Maine police get Facebook boost with stuffed duck

PORTLAND, Maine -- Police here believe they have quacked the code for finding followers on social media.

The 80-officer Bangor Police Department, which serves a city of about 33,000, has attracted more than 20,000 likes on its Facebook page after humorous pictures of a stuffed duck were added. The duck, dubbed "Duck of Justice" or "DOJ," appears in pictures of police cars, department members and K-9 cops, often accompanied with some pithy text about law enforcement.

"I happen to believe that police officers are a pretty humorous bunch," said the man behind the duck, Sgt. Tim Cotton, a 17-year veteran Bangor officer with a fondness for the humor of George Carlin and Jim Gaffigan. "I want to read something that at least has some humorous undertones — I wouldn't connect to a page that I didn't want to read."

Bangor is just one of many police departments nationwide discovering that using comedy on social media can help them interact with the public. One department, in 10,000-resident Brimfield Township, Ohio, has earned more than 155,000 Facebook likes for its chief's in-your-face humor about everything from methamphetamine busts to lost dogs.

Nancy Marshall, a Maine-based social media strategist who runs a public relations firm in the Maine capital of Augusta, said Bangor's site helps residents humanize the police.

"It's definitely a new way of engaging with the public," Marshall said. "I admire the Bangor police department for being bold enough to expose their humanity."

Cotton took over in April as the department's public information officer, a job that makes him responsible for the department's Facebook page. Since he started, the page's number of "likes" has shot up by more than 8,000.

The wooden duck — stuffed by a taxidermist and rescued by Cotton from a trash compactor at a district attorney's office — is a light way for the department to get residents' attention about sometimes serious matters in a crowded social media landscape, he said.

The duck has made the rounds in Bangor, appearing in a photo at Bangor Raceway with a caption that said it was "whistling 'More Than A Feeling'" because the band Boston was playing nearby. It also propped up a copy of the voluminous 2013-14 Maine criminal statutes book, reminding residents that it "will be in the office all weekend if you have any questions."

The duck also has a more serious side, appearing in profiles of new officers and a post about a lost dog.

The page has its detractors, including commenters who contend that paying Cotton to use social media isn't a wise use of public money.

Other departments' social media efforts have stumbled, such as the New York Police Department's April request for followers to post pictures of themselves with NYPD officers on Twitter with the #myNYPD hashtag. Many users instead used the hashtag to post pictures of aggressive police behavior.

The duck originally was sneaked into in social media photos, hidden in plain view in a manner similar to the popular "Kilroy Was Here" graffiti of the World War II era. The duck became the focus of photos as it became more and more popular, Cotton said. The Facebook page has since received fans from as far away as Brazil and Iran, he said.

As for the critics, Cotton says it's just water off a, well, you know.

"Policemen find their job funny no matter what people think of police," he said. "There's horrible things in police work and there's wonderful things."

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Online:

Bangor Police Department: http://on.fb.me/1lDnt6i

India budget to test new government's mettle

MUMBAI, India -- India's new government presents its inaugural budget this week in the first substantive test of whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver on ambitious promises to revive stalled economic growth.

Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept into power in May after the most decisive election victory India has witnessed in three decades, ousting the long-dominant Congress party. Voters were fed up with Congress' failure to curb runaway inflation and the wilting of growth rates to below 5 percent.

The prime minister has warned "bitter medicine" is needed to heal Asia's third-largest economy and improve battered government finances. Expectations of bold policies have been sky high, with the Sensex stock index in Mumbai hitting a series of record highs in the past several weeks. But the prospect of reduced harvests this year due to weak monsoon rains may forestall immediate cuts to fiscally ruinous subsidies for fuel, food and fertilizer.

"I don't think we are going to see something that is completely path-breaking and transformational," said Anjalika Bardalai, an India analyst for the Eurasia Group. "But I do think there will be enough in the budget that is going to be perceived as business friendly and good for the economy."

India's economic growth has slowed to less than 5 percent for the last two years after a decade of expanding by an average of 8 percent, which is the minimum the government says is necessary to provide jobs for the 13 million young Indians who enter the workforce each year.

