirt," said Welsh. Others see Najib's prosecution as a warning to members of the current Pakatan Harapan government under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, as well as future administrations, to conduct their affairs transparently and not to the detriment of the electorate who voted them into office. "There is already a new policy in place stating that gifts to government figures are to be kept to a minimum. If this is further strengthened by legislative developments and the guarantee of the independence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), then I am confident that this will see the end of most corruption," Azmi Sharom, associate professor of law at University Malaya, told DW. "Money politics, that is to say buying patronage and support, will probably go on in parties such as UMNO which, by their selection of [former deputy prime minister] Zahid Hamidi as their new president, have shown that they want to continue business as usual," Azmi added. Read more: Malaysia election: People were 'disgusted with government's corruption' Malaysia sets up task force to probe 1MDB scandal Not going down alone Both Najib and his supporters have contended that the charges against him are politically motivated. This places the onus on the current administration under Mahathir to not just establish a watertight case against Najib, but also to dispel rumors of political retribution. Najib, who also held the finance portfolio during his tenure as prime minister, has previously claimed ignorance of any wrongdoing in the daily business of 1MDB. "His name is on the documents and the money was in his bank account. The MACC wouldn't have arrested him without due cause. They have not rushed into it. It's been five weeks since they started conducting the investigations and counting the goodies," explained Welsh, adding that Najib is unlikely to go down alone. "I would say that the directors involved in 1MDB will be affected as well. Other former ministers are coming forward too. There is a collective responsibility." Azmi argues that the political consequences are not as important as the criminal consequences. "The anti-money laundering law in Malaysia has a very broad range of offenses; anyone proven to have received money from 1MDB will be in serious danger of prosecution." The neighbors are watching Najib's arrest and imminent trial may also have international implications, which could prove discomfiting to some Southeast Asian nations. "While Najib isn't the first leader to be arrested in Southeast Asia, his arrest makes history in Malaysia," said Welsh. "Among Southeast Asian neighbors, Singapore would be watching very closely as its [banking sector's] involvement with the 1MDB has not been fully divulged yet," said Welsh. Azmi also believes that the prosecution could look to Malaysia's neighbors for cues on how to best navigate the unchartered territory of bringing high-ranking government officials to justice. "In terms of battling corruption, Indonesia has made some impressive progress and could probably be a better example to look to," he told DW. Read more: Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim: from prisoner to prime minister-in-waiting Reckoning ahead Despite their jubilance that justice is finally being meted out, Malaysians are remaining rather pragmatic. Fahmi Reza, political critic, street artist and documentary filmmaker, who was jailed last year for publishing a clown caricature of Najib, was among those following the proceedings in Kuala Lumpur. "The arrest and prosecution brings us one step closer towards getting some justice, but the fight against corruption and kleptocracy is far from being over. We still have a long way to go if we want to end the culture of impunity and corruption in this country," Fahmi told DW. In a prerecorded message to his fellow Malaysians posted on Twitter on Tuesday, Najib apologized and sought forgiveness from fellow Malaysians, adding that despite doing his very best "there were many weaknesses." Najib also fired a salvo at the current administration. "Everyone is equal before the law," he said. "Not just in the world, but also judgment in the afterlife."

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian auction house is selling memorabilia belonging to former Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to mark what would have been his 100th birthday. The "Golden Era" online auction kicks off Wednesday evening. Among the 250 items going under the hammer are a fur-lined hunting cap worn by Ceausescu, an avid hunter, and shoes and a purse made for his wife, Elena Ceausescu. There's even toilet paper, which was scarce in the late days of communism. Iulian Plestiu, research director at Artmark auction house, says potential buyers are middle-aged Romanians collecting memorabilia or younger people looking to acquire one of the now-trendy period posters. Communism in Romania ended in 1989 when the Ceausescus were executed after a summary trial.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting a woman and wounding six people at a Tennessee church in September faces a 43-count indictment, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and felony civil rights intimidation charges. Friday's grand jury indictment in Davidson County charges 26-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson in the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting in Nashville. He's been held without bond since September. An arrest affidavit from September says Samson waived his rights and told police he arrived armed and fired at Burnette. In October, Nashville Police Detective Steve Jolley testified that a note in Samson's car referred to a white supremacist's 2015 massacre at a South Carolina black church. Jolley said Samson also told him he didn't give much thought to race or religion, and heard voices and had visions.

CHICAGO (AP) — Marco Gonzales and four relievers combined on a five-hitter, Mitch Haniger singled home the only run and the Seattle Mariners edged the Chicago White Sox 1-0 Tuesday. At 5-15, the rebuilding White Sox are off to their worst start since the 1950 season. That year they opened 5-20 en route to a 60-94 finish. Gonzales (2-2) was in control almost from the start, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out eight in six-plus innings. The left-hander snapped a run of three starts in which he lasted no more than 4 2/3 innings. Seattle broke out on top against fill-in starter Chris Volstad (0-1) in the fourth when Kyle Seager doubled and scored on Haniger's base hit, both with two outs. After Yoan Moncada's leadoff double chased Gonzales in the seventh, reliever Dan Altavilla retired the next two batters before Marc Rzepczynski got the final out of the inning. Juan Nicasio pitched the eighth then Edwin Diaz worked the ninth for his ninth save in as many tries. Volstad (0-1) was effective for 4 1/3 innings. The veteran allowed one run and four hits and didn't walk a batter as a replacement for Miguel Gonzalez, who is on the 10-day disabled list with an inflamed right rotator cuff. The start was the first for Volstad after four relief appearances this year and third in the majors since the 2012 season. White Sox manager Rick Renteria was ejected by plate umpire Mike Estabrook after he protested a called third strike to Matt Davidson that ended a two-on, two-out threat in the sixth. TIME WILL TELL The game had a rare 4:10 p.m. start time as part of a team marketing experiment. An estimated 2,000 fans witnessed the first pitch in sunny, 59-degree weather. The announced attendance was 10,761. IN DANNY'S CORNER Former Mariners teammates and their wives remained in contact with the family of White Sox RHP Danny Farquhar, who underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm last weekend. He spent the 2013-15 seasons with the team. "You just want to give his family enough space, but you also want to do all you can to be there for support," said C Mike Zunino, Farquhar's ex-batterymate. "When you first hear something like this happens, it's really scary because you have don't know what's going to happen. It seems like each day we hear something positive, so that's a really good feeling." TRAINER'S ROOM Mariners: 1B Ryon Healy (sprained right ankle) neared his return from the disabled list with a two-run single and walk in four plate appearances for Double-A Arkansas Tuesday. White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (left shoulder surgery) pitched three innings Monday against the Reds in an extended spring game in Arizona. He could rejoin the parent club in late May. UP NEXT Mariners: RHP Felix Fernandez (2-2, 5.06 ERA) will take a career 6-6 mark vs. the White Sox into the series finale Wednesday. He was a 4-3 winner in his only appearance against them last year. White Sox: RHP James Shields (1-2, 6.17) comes off his worst start of the season, a 10-0 blowout against the Houston Astros in which he allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Asian Football Confederation has banned 15 current or former players for life for match-fixing. They are among 22 people from Laos and Cambodia issued with life bans by the AFC disciplinary committee for manipulating matches involving Laos national teams and club side Lao Toyota. The banned players represented Laos or Lao Toyota. The AFC says its match-fixing investigation is ongoing so "specific details including the relevant matches will not be disclosed." The regional governing body wants FIFA to extend the bans globally.