Big spending on subsidies has limited the government's ability to use its budget to make productive investments that could boost the economy's productivity in the long run. A chronic current account deficit has contributed to weakness in India's currency, worsening consumer inflation that has touched double digits in the last year.

The BJP campaign promised pro-business policies similar to those in the Gujarat state where Modi was chief minister for years and focused on clearing obstacles to building roads and other infrastructure and offering incentives for large-scale investment.

Critics accuse Modi of promoting a more free-wheeling capitalism with less of a social safety net, but the overwhelming victory in May indicated Indian voters, especially the young, are more concerned with the faltering economy.

The election result was a "pretty clear vote" for more jobs and other changes to get the economy moving again, said Glenn Levine, a senior economist for Moody's Analytics. "Modi should and appears to be utilizing this honeymoon period to push through some changes."

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's budget speech Thursday may go beyond traditional subjects like spending priorities and deficit-reduction targets and also touch on at least broad outlines of policies such as a more selling off state-owned industries, tax reform and allowing more foreign investment in key industries.

Government steel, coal and petroleum companies are seen as prime targets for sale, which would replenish the government's coffers and help to make inefficient industries more productive. Jaitley could also announce increases in caps on foreign direct investment in areas including defense and e-commerce.

Still, inflation and the high price of oil, India's biggest import, will make it difficult to reduce the fiscal deficit that is a both a symptom and a cause of many of the country's economy woes.

Many of the measures Modi's party sees as ultimately necessary to curb the deficit are likely to be deeply unpopular.

Tens of millions of Indians have become accustomed to subsidized food, fuel and fertilizer that cost the government some $40 billion per year. Modi's party would like to redirect that spending to areas such as building roads, railways and power plants, but any cut in social spending could provoke a backlash.

One of the Modi government's first acts when it took office was to raise rail passenger fares, an unpopular move that was partially rolled back after a public outcry.

The back down demonstrated that cuts to entitlements will be deeply contentious and unpopular, said Bardalai, the Eurasia Group analyst.

Lebanon's Arabic press digest – July 9, 2014

The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to The Daily Star readers. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

Al-Akhbar

Public sector salaries talks halted

Al-Akhbar has learned that there were no behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to find a solution to civil servants’ salaries. The reason given was to avoid reaching a dead-end.

Prominent sources with the March 8 coalition told Al-Akhbar that the Future Movement would not go to Parliament because it aimed to reach a final settlement on the state budget issue and expenses since 2005 until now.

The Future Movement, according to the sources, wants the finance minister to do as his predecessors: no legal provisions authorizing spending.

An-Nahar

Jumblatt and Berri about to achieve breakthrough in Cabinet, Parliament

Well-informed parliamentary sources told An-Nahar that Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Walid Jumblatt were on the verge of achieving double victory at Parliament and the Cabinet.

The sources said talks were ongoing to pave the way for an imminent parliamentary session to approve the necessary laws to pay civil servants’ salaries and issue eurobonds.

As-Safir

Jumblatt sponsors Amal-Future dialogue

MP Walid Jumblatt succeeded in launching a direct political dialogue between the Amal Movement and the Future Movement, as a result of efforts he had made during his recent meeting with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Paris.

Jumblatt told As-Safir that the "mediation" led to a meeting between his representative, Health Minister Wael Abu Faour; a political aide to Speaker Nabih Berri, Ali Hasan Khalil; and Future Movement official Nader Hariri.

Jumblatt said his initiative was based on his own belief that crises could only be solved through dialogue.

Al-Liwaa

Machnouk briefed Berri, Salam on U.N. plan to settle 100,000 refugees in Lebanon

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas has revealed a report he had received stating that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is preparing a plan to settle 100,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon and issue passports for them.

Derbas told Al-Liwaa he would address this issue at the Cabinet’s next meeting Thursday.

He said the government was not likely to approve the plan.

Tripoli protest sparked by prisoner heart attack

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Residents blocked several roads in Tripoli Wednesday after news emerged that a militia leader in detention had suffered a heart attack.

Family members, young men and supporters of Ziad Allouki, a former militia commander in the Tripoli neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh, took to the streets early Wednesday, blocking the Abu Ali roundabout to demand his release.

Protests also broke out in Bab al-Tabbaneh, Qibbeh, Maaloula and the old vegetable market after Allouki's family received a phone call from a Roumieh prisoner informing them that their son had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack at dawn.

A source close to the family told The Daily Star that Allouki’s parents had been notified of their son’s sudden health deterioration through Saad Masri, another militia commander who had fought gunbattles in Tripoli and is held at Roumieh prison.

The protesters are demanding the release of all militia leaders who had turned themselves in to the Lebanese Army with promises they would be released before the holy month of Ramadan.

Tripoli has seen numerous protests over the security crackdown that the Army began in April, with many Sunnis claiming that the security forces are unfairly targeting their sect, while ignoring violations by other sects.

But the families say that when they raise their protests, they are told that judicial authorities have also sought Ali Eid, the leader of the pro-Assad Arab Democratic Party, in the Tripoli clashes.

Eid is charged with aiding a suspect in the twin bombings that targeted two mosques in Tripoli in August 2013. Eid has reportedly fled to Syria.

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Different immigration-related 'days of action' set

AUSTIN, Texas -- It'll be a "day of action" for a pair of separate coalitions pressing for reforms on separate immigration-related issues.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is leading a group of civil liberties activists in a "day of action" demonstration at a Brownsville border crossing Wednesday morning. The "Border Reality Checkpoint" will protest alleged abuses by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agents at border crossings and press for stronger oversight by the agency.

A short time later Wednesday, representatives of Texas business, retail and religious groups will hold a news conference to press for reform of federal immigration laws. This "day of action" organized by the Texas Association of Business is part of a nationwide mobilization by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and allied groups.

China inflation eases to 2.3 percent in June

HONG KONG -- China's inflation rate eased to 2.3 percent in June as politically sensitive food prices softened, government data released Wednesday showed.

Inflation remains below the 3.5 percent annual target set by the ruling Communist Party. That gives authorities room to cut interest rates or use other measures if needed to shore up the slowing economy in order to meet the official full year growth target of 7.5 percent.

Food costs rose 3.7 percent in June after surging 4.1 percent the month before on a rebound in prices for pork, a staple meat in China.

Excluding food costs, June inflation was 1.7 percent, according to the report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Inflation fell from 2.5 percent in May, the highest rate since January, when it was at the same level.

Economists said they expect Chinese consumer prices to remain largely stable this year, which will ease pressure on leaders in Beijing who are grappling with the slowdown in the world's No. 2 economy as they try to nurture growth based on domestic consumption and wean it off of trade and investment.

"Inflation will likely stay at benign levels" in the low 2 percent range, said Haibin Zhu, chief China economist at JP Morgan. "This provides room for policymakers to focus on the growth stabilization and structural reforms in the near term."

Indonesia divided in close presidential race

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- As the world's third-largest democracy began voting Wednesday to elect a new president, Indonesians are divided between two very different choices: a one-time furniture maker and a wealthy ex-army general with close links to former dictator Suharto.

Just a couple of months ago, the election was considered firmly in favor of Joko Widodo, who rose from humble beginnings to become the governor of Jakarta with a squeaky-clean political record.

But the race is now too close to call thanks to a late surge by Prabowo Subianto, who has wooed legions of supporters with his calls for nationalism despite allegations of widespread human rights abuses during his military career and his connection with Suharto — his former father-in-law.

When the polls opened Wednesday morning to about 190 million people, analysts predicted that undecided voters will determine the winner. Preliminary quick count results were expected later in the day, and extra police and military forces were added in case violence erupts. High voter turnout was expected following campaigning that has energized people across the country.

"Unlike previous presidential elections, this time I'm so excited to participate because Indonesia needs a change," said Widodo supporter Imam Arifin, who went to school with President Barack Obama when he lived in the country as a child. "I believe a candidate without a past dark track record can bring a better future to Indonesia."

About 2 million Indonesians abroad have been casting their votes since Saturday, and the overseas turnout has been significantly higher than the 22 percent in April's legislative elections, said Wahid Supriyadi, a foreign ministry official who heads the overseas election committee.