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California city has agreed to pay $2.65 million to the family of a mentally ill Gulf War veteran fatally shot by police in 2014 after his family called 911. The Sacramento Bee reports Tuesday the agreement between the city of Lodi and the family of Parminder Singh Shergill settles a federal lawsuit the family filed accusing the officers of excessive force. Shergill was killed after his sister-in-law called 911 and said he was a paranoid schizophrenic who was "going crazy" and was attacking his mother. Shergill's family says he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after participating in Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s. Officers fatally shot Shergill as he walked through his neighborhood after they said he charged at them with a knife. Shergill's family disputes that account. ___ Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Yemen (all times local): 12:10 p.m. Yemeni tribesmen say suspected Islamic militants have attacked a checkpoint in southern Yemen, killing at least 12 soldiers. The tribesmen say Tuesday's attack started with a mortar round fired at the checkpoint, followed by heavy gunfire that killed most of its guards. The checkpoint is near the southern city of Ataq, the provincial capital of Shabwa. They tribesmen spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media. The troops guarding the checkpoint are part of a unit called the Elite Shabwa Force that was trained by the United Arab Emirates and deployed last year to the region. It declared victory over al-Qaida's branch in Yemen, which used Shabwa as a safe haven. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Shiite rebels who control the country's north. Meanwhile, UAE-trained forces in the city of Aden — some 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, from Shabwa— have battled Yemeni government forces there and seized control of a district where the presidential palace is located. —Ahmed Al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen; ___ 10 a.m. Yemeni security officials say the prime minister is preparing to flee the country for Saudi Arabia after separatists seized the area around the presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden in fierce battles overnight. The officials say fighters loyal to the so-called Southern Transitional Council fought all way to the gates of the Palace of Maashiq in the district of Crater in Aden, forcing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's troops to abandon their positions. They said Hadi's prime minister and several Cabinet members would leave imminently to Riyadh. The palace is the seat of Yemen's internationally backed government. The separatist forces did not enter the palace itself and were stopped by Saudi Arabian troops who have been guarding the palace for the past months.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. WHAT TRUMP WILL HERALD IN STATE OF THE UNION The Republican president will trumpet a robust economy and push for bipartisan congressional action on immigration in the annual address. 2. US ISSUES 'PUTIN LIST' BUT NO PUNISHMENT The political list is the entire presidential administration, as listed on the Kremlin website, and the Russian Cabinet, while the oligarchs list is a carbon copy of the top of the Forbes magazine's Russian billionaires' list, compiled to hit Moscow for interfering in the 2016 U.S. election. 3. WHAT HAS BECOME A POLITICAL FLASHPOINT Republicans on the House intelligence committee vote to release a classified memo that purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation. 4. CHILD EXPERTS: JUST SAY 'NO' TO FACEBOOK'S KIDS APP A group letter sent to Mark Zuckerberg argues that younger children aren't ready to have social media accounts, navigate the complexities of online relationships or protect their own privacy. 5. PENTAGON RESTRICTS RELEASE OF AFGHAN WAR DATA Trump is railing against the recent string of attacks in Afghanistan, and rules out any U.S. discussions with the Taliban as part of the effort to achieve peace. 6. PROMINENT CHINESE JOURNALIST TRANSITIONS TO NEW ROLE Hu Shuli speaks guardedly to AP about censorship and declares her financial magazine Caixin free to conduct its signature muckraking reporting, despite governmental obstacles. 7. WHERE THEY'RE 'LOOTING TO EAT' AMID ECONOMIC TAILSPIN Mobs of poor Venezuelans are pilfering markets, swarming trucks loaded with corn and slaughtering cows with rocks and machetes in an outburst of almost daily unrest triggered by hunger. 8. HISTORIC VEGAS NEON SIGNS SET TO SHINE BRIGHT AGAIN The Neon Museum is bringing back to life some of the most iconic marquees of Sin City thanks to projectors that will cast digitally reconstructed images of the signs back onto the hulking metal, AP learns. 9. 'COOL RUNNINGS' REDUX IN NIGERIA Even though the competitors are American-born, Nigeria will field the first bobsled team from the entire continent of Africa in the Pyeongchang Games next month. 10. HOW THEY'RE DESCRIBING 'BLACK PANTHER' "Incredible" and "kinetic" are just a few of the words people are using to describe the new Marvel flick that follows a late king's son's ascension to the throne in a fictional African nation.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Public criticism of the German auto industry has escalated after a report that an industry-sponsored entity commissioned a study of the effects of diesel exhaust using monkeys, while another study exposed humans to low levels of one type of air pollutant. The German government on Monday condemned the experiments and Volkswagen sought to distance itself from them, with its chairman saying that "in the name of the whole board I emphatically disavow such practices." The tests were reportedly commissioned by a research group funded by major German auto companies. Revelations of the tests add a twist to the German auto industry's attempt to move past Volkswagen's scandal over cheating on diesel tests and the resulting questioning of diesel technology across the industry. Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said the tests must be "investigated completely and without reservation," the dpa news agency reported. A report by The New York Times found that the research group financed by top German car manufacturers commissioned experiments in which one group of monkeys was exposed to diesel exhaust from a late-model Volkswagen, while another group was exposed to fumes from an older Ford pickup. The experiments were carried out in 2014 before Volkswagen was caught using software that let vehicles cheat on emissions tests. They were intended to show modern diesel technology had solved the problem of excess emissions, but according to the Times report the Volkswagen car in the tests was equipped with illegal software that turned emissions controls on while the car was on test stands and off during regular driving. Volkswagen admitted using the software in 2015. The Volkswagen scandal led to public scrutiny of diesel emissions as regulators discovered that other companies' vehicles also had higher emissions on the road than during testing, though not necessarily through illegal rigging. The industry has had to fend off calls for diesel bans in German cities with high pollution levels. Daimler AG said it was "appalled by the nature and extent of the studies" and said that, though it didn't have any influence on the studies' design, "we have launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter." BMW said that it "did not participate in the mentioned study" on animals "and distances itself from this study." It said it was investigating the work and background of the research group. The Times report said the group that commissioned the studies, known by German initial EUGT, got all of its funding from the three automakers. The Times report was followed by one in Monday's edition of the Stuttgarter Zeitung daily that the now-closed research group also commissioned tests in which humans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide, which belongs to a class of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides. The group reportedly said the tests showed no effect on the subjects. The human study, carried out by Aachen University, involved studying the effects of exposing 25 subjects, mostly students, to low levels of nitrogen dioxide like those that could be found in the environment — from a 40-liter bottle, not a diesel engine. The individuals gave informed written consent for the study, which was approved by the ethics committee of the university's medical faculty, according to the study. The university said the study had no relation to the diesel scandal. The German government condemned the reported tests on animals and humans. Transport Minister Christian Schmidt "has no understanding for such tests ... that do not serve science but merely PR aims," spokesman Ingo Strater told reporters in Berlin. He called for the companies concerned to provide "immediate and detailed" responses, and said a ministry commission of inquiry that was set up after the emissions scandal broke will hold a special meeting to examine whether there are any other cases. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said that "the disgust many people are feeling is absolutely understandable." "These tests on monkeys or even humans can in no way be ethically justified," Seibert said. "They raise many critical questions for those behind these tests, and these questions must urgently be answered." He questioned the aims of the tests. "The automakers have to reduce emissions of harmful substances further and further," he said. "They should not be trying to prove the supposed harmlessness of exhaust with the help of monkeys or even humans." Seibert said that the supervisory boards of the companies concerned "have a particular responsibility." The governor of the German state of Lower Saxony, a major shareholder in Volkswagen, added his voice to calls for quick answers. Stephan Weil, who sits on VW's supervisory board, stressed that "the behavior of the company must in every respect fulfill ethical demands." He said he hadn't known about the tests. ___ This story has been corrected to show that a research group commissioned the tests, not that it carried them out. A previous version corrected the first paragraph to show that the second set of tests on humans didn't involve diesel exhaust.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An iron collar that kept slaves in bondage. A branding iron that marked human beings as someone's property. A photograph of black babies captioned as "alligator bait." A fine china plate with gold lettering that says, "KKK 'God Give Us Men.'" They're among the artifacts of slavery and segregation collected by NFL Hall of Famer and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and his wife, Diane Sims Page. They went on display this month in time for Super Bowl visitors and the thousands of other people expected to flock to downtown Minneapolis for the festivities. The exhibit, "TESTIFY: Americana from Slavery to Today," runs through Feb. 6 at the Minneapolis Central Library. While a sign at the entrance warns that some items inside might be disturbing, there are also messages of hope and promise. There's a banner that was held by a mourner in 1865, when a funeral train took President Abraham Lincoln's body home to Illinois. The banner reads, "Our Country Shall Be One Country!" Page said it moved him to tears when he first saw it. "For me it transports me back to that time and that place," Alan Page said. Signs that once enforced segregation in the South hang from a wall down the center of the gallery. They designated restrooms as "white" or "colored," and marked the "colored waiting room" at train and bus stations. Just across from it is an assembly of vibrant pictures by black artists, showing how African-Americans reclaimed control over their own narrative. Diane Page said the contrast between the "oppressive and expressive" is deliberate. Alan Page, a feared member of the Vikings' Purple People Eaters defensive line in the 1970s, played in all four of their Super Bowl appearances. He's one of only two defensive players ever voted the NFL MVP. He also became the first black justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, serving 22 years until he hit the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2015. The Pages timed the exhibit to coincide with the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis, but he noted that it also comes "at this time when white supremacy is raising its ugly head" in ways that he thought he would never see again. "We hope the exhibit will challenge people by seeing what took place in the past, and challenge them in ways that will cause them to think about taking action, not only to prevent them from happening again, but to end the effects of that past, the effects that still linger today," he said. It's one thing to see a picture of an artifact from that era; it's another to actually stand in front of it, said Lois Langer Thompson, director of the Hennepin County Library system. She said the library's location on the Nicollet Mall pedestrian zone, the site of a 10-day fan festival with free concerts and other attractions, makes it convenient for visitors to stop by and see the exhibit — and warm up. Diane Page started the collection about 30 years ago after a friend pointed out that missing amid the sleek decor and a couple of Andy Warhols on the walls of their home were any pieces of African-American art or cultural items to educate the four Page children about their heritage. Eventually, the couple would visit antique stores and work with dealers to fill their home, and his Supreme Court chambers, with artifacts from slavery and the Jim Crow era. "These items represent facts," he said. "Not somebody's opinion about what happened. Not somebody's view about what did or didn't occur, but actual facts. ... They help me understand where we are today. The disparities in education, our criminal justice system. For me the message I get is that we haven't come to grips with the discrimination that comes, that came with those facts. We haven't addressed the present effects of that past history, the present effects of that past discrimination." Daughter Georgi Page-Smith took the lead in assembling the more than 100 items on display in the exhibit, which includes a "testification station," made from her father's stand-up desk from his chambers, where visitors are invited to write their impressions in a leather-bound book. "We knew it would be very emotional," she said. "So we wanted to create an area where people could just stop for a minute, and do a little processing, and then reflect back to us." As part of the exhibit, Alan Page will give a talk Wednesday called "TESTIFY: It's Not About the Flag or the Anthem, It's About Justice." He said the controversy over players kneeling during the national anthem misses the point. "That debate about the anthem and the flag is the reddest of red herrings. The point is that we have injustice. And the question is: what are we going to do about that? Protesting draws attention to that injustice, but it's a tactic. It's not a program to end injustice. And so one of the things I also hope to do is encourage those who would be inclined to protest to take the next step, and take some concrete actions beyond merely drawing attention to the problem, and being involved in steps to eliminate it."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on U.S. President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (all times local): 10 a.m. U.N. chief António Guterres says there is no "plan B" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after the White House suggested a two-state solution was one of many options for making peace. Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Guterres said the international community must do everything it can to bring about a two-state solution. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, standing next to Guterres, did not comment on the issue. The two-state solution has wide international backing and has been a cornerstone of American diplomacy in the Middle East for more than two decades. A senior White House official said Tuesday that Trump hopes to bring the two sides together and facilitate a peace agreement, but that peace — and not necessarily a Palestinian state alongside Israel — was the priority. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to preview the meeting. ___ 4 a.m. A Palestinian official says the goal of establishing a state of Palestine alongside Israel enjoys broad international support, expressing surprise at a Trump administration suggestion that a peace deal may not come in the form of a two-state solution. Husam Zomlot, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, says the "two-state solution is not something we just came up with." Zomlot spoke ahead of a White House meeting on Wednesday between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A White House official has said that it's up to Israelis and Palestinians to decide what peace will entail, and that peace, not a two-state solution, is the goal. Zomlot says it's not clear if the comments signal a shift from long-standing U.S. policy of supporting a two-state deal. ___ 3:30 a.m. The White House says rebooting the Mideast peace process is a very high priority for the Trump administration, although peace may not come in the form of a two-state solution. A senior White House official says President Donald Trump is eager to begin facilitating a peace deal and hoping to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together sometime soon. Trump is meeting Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The official says that peace is the goal, regardless of whether it comes in the form of a two-state solution. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to preview the meeting. Other topics of discussion expected to come up Wednesday include expanded Israeli settlements, Iran and a potential move of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen suspends head of external relations in connection with scandal over use of monkeys in research .