Supriyadi said so many voters showed up in Hong Kong on Sunday that more than 500 were unable to cast ballot.

The two candidates are vastly different in their policies and styles. Widodo, known by his nickname Jokowi, is a soft-spoken man who likes to wear sneakers and casual plaid shirts, listen to heavy metal music and make impromptu visits to the slums. Seen as a man of the people who wants to advance democratic reform even though he lacks experience in national politics, he represents a break from the past as the first candidate in direct elections with no connection to Suharto-era politics.

Subianto is known for his thundering campaign speeches, a penchant for luxury cars and having trotted up to one rally on an expensive horse. He has the support of the most hard-line Islamic parties and has sparked concern among foreign investors worried about protectionism and a possible return to more authoritative policies.

"Many Indonesian Muslims prefer Prabowo's strong and dynamic character, which can stand up in facing the foreign policies of neighboring countries and the U.S.," said Ikrar Nusabhakti, a political analyst from the Indonesia Institute of Science. "Other people are responding positively to Jokowi's caring and earthy traits."

Smear tactics have surfaced in both camps. But Widodo, 53, has blamed his fall in opinion polls from a lead of more than 12 percentage points in May to just around 3.5 points on character assaults that accused him, among other things, of not being a follower of Islam. He has denounced the charges as lies, but says it's hard to undo the damage it caused in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

"I think these black campaigns were effective enough to convince communities," said Hamdi Muluk, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia. "And that has directly ruined Widodo's image."

But he added that Subianto's past, including ordering the kidnappings of pro-democracy activists prior to Suharto's fall in 1998, have not gone unnoticed and some voters fear a return to the brutal dictator's New Order regime. Details about the abductions surfaced recently after the official findings of an army investigative panel were leaked.

"Considering the role models and figures behind Widodo's team, I believe many new voters tend to support Jokowi," Muluk said. "A return to the New Order is not popular among youngsters or new voters. They are interested more in change."

The race is the country's third direct presidential election, and has played out with fury in the social media crazed country of around 240 million people. There has been a frenzy of "unfriending" on Facebook pages belonging to users who support different camps.

For the first time in its 31-year history, the English-language Jakarta Post last week endorsed a presidential candidate. In choosing Widodo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the paper said it could not remain silent because the stakes were too high.

"Rarely in an election has the choice been so definitive," it said in denouncing Prabowo. "Never before has a candidate ticked all the boxes on our negative checklist. And for that we cannot do nothing."

But Subianto, 62, of the Great Indonesia Movement Party, has been gaining allies. Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling Democratic Party, which said it was neutral earlier in the campaign, openly endorsed Subianto just two weeks before the election. Yudhoyono is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term after 10 years in office.

Subianto's vows of tough leadership and promises that "Indonesia will become an Asian tiger once again" have also gained footing with some voters fed up with Yudhoyono, who has been criticized for being ineffective and weak on some issues, including those involving neighbors Australia and Malaysia. The president's party has also been plagued by a string of recent high-profile corruption scandals.

Associated Press writers Margie Mason and Ali Kotarumalos contributed to this report.

This Is the Moment Washington Turned Pot Legal

Legal-weed Tuesday has arrived. Top Shelf Cannabis opened its doors to waiting customers and prying reporters at 8 a.m. Tuesday, ushering in the first legal sales of recreational marijuana in the state — 20 months after voters made pot legal.

And at high-noon, Cannabis City made its first sale in Seattle.

The first sale and the first customer in Bellingham, a visitor from Kansas, drew all the attention of a Power Ball lottery winner.

At 8:03 a.m., Cale Holdsworth bought 2 grams of pot for $26.50 as photographers and TV cameramen recorded it for posterity.

“What better way to show support and participate” he said before the sale. He had been waiting in line outside the Bellingham business since 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Not far behind Holdsworth in line were Lori Bradford, 61, and Ellen McCauley, 66, both of Bellingham.

Bradford, who has been using marijuana for years to help her sleep, said she was “completely shocked” that she could buy legal marijuana.

“I’m high-strung,” McCauley said, explaining why she was standing in line to buy pot. “It makes me go, ‘What the f***.’ ”

Tom Beckley, who owns Top Shelf was relieved. He had been up for three days getting ready. “There’s so much adrenaline I’m not even tired.”

Customers lined at a handful of new retail locations for what will be a sell-out amount of marijuana grown and packaged so far under rules setup by the Washington Liquor Control Board and based on Initiative 502.

In Seattle, sales didn’t begin until noon at Cannabis City, a Sodo outlet that was the only Seattle pot shop to open on Tuesday. Prices with taxes was $20 a gram. The shop sold two-gram packages today.

First in the door was Deb Greene, a 65-year-old retiree who began waiting in line Monday afternoon, bringing a chair, sleeping bag and long book.

“I voted for it, and I’m just so excited to see it come to be in my lifetime,” she told The Associated Press. “I’m not a heavy user, I’m just proud of our state for giving this a try.”

Behind her was Alison Holcomb, the ACLU lawyer who spear-headed the efforts to get voters to approve an initiative in 2012 to make marijuana legal.

“My birthday is in two days, and the first legal marijuana in Seattle might be a good way to celebrate,” she said after buying a couple grams.

And coming up third was Jeremy Cooper, West coast operations manager with Magic Butter, a company that produces edible marijuana products.

After Cooper came Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes. He picked up two, two-gram packages.

“Today is a big shift,” he said after his purchases. “Today is the day adults can buy legal marijuana and enjoy it responsibly.”

What about kids seeing the city attorney buy marijuana?

“I would remind them that I’m 58 years old and I enjoy a glass of wine on occasion and I would never encourage kids to do either one — alcohol or marijuana,” Holmes replied.

The marijuana business is complex new market that’s taken the state nearly 20 months to establish.

But here they are — the first sales.

Twenty-five retail businesses were licensed by the state on Monday, but many were either unable to get all their paperwork with local jurisdictions finished, shops readied or product procured for sale, so they didn’t open.

Related story – History: First customers show; meet your 25 Washington marijuana retailers

Supplies were limited across the state as only a few licensed growers were able to have cannabis packaged and ready. But more weed will be ready as the weeks go by peaking this year around the holidays when the outdoor grows are cured for sale.

Prices will range from a small amount sold at $10 a gram to most sold between $15 and $25 a gram.

If you’re thinking of going back to Canada with some stash or just crossing the border to wave it around and thumb your nose at our neighbors known collectively for supplying decades of B.C. Bud … don’t.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection send out an advisory this morning saying as much. The agency is …

… reminding travelers crossing the border that possession of any amount of marijuana remains a violation under Federal law.

In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance and CBP’s enforcement of that Act remains unchanged irrespective of any changes in Washington State law. Whether arriving or exiting the United States, seizure and civil monetary penalties remain in effect for possession of any amount of marijuana.

Foreign visitors who are found to have violated any Federal or State law or regulation relating to a controlled substance risk additional consequences and may be deemed inadmissible to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and barred from entry.

However, they’re also hoping “you enjoy your summer travels.” Okey dokey.

This article was first published by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

World Cup Stunner: Germany Crushes Brazil in 7-1 Semifinal

Did you put money on Brazil to win the World Cup this year? Sorry about that. Germany just trounced this year's host country in a 7-1 semifinal match. And five of those German goals happened in the game's first 30 minutes. With Brazil favored by many to take the whole thing, fans around the world were shocked.

Brazil fans were caught on camera during the game's broadcast, and they weren't quite happy about what was happening.

Neither was Rio's famous guardian, the Christ the Redeemer statue.

#ThingMoreLikelyThanBrazilWinningtheWorldCup quickly started to trend on Twitter. (Sorry, Leo.)

Not everyone was crying about the game's result, though. German national treasure Heidi Klum was pretty happy about it.

SE Indiana factory expected to add 250 jobs

GREENSBURG, Ind. -- Officials say an auto parts company is planning to add about 250 jobs at a southeastern Indiana factory by the end of next year.

City officials in Greensburg say the additional jobs will be added as $28 million is spent on new machinery for the Valeo Engine Cooling factory to start new product lines for Honda, Nissan, Chrysler and Ford.