NEW YORK (AP) — Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves after getting a vote of confidence from his coach, and the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 on Monday night to snap a three-game winless streak. Brock Nelson, Andrew Ladd and John Tavares scored goals for the Islanders, who built a 3-0 lead early in the second period and ended Washington's four-game winning streak. It was the second time this season that Halak held an opponent to a single goal and the third time New York has allowed one goal as a team. Halak's strong performance came after coach Doug Weight sternly defended his goaltenders following the team's skate Monday morning. New York was 1-3-1 over its last five games. Braden Holtby made nine saves for the Capitals before being pulled after the Islanders scored their third goal 1:34 into the second period. JETS 5, CANUCKS 1 WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mathieu Perreault scored two goals and added an assist to help Winnipeg halt a three-game losing streak by beating Vancouver. The win was the Jets' seventh straight victory at home and they have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1) at Bell MTS Place. The Canucks have lost three straight in regulation for the first time this season. Dmitry Kulikov, Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg (18-8-5). Ehlers' 14th of the season was on the power play and gave him goals in three straight games. Brock Boeser scored his team-leading 16th goal for the Canucks. He also extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for Winnipeg. AVALANCHE 2, PENGUINS 1 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jonathan Bernier stopped 39 shots and Mark Barberio scored in the third period, helping Colorado top Pittsburgh. Blake Comeau added an empty-netter against his former team as Colorado won its second straight after a string of six losses in seven games. It was Comeau's seventh of the season. Barberio put the Avalanche ahead to stay 6:17 into the third. His slap shot off the rush hit Pittsburgh forward Riley Sheahan in front and got past goaltender Tristan Jarry. Bernier was on track for his second shutout of the season before Phil Kessel scored his team-best 15th goal for Pittsburgh at 19:48. Bernier beat the Penguins for just the second time in 10 career games. Kessel has points in 25 of 32 games this season and eight straight home games, his longest streak since joining the Penguins. Pittsburgh lost for the third time in four games following a four-game winning streak. STARS 2, RANGERS 1, SO NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Spezza scored in the shootout, and Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating New York. Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves for Dallas in the opener of its four-game East Coast road trip against the Metropolitan Division. Julius Honka scored in the second period. The Stars had a 1-0 lead before Rick Nash tied it for the Rangers when he tipped in Brady Skjei's wrist shot with 3:41 left in regulation. Nash made contact with Lehtonen but the Stars goalie was well outside the blue paint. Coach Ken Hitchcock challenged the play, but the referees ruled there was no goaltender interference. Honka drove a slap shot past Ondrej Pavelec at 6:30 of the second for his first of the season. The 2014 first-round pick rejoined the lineup after sitting for the previous three games. Pavelec finished with 44 saves, keeping New York in the game. PANTHERS 2, RED WINGS 1, OT DETROIT (AP) — Mike Matheson scored his first goal of the season, and Florida beat Detroit to win in overtime for the first time this season. Matheson drove the rebound of a Nick Bjugstad shot into the net behind Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard at the 2:02 mark of overtime for the winner. Florida improved to 1-2 in OT, rallying from a 1-0 third-period deficit. Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Panthers, while Henrik Zetterberg scored for the Wings, who are 0-5 in overtime. Ending a 22-game goal drought, Zetterberg opened the scoring at the 18:27 mark of the first period.

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Greece is hoping to secure more bailout funds to meet a summer debt repayment hump as well as a debt relief deal at a meeting of finance ministers from the 19-country eurozone. The country, which has been promised help on its mountain of debt once its bailout ends next year, is again the main topic of discussion at a meeting of the so-called eurogroup Thursday. The main obstacle to an agreement is a difference of opinion between the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund over Greece's long-term debt outlook. The expectation is Greece will get the roughly 7 billion euros ($7.8 billion) due, but will struggle to clinch the outlines of a debt relief deal that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras thinks is crucial for the country's economy in the long-term.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Aetna is reporting a better-than-expected profit of $244 million for the fourth quarter. The Hartford, Connecticut, company's per-share profit was 74 cents, or $1.25 when adjusted for one-time charges and costs. That beat Wall Street projections by 7 cents, according to a poll of industry analysts by Zacks Investment Research. The health insurer posted revenue of $14.85 billion. Adjusted revenue was $14.74 billion, which is just shy of analyst expectations for $14.89 billion. There was no early trading Tuesday in shares of Aetna Inc., which are up 7 percent this year. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AET at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AET

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Trump says of VA nominee Ronny Jackson it's 'totally his decision' whether to drop out.

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Something high-tech is happening in the produce aisle at some Swedish supermarkets, where laser marks have replaced labels on the organic avocados and sweet potatoes. Swedish supermarket chain ICA started experimenting in December with "natural branding," a process that uses low-energy carbon dioxide lasers to remove the pigment from the outer skins of fruits and vegetables. The laser beams create tattoo-like patterns — in this case the product's name, country of origin and code number — similar to the way hot irons brand cattle. If its test is successful, ICA, which has 1,350 stores across Sweden, hopes to cut down on the stickers and packaging it now uses to identify its organic produce. "It's a new technique, and we are searching for a smarter way of branding our products due to the fact that we think we have too much unnecessary plastic material or packaging material on our products," Peter Hagg, the chain's senior manager for fruits and vegetables, said. ICA decided to start with sweet potatoes and avocados because their peels are not typically eaten and have a tendency to shed the stickers normally used to brand produce. But branded broccoli and engraved eggplants may not be far behind. Later this year, the chain plans to test laser-marking melons plus some items with consumable skins to gauge consumer reaction. Hagg claims lasering has no negative effects on the fruit and vegetables. "It's very delicate. Because the mark is not going through the skin in any way, it doesn't affect the quality or taste of the product," he said. Jonas Kullendorff, a 29-year-old engineer, says he approves of the method, if it reduces packaging waste. "It's actually the first time I've seen this branding, but if it's (a) more sustainable alternative, I'm all for it," Kullendorff said. "No, I wouldn't say it would put me off. If it's less packaging materials, that's a good thing." Laser labeling has been used in Australia and New Zealand since 2009 and was approved for use in European Union countries in 2013, according to Eosta, the Netherlands-based produce supplier that is working with ICA to test the technology in Sweden. Eosta says it sold over 725,000 packs of organically grown avocados to the supermarket chain in 2015. Packing them required about 220 kilometers (135 miles) of plastic wrap. The avocados etched by Eosta now sit in open bins without stickers or packaging. Laser marking can't be used on all produce. Citrus fruit, for example, has the ability to heal itself, meaning the etchings would disappear after just a few hours. Packaging still is desirable in some cases to extend a product's shelf life, Hagg said. "The plastic branding — there is of course positive things with it," he said. "But in some items it's just unnecessary, because it doesn't bring you better shelf life. It just brings you extra costs." Central to the trial's success will be consumer response and whether shoppers are happy to eat something that's been zapped by a laser. "It's really new to me, but I think it's a really good idea (for) the environment," Emma Jeppsson, a customer in the store, said. Produce stickers, which are made of paper or plastic along with ink and adhesives, may seem like more of an inconvenience than a source of pollution, but environmentalists say even small bits of waste have an impact on the environment. "We know there's a huge amount of waste across the supply chain before we get to the packaging we see on our shelves," Friends of the Earth campaigner Kierra Box said.

BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is skipping President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address while she travels to Rhode Island to speak to a group of law students. Ginsburg is scheduled to speak on Tuesday at Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol. The talk will only be open to students, faculty and staff, although members of the media are allowed. During her trip to Rhode Island, Ginsburg also is set to make stops at a synagogue and at U.S. District Court, both in Providence. Both stops are closed to the media. The trailblazing, 84-year-old justice is the subject of a new documentary called "RBG," which just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