Mayor Gary Herbert tells the Greensburg Daily News (http://bit.ly/1oE7PHM ) he supported a longer-than-usual six-year property tax abatement on Valeo's new equipment because of the investment's size and number of new jobs expected.

The French company now has nearly 700 workers at the Greensburg plant. That's up from about 400 employees in January 2013 when the company announced another expansion for the factory about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

Amedisys: SEC ends Medicare-related investigation

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Securities and Exchange Commission has wrapped up an investigation into Amedisys' participation in the federal Medicare program, and no enforcement actions will be recommended, the home health care and hospice services provider says.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, company had announced the investigation in June 2010 and said then that it also had received a Senate Finance Committee subpoena for documents. A month earlier, the Senate committee started an investigation into the billing practices of Amedisys and some other companies.

The investigation raised questions about whether the companies increased their number of patient visits out of medical necessity or in order to deliberately trigger higher Medicare reimbursements.

Earlier this year, Amedisys Inc. agreed to pay $150 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that it had inflated Medicare billings and had improper financial relationships with referring physicians.

The agreement resolved False Claims Act allegations that, between 2008 and 2010, some Amedisys offices billed Medicare for unnecessary services and for patients who were not homebound and misrepresented patients' conditions to increase its Medicare payments.

Medicare helps cover health care costs for the elderly and disabled people.

Shares of Amedisys closed at $16.20 on Monday. That put the stock up about 11 percent so far this year.

Australian company buys Tennessee-based firm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- An Australian company has agreed to buy Tennessee-based Video Gaming Technologies Inc. in a deal valued at $1.3 billion.

The Tennessean reported (http://tnne.ws/1otPawr ) that the deal between Aristocrat Leisure Limited and VGT, which is located in Franklin, is expected to close by the middle of fiscal 2015.

VGT makes and sells video gaming machines, primarily to tribal gaming centers in the United States. The company currently leases about 20,000 terminals nationwide, mainly in tribal casinos in Oklahoma, Washington and California.

Last year, the company brought in $236 million in revenue and is expected to top that number in 2014.

VGT has experienced dramatic growth since entering the tribal gaming market in 2001.

The deal would more than triple the Australian company's overall footprint.

River hampers efforts to salvage sunken towboat

ST. LOUIS -- The Coast Guard says efforts to salvage a fuel-filled towboat that inexplicably sank in the Mississippi River may not happen for another month until the swollen waterway subsides.

The Coast Guard says the 70-foot, 140-ton Jim Marko went down July 1 near St. Louis with 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel aboard.

Coast Guard Lt. Timothy Marriott says there's been no evidence large amounts of fuel have escaped.

Marriott says high levels of the Mississippi River have kept crews from raising the boat. And he says that isn't likely to change for three weeks to a month.

The National Weather Service says the Mississippi at St. Louis is expected to crest this weekend 3 feet above flood stage and won't drop below that level until the middle of next week.

Hopkins Hospital, union reach tentative labor pact

BALTIMORE -- Johns Hopkins Hospital has reached a tentative labor agreement with a union representing about 2,000 workers at the medical institution.

A Hopkins spokeswoman said Tuesday that a union vote will take place over the next couple of days on the tentative agreement.

The union has been in negotiations with the hospital since March and staged a strike in April after rejecting Hopkins' offer of a $12 hourly minimum wage.

The union called off another planned strike last month after Gov. Martin O'Malley intervened and asked for a cooling off period.

According to union officials, the tentative agreement reached early Tuesday immediately establishes $15 hourly minimum wage for workers with 20 years of service, and a $14.50 wage in 2015 for workers with 15 years on the job.

EU's united front on Russia falling amid gas needs

VIENNA -- A clutch of countries is breaking ranks with the EU's efforts to put economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia over Ukraine and building a pipeline meant to carry huge amounts of Russian gas to their doorstep.

Their defiance of a European Union stop work order is more significant than just another missed chance for Europe to call out the Kremlin. Russian natural gas already accounts for around a third of the EU's needs. The South Stream pipeline could increase Russian supplies to Europe by another 25 percent, potentially boosting Moscow's leverage long after the Ukraine crisis fades.