BALUKHALI REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh (AP) — The faces of the men half-buried in the mass graves had been burned away by acid or blasted by bullets. Noor Kadir finally recognized his friends only by the colors of their shorts. Kadir and 14 others, all Rohingya Muslims in the Myanmar village of Gu Dar Pyin, had been choosing players for the soccer-like game of chinlone when the gunfire began. They scattered from what sounded like hard rain on a tin roof. By the time the Myanmar military stopped shooting, only Kadir and two teammates were left alive. Days later, Kadir found six of his friends among the bodies in two graves. They are among more than five mass graves, all previously unreported, that have been confirmed by The Associated Press through multiple interviews with more than two dozen survivors in Bangladesh refugee camps and through time-stamped cellphone videos. The Myanmar government regularly claims such massacres of the Rohingya never happened, and has acknowledged only one mass grave containing 10 "terrorists" in the village of Inn Din. However, the AP's reporting shows a systematic slaughter of Rohingya Muslim civilians by the military, with help from Buddhist neighbors — and suggests the presence of many more graves with many more people. "It was a mixed-up jumble of corpses piled on top of each other," said Kadir, a 24-year-old firewood collector. "I felt such sorrow for them." The graves are the newest piece of evidence for what looks increasingly like a genocide in Myanmar's western Rakhine state against the Rohingya, a long-persecuted ethnic Muslim minority in the predominantly Buddhist country. Repeated calls to Myanmar's military communications office went unanswered Wednesday and Thursday. Htun Naing, a local security police officer in Buthidaung township, where the village is located, said he "hasn't heard of such mass graves." Myanmar has cut off access to Gu Dar Pyin, so it's unclear just how many people died, but satellite images obtained by the AP from DigitalGlobe, along with video of homes reduced to ash, reveal a village that has been decimated. Community leaders in the refugee camps have compiled a list of 75 dead so far, and villagers estimate the toll could be as high as 400, based on testimony from relatives and the bodies they've seen in the graves and strewn about the area. A large number of the survivors carry scars from bullet wounds, including a 3-year-old boy and his grandmother. Almost every villager interviewed by the AP saw three large mass graves at Gu Dar Pyin's northern entrance, near the main road, where witnesses say soldiers herded and killed most of the Rohingya. A handful of witnesses confirmed two other big graves near a hillside cemetery, not too far away from a school where more than 100 soldiers were stationed after the massacre. Villagers also saw other, smaller graves scattered around the village. In the videos of the graves obtained by the AP, dating to 13 days after the killing began, blue-green puddles of acid sludge surround corpses without heads and torsos that jut into the air. Skeletal hands seem to claw at the ground. __ THE MASSACRE Survivors said that the soldiers carefully planned the Aug. 27 attack, and then deliberately tried to hide what they had done. They came to the slaughter armed not only with rifles, knives, rocket launchers and grenades, but also with shovels to dig pits and acid to burn away faces and hands so that the bodies could not be identified. Two days before the attack, villagers say, soldiers were seen buying 12 large containers of acid at a nearby village's market. The killing began around noon, when more than 200 soldiers swept into Gu Dar Pyin from the direction of a Buddhist village to the south, firing their weapons. The Rohingya who could move fast enough ran toward the north or toward a river in the east, said Mohammad Sha, 37, a shop owner and farmer. Sha hid in a grove of coconut trees near the river with more than 100 others and watched as the soldiers searched Muslim homes. Dozens of Buddhists from neighboring villages, their faces partly covered with scarves, loaded the possessions they found into about 10 pushcarts. Then the soldiers burned down the homes, shooting anyone who couldn't flee, Sha said. At the same time, another group of soldiers closed in from the north, encircling Gu Dar Pyin and trapping villagers in a tightening noose. When Mohammad Younus, 25, heard explosions from hand grenades and rocket launchers, he ran to the road. He was shot twice while trying to call his family. One of the bullets, still in his hip, can be seen when he pinches the skin. His brother found him crawling on his hands and knees and carried him to some underbrush, where Younus lay for seven hours. At one point, he saw three trucks stop and begin loading dead bodies before heading off toward the cemetery. Buddhist villagers then moved through Gu Dar Pyin in a sort of mopping-up operation, using knives to cut the throats of the injured, survivors said, and working with soldiers to throw small children and the elderly into the fires. "People were screaming, crying, pleading for their lives, but the soldiers just shot continuously," said Mohammad Rayes, 23, a schoolteacher who climbed a tree and watched. Kadir, the chinlone player, was shot twice in the foot but managed to drag himself under a bridge, where he removed one of the bullets himself. Then he watched, half-delirious, for 16 hours as soldiers, police and Buddhist neighbors killed unarmed Rohingya and burned the village. "I couldn't move," he said. "I thought I was dead. I began to forget why I was there, to forget that all around me people were dying." Near dawn, three boys creeping toward the bridge from another village to see what had happened heard Kadir's groans and brought him back with them. For days, Rohingya from the area stole into Gu Dar Pyin and rescued people who'd been left for dead by the soldiers. Thousands of people from the area hid deep in the jungle, stranded without food except for the leaves and trees they tried to eat. More than 20 infants and toddlers died because of the lack of food and water, villagers said. A day after the shooting began, another group of survivors watched from a distant mountain as Gu Dar Pyin burned, the flames and smoke snaking up into a darkening sky. ___ THE MASS GRAVES Six days after the massacre, Kadir risked his life to dodge the dozens of Myanmar soldiers occupying the local school so he could look for his four cousins. That's when he found his teammates half-buried in the mass graves. He also saw four plastic containers that turned out to contain acid. In the next days and weeks, other villagers braved the soldiers to try to find whatever was left of their loved ones. Dozens of bodies littered the paths and compounds of the wrecked homes; they filled latrine pits. The survivors soon learned that taller, darker green patches of rice shoots in the paddies marked the spots where the dead had fallen. As monsoon rains pounded the sometimes thin layer of dirt on the graves to mud, more bloated bodies began to rise to the surface. "There were so many bodies in so many different places," said Mohammad Lalmia, 20, a farmer whose family owned a pond that became the largest of the mass graves. "They couldn't hide all the death." Eleven days after the attack, Lalmia set out to see if the soldiers had destroyed the Quran in the village mosque. He walked quickly along the edge of the jungle to the mosque, where he found torn pages from the Muslim sacred book scattered about. As he tried to clean up, someone shouted that the soldiers were coming. He fled through an open window, looking back over his shoulder at about 15 patrolling soldiers. When he turned back to the path, he stopped abruptly: A human hand stuck out of a cleared patch of earth. Lalmia counted about 10 bodies on the grave's surface. Although he was worried about the military finding him, he used a six-foot bamboo stick to check the pit's depth. The stick disappeared into the loose soil, which made him think that the grave was deep enough to hold at least another 10 bodies. "I was shocked to be that near so many bodies I hadn't known about," Lalmia said. He and other villagers also saw another large grave in the area. He estimates that soldiers dumped about 80 bodies into his family's pond and about 20 in each of the other four major graves. He said about 150 other bodies were left where they fell. Three of the big graves were in the north of the village. Two of those pits were about 15 feet wide and 7.5 feet long, villagers said. The pond, which Lalmia had helped dig, measured about nine feet deep and 112 square feet. Many other smaller graves with three, five, seven, 10 bodies in them were scattered across Gu Dar Pyin. During a short walk, Abdul Noor, an 85-year-old farmer, saw three dead bodies stuffed into what might have been a latrine hole and covered with soil. He saw another two near some banana plants, and three in the corner of a compound. "I tried to see more, but the stench was overwhelming and the soldiers were still at the school," he said. Two other men separately said they saw another latrine filled with bodies and covered with a thin layer of soil. They said it contained between five and 10 bodies on the top, and thought there were at least five more corpses below. After 12 days, Younus went to try to find four family members who'd been killed. He saw people in the graves without hair or skin who he thought had been burned with acid, and dozens of decomposing bodies in the rice fields. The next day, on Sept. 9, villager Mohammad Karim, 26, captured three videos of mass graves that were time-stamped between 10:12 a.m. and 10:14 a.m., when he said soldiers chased him away. When he fled to Bangladesh, Karim removed the memory card from his phone, wrapped it in plastic and tied it to his thigh to hide it from Myanmar police. In the Bangladesh refugee camps, nearly two dozen other Rohingya from Gu Dar Pyin confirmed that the videos showed mass graves in the north of the village. They easily picked out details from a geography they knew intimately, such as the way certain banana plants were positioned near rice paddies. The videos show what appear to be bones wrapped in rotting clothing in a soupy muck. In one, the hands of a headless corpse grasp at the earth; most of the skin seems melted away by acid that has stained the earth blue. Nearby are two bloated legs clad in shorts. A few paces away, the bones of a rib cage emerge from the dirt. The AP saw several other videos that appeared to show graves in the village, but only Karim's contained the original time stamps. In some cases, villagers said Myanmar soldiers took their phones and memory cards, sometimes at knife and gun point, at the checkpoints they had to pass through on the way to Bangladesh. Some survivors never found the bodies of their loved ones. Rohima Khatu, 45, recounted her story as tears streamed down the face of her 9-year-old daughter, Hurjannat, who sat silently by her mother's side. Khatu was determined to find her husband, even though women risked not only death but rape if they were caught by the soldiers. Villagers said her husband was shot after he stayed home to protect their 10 cows, five chickens and eight doves, along with their rice stockpiles. So 15 days after the massacre, she searched for him in the graves at Gu Dar Pyin's northern entrance, trying to identify him by the green lungi and white button-down shirt he had been wearing. Only 10 minutes passed before someone shouted that about 20 soldiers were coming. "There were dead bodies everywhere, bones and body parts, all decomposing, so I couldn't tell which one was my husband," Khatu said. "I was weeping while I was there. I was crying loudly, 'Where did you go? Where did you go?'" "I have lost everything." ___ Foster Klug has covered Asia for the AP since 2005. Follow on www.twitter.com/apklug

MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) — A gas driller's ongoing feud with a Pennsylvania homeowner over the contamination of his water supply has once again entered a courtroom. Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. claims Dimock resident Ray Kemble and his former lawyers tried to extort the company through a frivolous lawsuit. The federal lawsuit, which was filed in April but withdrawn two months later, accused Cabot of polluting Kemble's water supply. Cabot says the claims in Kemble's suit were the subject of a 2012 settlement between Cabot and dozens of Dimock residents, including Kemble. It's seeking monetary damages against Kemble and his former lawyers. The first hearing in the case was held Monday. Kemble says Cabot is trying to use the legal system to shut down dissent. Pennsylvania regulators previously held Cabot responsible for polluting residential water wells in Dimock.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 4, 2018--Infiniti Research, a global market and customer intelligence solutions provider, has announced the completion of their new market assessment study on the green packaging industry. A well-renown green packaging manufacturer wanted to determine consumers’ preferences and boost the overall awareness of their products. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005120/en/ Market Assessment Study on the Green Packaging Market Assessing Sustainability Challenges in Expanding Product Offerings to Niche Target Regions. (Graphic: Business Wire) According to the experts at Infiniti, “Sustainability is an important and fast-growing area of concern for packaging companies as it addresses environmental, social, and economic challenges.” to see how Infiniti Research’s solutions can help you. In the current competitive business environment, organizations in the global packaging industry are being broadly analyzed along the entire supply network, beginning from raw material processing to end-of-life processes. Therefore, there have been important advances in sustainability, which has later posed major challenges due to the difficulty of interactions between packaging and the packaged products and the various functions performed by them. The growing trend towards sustainability and the adoption of green packaging solutions has greatly influenced manufacturers in the packaging industry. The market assessment solution presented by Infiniti helped the client to find out all market opportunities whilst effectively tackling sustainability issues. The client was able to extract other information including trends, growth, opportunities, risks, and key players in the market. This market assessment solution provided benefits that helped the client to: Develop an action plan for addressing the issues identified Gain a holistic view of the risks and opportunities in the packaging industry To know more about our market assessment solution, This market assessment solution provided predictive insights on: Expanding their product offerings to niche target segments Identifying new market opportunities To read more about the scope of our engagement, View the complete market assessment study here: About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. With 15+ years of experience and offices across three continents, Infiniti Research has been instrumental in providing a complete range of competitive intelligence, strategy, and research services for over 550 companies across the globe. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005120/en/ CONTACT: Infiniti Research Anirban Choudhury Marketing Consultant US: +1 844 778 0600 UK: +44 203 893 3400 hello@infinitiresearch.com https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us KEYWORD: INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANUFACTURING PACKAGING ENVIRONMENT SOURCE: Infiniti Research Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 07/04/2018 08:03 AM/DISC: 07/04/2018 08:03 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005120/en

BOSTON (AP) — This is where the Toronto Maple Leafs try to change the ending. After beating the Bruins in back-to-back elimination games to force their first-round playoff series to the limit — just like they did in 2013 — the Maple Leafs are hoping to finish the job on Wednesday in Game 7 in Boston. That's something they couldn't do five years ago, when they became the first team in NHL history to blow a three-goal, third-period deficit and lose a Stanley Cup playoff game. "We've got some more work to do," said goalie Frederik Andersen, who stopped 32 of 33 shots in Game 6 on Monday to help Toronto win 3-1 and prolong its season. "It's the same kind of pressure we've felt these last two games, where we've been facing elimination," he said. "Game 7 should be the same. It's something that you all dream of — those big moments — and you also want to perform." So do the Bruins, who have struggled to put away Toronto for the second consecutive time. In '13, the Maple Leafs won two straight and then opened a 4-1 lead in the third period of Game 7, but Boston scored a pair of goals 31 seconds apart in the final 2 minutes of regulation before winning in overtime. Patrice Bergeron, who scored the game-winner, is one of seven Bruins remaining from that team, compared with four players wearing Toronto jerseys. "It's nice to have those guys," said Boston forward David Pastrnak, who had four goals and five assists in the first two games of the series this year but only two assists since. "They've been here a bunch, so they know what to expect. It's good for our young guys to have them around." The winner of Wednesday night's game will play Tampa Bay, which eliminated New Jersey in five games. The Lightning will host the first two games, regardless of which opponent advances. "I don't think there's any panic at all in this group," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. Toronto feels the same way. "We think we're going to win," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "We've thought that all along, and we've crawled our way back and now we have the opportunity of a lifetime. This is where you want to be." PRESSURE Both teams paid their respects to the victims of the rental van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people and injured 15 more. There was a moment of silence before Monday night's game, and Babcock opened his postgame remarks by sending support to those affected. Asked on Tuesday about the pressure his team faces heading into a winner-take-all game, Cassidy said he has tried to keep things in perspective. "Listen, yesterday in Toronto, the first-responders, they were under pressure. That's pressure to me, that's real-life pressure," he said. "This is a game that players dream about being in this situation, Game 7, playing road hockey in a small town in Canada or a big city in the United States or somewhere in between. That's what it's all about. ... Now you've got to go out and embrace it." GAME 7 HISTORY The Bruins are 13-12 in Game 7s, with a 12-8 record at home. Toronto is 12-10 and 5-9 on the road. Boston is 2-1 in Game 7s against Toronto, including 2013. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will be playing in his 12th career Game 7 — the most for any active player, and just one shy of the record held by Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens. ROUND TWO The Capitals and Penguins await the start of the second round, when they will play each other for the third straight postseason. Pittsburgh is 9-1 all-time in playoff series against Washington. In the West, the pairings are Vegas against San Jose and Winnipeg against Nashville. ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — More than 450 people enjoyed the fun and free food at an annual holiday party thrown by a 100-year-old Vermont resident. Anthony Pomerleau says he pays for the entire party each year in Burlington, with this year's bill costing around $13,000. He tells WPTZ-TV he doesn't mind the cost because he "was brought up the hard way" and wants to help the less fortunate with his money. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders helped kick off the first party 37 years ago when Pomerleau asked the independent senator, then mayor of Burlington, if he could throw a holiday dinner. Pomerleau says the party has fed at least 40,000 under-privileged children. The centenarian also remarked on his age, saying "first of all, I'm 100 years old! Feels pretty good to be here." ___ Information from: WPTZ-TV, http://www.thechamplainchannel.com

AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto 000 002 002—4 6 1 Boston 001 012 02x—6 11 1 Gaviglio, Oh (7), Tepera (8) and Maile; Rodriguez, Barnes (7), B.Johnson (9), Kimbrel (9) and C.Vazquez. W_Rodriguez 6-1. L_Gaviglio 2-1. Sv_Kimbrel (18). HRs_Toronto, Hernandez (8). Boston, Nunez (4), Martinez (18). ___ Chicago 000 000 001—1 5 2 Cleveland 205 200 00x—9 13 0 Lopez, Volstad (3), Avilan (4), Rondon (5), Fry (6), N.Jones (7), Soria (8) and Narvaez; Kluber, Beliveau (7), Marshall (8), B.Taylor (9) and Gomes. W_Kluber 8-2. L_Lopez 1-4. HRs_Chicago, Sanchez (3). Cleveland, Ramirez (17), Encarnacion (13). ___ Houston 000 020 001—3 7 0 New York 100 022 00x—5 8 1 Keuchel, McHugh (6) and Stassi; L.Severino, Robertson (8), Chapman (9) and Romine. W_L.Severino 8-1. L_Keuchel 3-7. Sv_Chapman (12). HRs_Houston, Stassi (5). ___ Los Angeles 001 000 000—1 7 0 Detroit 100 005 00x—6 9 0 Ohtani, Bedrosian (6), J.Johnson (6), Morris (8) and Maldonado; Fiers, Jimenez (8), Greene (9) and Greiner. W_Coleman 2-0. L_Bedrosian 1-1. ___ Minnesota 001 124 000— 8 11 0 Kansas City 270 000 11x—11 16 0 Romero, Slegers (2), Pressly (8) and B.Wilson; Keller, Oaks (4), Smith (5), Flynn (6), McCarthy (7), Hill (8), Herrera (9) and S.Perez. W_McCarthy 4-2. L_Romero 2-2. Sv_Herrera (12). HRs_Minnesota, Dozier (8), Adrianza (1). Kansas City, Moustakas (12), Soler (8), Dozier (1). ___ INTERLEAGUE Washington 001 000 100—2 7 0 Baltimore 000 000 000—0 4 0 Scherzer, Doolittle (9) and P.Severino; Hess, M.Castro (7), Hart (8), Wright Jr. (9) and Sisco. W_Scherzer 9-1. L_Hess 2-2. Sv_Doolittle (13). HRs_Washington, Harper (18). ___ NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis 000 000 200—2 8 1 Milwaukee 000 010 20x—3 10 1 A.Reyes, Gant (5), Lyons (7), Tuivailala (7) and Kelly; Guerra, Jeffress (7), Hader (8), Knebel (9) and Kratz, Pina. W_Jeffress 5-0. L_Tuivailala 1-1. Sv_Knebel (5). HRs_St. Louis, Bader (5). Milwaukee, Yelich (7). ___ Cincinnati 000 402 001—7 12 0 Arizona 301 000 000—4 13 1 Romano, W.Peralta (6), Hughes (7), Garrett (7), R.Iglesias (8) and Barnhart; Corbin, Salas (7), Chafin (8), McFarland (9) and Murphy. W_Romano 3-6. L_Corbin 5-2. Sv_R.Iglesias (9). HRs_Cincinnati, Schebler (6), Duvall (10). Arizona, Goldschmidt (7), Murphy (7). ___ Chicago 100 000 000—1 9 1 Pittsburgh 110 000 00x—2 9 0 Hendricks, R.Rosario (6), Mazzoni (7), J.Wilson (7) and Contreras; Musgrove, Crick (8), F.Vazquez (9) and Cervelli. W_Musgrove 2-0. L_Hendricks 4-4. Sv_F.Vazquez (10). HRs_Pittsburgh, Harrison (2). ___ New York 000 100 111—4 9 1 Atlanta 000 000 100—1 5 0 Vargas, T.Peterson (6), Familia (8), Gsellman (9) and Plawecki; Teheran, Carle (8), S.Freeman (8), Socolovich (9) and Suzuki. W_Vargas 2-3. L_Teheran 4-3. Sv_Gsellman (2). HRs_Atlanta, Camargo (4). ___ San Francisco 020 220 010—7 11 0 Colorado 310 000 000—4 11 0 Holland, Moronta (6), Watson (7), S.Dyson (8), Strickland (9) and Posey; Gray, Musgrave (4), Oberg (6), McGee (8), Rusin (9) and Wolters. W_Holland 3-6. L_Musgrave 0-1. Sv_Strickland (11). HRs_Colorado, Arenado (11). ___ Miami 000 200 000—2 4 1 San Diego 000 100 002—3 6 0 Urena, Steckenrider (7), Barraclough (8), Ziegler (9) and Realmuto; Richard, Strahm (8) and Lopez. W_Strahm 1-2. L_Ziegler 0-5. HRs_Miami, Castro (3). San Diego, Reyes (4).

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's space agency says it has successfully launched more than 100 foreign nano satellites into orbit. The Indian Space Research Organization says the nano satellites — those weighing less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) — were taken on board its polar satellite launch vehicle in southern India and sent into orbit on Wednesday. The agency says the launching of the 104 satellites is a record, overtaking Russia's feat of sending 37 satellites in a single launch in 2014. The nano satellites belong to various companies in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan, according to the ISRO.

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish parliament's lower house is debating whether to end Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's nearly eight years in power and replace him with the leader of the Socialist opposition. Rajoy refused to resign after his conservative Popular Party was fined as beneficiary of a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. In a damaging ruling last week, the court questioned Rajoy's claim that he and other top officials were unaware of the party's illegal accounting. Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who is leading the no-confidence vote against Rajoy, would instantly become the country's prime minister if he wins 176 or more votes in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies on Friday. His opening speech Thursday proposing an alternative government will be watched by other opposition lawmakers who are still undecided on whether to oust the government.

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is dreaming big, just like its motto says. The French club, desperate to join Europe's elite since Qatari owners QSI took over six years ago, made an eye-catching breakthrough in the Champions League on Tuesday, routing Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the last 16. "This was the best performance I've been part of since coming to PSG," said midfielder Blaise Matuidi, one of QSI's first signings after its takeover in June 2011. In the years since the new ownership came in, PSG has pumped hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) into acquiring big-name coaches and big-name players, including Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler. QSI also launched an advertising campaign with the motto "Revons Plus Grand," French for "Let's Dream Bigger." It hasn't always worked out, though. In the past four seasons, PSG has dominated in France but has failed to reach even the semifinals of the Champions League. Twice the team lost to Barcelona, in 2013 and '15, in the quarterfinals and then again last year to Manchester City. The result of European frustration has led to swift and ruthless change, with coach Laurent Blanc fired in the offseason despite winning back-to-back domestic trebles. His successor, Unai Emery, was hand-picked by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who liked what he saw in the Sevilla side that Emery guided to three straight Europa League titles. That team played with passion, total commitment and relentless energy, and the Spanish coach has allied those qualities to a PSG team with considerably more individual talent than Sevilla. After a difficult start, his methods are working well. ___ NO IBRA, MORE TEAMWORK Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure to Manchester United before the season left a huge void — one that PSG has filled with more teamwork. When Ibrahimovic played, everything revolved around him. He was given such freedom by then-coach Carlo Ancelotti and by Blanc that he roamed wherever he wanted. While the Swede was a prolific scorer, the loose way he played often unbalanced PSG and made the side predictable against better European opposition. With the unselfish Edinson Cavani as the main striker, PSG is much harder working. And Cavani has stepped up with 34 goals this season. Ibrahimovic also hardly ever defended, while Cavani tracks back to support his teammates. ___ EMERY'S TACTICS The team Emery picked against Barcelona was brave and innovative. He dropped Brazilian winger Lucas, one of his best players, and recalled the inconsistent Angel Di Maria — who scored twice. But it was Emery's midfield formation that really caught the eye and earmarked him as a clever strategist. Switching from the 4-3-3 formation he usually deploys, Emery went for a 4-2-3-1 with Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti as the holding pair and with Blaise Matuidi pushing up almost as a playmaker. Matuidi is usually either a holding or a wide midfielder, but Emery used him as a thrusting spearhead where his relentless energy and ability to time late runs behind the defense caused havoc. ___ HOMEGROWN TALENT As the final whistle blew at Parc des Princes, three homegrown PSG players joined in the celebrations. Center back Presnel Kimpembe had marked Barcelona star Lionel Messi out of the game and Adrien Rabiot had won his midfield battle against Sergio Busquets. Midfielder Christopher Nkunku came on for the last 20 minutes. Kempembe and Rabiot are both 21, while Nkunku is 19. All three grew up in the Paris region and came through the club's youth ranks. While Ancelotti and Blanc rarely trusted homegrown players, offloading central defender Mamadou Sakho to Liverpool and winger Kingsley Coman to Juventus, Emery has great faith in them. Kimpembe is an athletic defender who reads the game well and is strong in the air. The graceful Rabiot has great composure on the ball, a dangerous shot from outside the box and is a perceptive passer. Homegrown players also give the club a stronger local identity because fans feel like they're watching one of their own, rather than only imported stars. ___ KEEPING VERRATTI The diminutive Marco Verratti is the heartbeat of the side and PSG has done well to keep him, despite interest from Real Madrid. The 24-year-old Italy midfielder is a great organizer and sets the tempo for PSG's game with quick-thinking and crisp passing. He has an excellent passing range, whether short or long, and he regularly creates chances with his defense-splitting passes. All he needs to add now is goals, with only five in 185 games since joining from Italian side Pescara five years ago.

BC-TEN--French Open Results TEN--French Open Results PARIS (AP) — Results Wednesday from the French Open at Stade Roland Garros (seedings in parentheses): Men's Singles Second Round David Goffin (8), Belgium, def. Corentin Moutet, France, 7-5, 6-0, 6-1. Gael Monfils (32), France, def. Martin Klizan, Slovakia, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Marco Cecchinato, Italy, def. Marco Trungelliti, Argentina, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-1. Pablo Carreno-Busta (10), Spain, def. Federico Delbonis, Argentina, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4. Roberto Bautista-Agut (13), Spain, def. Santiago Giraldo, Colombia, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Novak Djokovic (20), Serbia, def. Jaume Antoni Munar Clar, Spain, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-4. Fernando Verdasco (30), Spain, def. Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Grigor Dimitrov (4), Bulgaria, def. Jared Donaldson, United States, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 10-8. Matteo Berrettini, Italy, def. Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Kei Nishikori (19), Japan, def. Benoit Paire, France, 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Gilles Simon, France, def. Sam Querrey (12), United States, 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1. Damir Dzumhur (26), Bosnia-Herzegovina, def. Radu Albot, Moldova, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 7-5. Alexander Zverev (2), Germany, def. Dusan Lajovic, Serbia, 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Women's Singles First Round Simona Halep (1), Romania, def. Alison Riske, United States, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. Second Round Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic, def. Kateryna Kozlova, Ukraine, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4. Barbora Strycova (26), Czech Republic, def. Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, 6-4, 6-2. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, def. Jennifer Brady, United States, 6-4, 6-3. Qiang Wang, China, def. Petra Martic, Croatia, 6-1, 6-1. Madison Keys (13), United States, def. Caroline Dolehide, United States, 6-4, 6-1. Naomi Osaka (21), Japan, def. Zarina Diyas, Kazakhstan, 6-4, 7-5. Mihaela Buzarnescu (31), Romania, def. Rebecca Peterson, Sweden, 6-1, 6-2. Elina Svitolina (4), Ukraine, def. Viktoria Kuzmova, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-4. Petra Kvitova (8), Czech Republic, def. Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, Spain, 6-0, 6-4. Anett Kontaveit (25), Estonia, def. Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania, 7-5, 6-2. Camila Giorgi, Italy, def. Mariana Duque-Marino, Colombia, 6-0, 6-3. Sloane Stephens (10), United States, def. Magdalena Frech, Poland, 6-2, 6-2. Caroline Wozniacki (2), Denmark, def. Georgina Garcia Perez, Spain, 6-1, 6-0. Men's Doubles First Round Lukasz Kubot, Poland and Marcelo Melo (1), Brazil, def. Marco Cecchinato, Italy and Marton Fucsovics, Hungary, 6-4, 7-5. Gregoire Jacq, France and Benjamin Bonzi, France, def. Scott Lipsky, United States and Tennys Sandgren, United States, 6-2, 6-4. Maximo Gonzalez, Argentina and Nicolas Jarry, Chile, def. Paolo Lorenzi, Italy and Mischa Zverev, Germany, 6-1, 6-2. Stephane Robert, France and Calvin Hemery, France, def. Donald Young, United States and Matthew Ebden, Australia, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (6). Marcel Granollers, Spain and Pablo Cuevas (11), Uruguay, def. Daniel Nestor, Canada and Jeremy Chardy, France, 7-5, 6-2. Steve Johnson, United States and Jack Sock, United States, def. Nicholas Monroe, United States and John-Patrick Smith, Australia, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Nicolas Mahut, France and Pierre Hughes Herbert (6), France, def. Robert Lindstedt, Sweden and Marcin Matkowski, Poland, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6). Evgeny Donskoy, Russia and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, Mexico, def. Aisam Qureshi, Pakistan and Jean-Julien Rojer (7), Netherlands, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4. Leonardo Mayer, Argentina and Joao Sousa, Portugal, def. Constant Lestienne, France and Geoffrey Blancaneaux, France, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico and Marcelo Demoliner, Brazil, def. Roman Jebavy, Czech Republic and Andrei Vasilevski, Belarus, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 7-6 (2). Feliciano Lopez, Spain and Marc Lopez (12), Spain, def. Andres Molteni, Argentina and Guillermo Duran, Argentina, 6-3, 6-4. Daniele Bracciali, Italy and Andreas Seppi, Italy, def. Philipp Petzschner, Germany and Maximilian Marterer, Germany, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Guido Pella, Argentina and Diego Schwartzman, Argentina, def. Antonie Hoang, France and Ugo Humbert, France, 6-3, 6-3. Rajeev Ram, United States and Ivan Dodig (9), Croatia, def. Hans Podlipnik, Chile and Jackson Withrow, United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. James Cerretini, United States and Marcelo Arevalo-Gonzalez, El Salvador, def. Jan-Lennard Struff, Germany and Ben Mclachlan (14), Japan, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3. Oliver Marach, Austria and Mate Pavic (2), Croatia, def. Adil Shamasdin, Canada and Sander Arends, Netherlands, 6-2, 6-2. Women's Doubles First Round Kristina Mladenovic, France and Timea Babos (1), Hungary, def. Shuai Zhang, China and Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia, 6-1, 6-4. Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic and Nicole Melichar (13), United States, def. Shuai Peng, China and Christina McHale, United States, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (3). Makoto Ninomiya, Japan and Eri Hozumi, Japan, def. Polona Hercog, Slovenia and Alison Van Uytvanck, Belgium, 6-0, 6-4. Yi-Fan Xu, China and Gabriela Dabrowski (5), Canada, def. Fiona Ferro, France and Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, France, 6-3, 6-1. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States and Latisha Chan (4), Taiwan, def. Virginie Razzano, France and Jade Suvrijn, France, 6-4, 6-1. Katerina Bondarenko, Ukraine and Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, def. Abigail Spears, United States and Alicja Rosolska (15), Poland, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2). Sorana Cirstea, Romania and Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain, def. Elena Vesnina, Russia and Jelena Ostapenko (10), Latvia, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia and Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic, def. Belinda Bencic, Switzerland and Marketa Vondrousova, Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-4. Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues, Spain and Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, def. Alison Riske, United States and Johanna Konta, Britain, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Zhaoxuan Yang, China and Hao-Ching Chan (8), Taiwan, def. Su-Wei Hsieh, Taiwan and Andrea Petkovic, Germany, 6-4, 6-4. Tatjana Maria, Germany and Heather Watson, Britain, def. Manon Arcangioli, France and Sherazad Reix, France, 6-3, 6-4. Renata Voracova, Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend, United States, def. Jessika Ponchet, France and Sara Cakarevic, France, 6-4, 6-1. Johanna Larsson, Sweden and Kiki Bertens (9), Netherlands, def. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia and Veronika Kudermetova, Russia, 7-5, 6-2. Venus Williams, United States and Serena Williams, United States, def. Shuko Aoyama, Japan and Miyu Kato (14), Japan, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Darija Jurak, Croatia and Donna Vekic, Croatia, def. Coco Vandeweghe, United States and Ashleigh Barty (7), Australia, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Anastassia Rodionova, Australia and Nadiia Kichenok (16), Ukraine, def. Mandy Minella, Luxembourg and Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus and Ying-Ying Duan, China, def. Olga Savchuk, Ukraine and Ana Bogdan, Romania, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Samantha Stosur, Australia and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia, def. Lidziya Marozava, Belarus and Lesley Kerkhove, Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4. Mixed Doubles First Round Matwe Middelkoop, Netherlands and Demi Schuurs, Netherlands, def. Michael Venus, New Zealand and Hao-Ching Chan (6), Taiwan, 6-3, 6-2.

HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Olympics talks between North and South Korea should not distract from the internationally agreed goal of denuclearizing the North. Mattis spoke during a photo session with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters. Mattis welcomed the North-South talks but said a campaign of diplomatic pressure will continue unabated. He said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should get the message that his nuclear and missile programs are unacceptable to the international community. "Diplomacy should impose reason on Kim's reckless rhetoric and dangerous provocations," Mattis said. "The international pressure campaign must continue." Song said the talks with the North are "about ultimately drawing the North into a dialogue with the United States." South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week that the idea of using military force to stop North Korea's nuclear program was "unacceptable." Mattis praised South Korea's efforts to enforce U.N. sanctions against the North. He thanked Song's government for impounding two ships "that were found violating United Nations resolutions" against transfers of certain kinds of cargo. He did not elaborate.