Adding to the skein of Russian pipelines already ending in Europe, South Stream would go through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy in one leg and Croatia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey in a second. The European Commission, the EU executive, has ordered a construction moratorium over concerns with Russia's dual role as pipeline owner and gas supplier. It has also delayed some political talks on the pipeline amid the crisis in Ukraine.

"Developments in Ukraine and Russia have demonstrated that the EU's priority is to diversify its energy sources," says spokeswoman Sabine Berger of the EU Energy Commissioner's office.

But Austria, Hungary, and Serbia — the first two EU members, the third a candidate to join — have said they will build their sections of the project and others may follow, to the displeasure of the EU and United States. In the wake of Austria's decision last month, Washington urged it to "consider carefully" whether that contributed to "discouraging further Russian aggression."

Moscow says such arguments by the U.S. are driven by business concerns. In Vienna recently to lobby for Austrian support for South Stream, Russian President Vladimir Putin said "our American friends ... want to supply Europe with gas themselves."

European reaction has been generally muted. Many countries in central and eastern Europe already get much of their gas from Russia, making them ill-placed to criticize South Stream. Those further west, like France, have seen their lucrative business relations with Russia untouched by sanctions against Moscow.

And while individual countries are taking steps to diversify their sources, officials seem to recognize there are few near-term options to Russian gas.

Renewable energy projects are not close to meeting demand. Environmental concerns are fomenting widespread opposition to fracking — the disputed extraction of oil and gas from shale formations that has resulted in a U.S. gas boom. And it will be at least a decade before the U.S. can make sea-borne shipments of liquefied natural gas, due to technical and bureaucratic hurdles.

"Europe's energy dependence on Moscow seems to be in the cards for a long time to come," says Michael Klare, author of "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet, the New Geopolitics of Energy." "Moscow is not going to give up its dominant position easily."

Such prospects are forcing Western powers to see the threat from Moscow in a new, post-Cold War light. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen last month accused Russian intelligence agencies of working directly with European environmental groups to fund anti-fracking campaigns.

Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine also has the potential of strengthening its energy dominance in Europe.

Moscow now has control over a large part of the eastern Black Sea, and with it potential natural gas deposits previously claimed by Ukraine that may be worth trillions of dollars. It can also reroute South Stream without having to skirt Ukrainian waters, making the project cheaper and simpler.

Some European criticism of the move to build the pipeline has come from countries that were formerly ruled by the Kremlin. Shortly after Austria agreed to build its section late last month, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of ex-Soviet republic Estonia chided Austrian President Heinz Fischer, telling him that Moscow can in no way be considered a "strategic partner."

But most reaction is low-key. A statement to The Associated Press from the economics ministry of formerly Communist-ruled Poland said any decision to build the pipeline ultimately lies "in the hands of the interested stakeholders," even if South Stream fails to diversify "routes, sources and suppliers."

Such restraint could be explained by these countries' own deals with Moscow. A direct Russian pipeline to Estonia meets 100 percent of its gas needs. Ditto for Latvia and Lithuania, both former Soviet republics. And Poland covers more than 60 percent of its requirements through Russia, even as it works to diversify its sources.

This allows those needing South Stream to dismiss criticism.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently challenged "those who say we shouldn't build South Stream .... (to) make an alternative proposal about how we could live without energy." And Bulgarian Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said the idea of some countries benefiting from direct Russian gas shipments while expecting his country to wait out the Ukraine crisis is "unacceptable."

Associated Press writers John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels, Vanessa Gera and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw and Jovana Gec in Belgrade contributed to this story.

Russia to allow gambling in Sochi

MOSCOW -- Russia will allow gambling in Sochi in a bid to make continued use of the facilities that were built in the Black Sea resort for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Russia spent $51 billion on the Winter Olympics, leaving many companies that invested in the city wondering how they were going to recoup their money.

Russia restricted gambling to several designated zones in 2009, all far away from major cities or tourist attractions.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who oversaw the preparations for the games, told Russian news agencies on Tuesday the government will decide within the next 10 days on the exact location of casinos.

He said, however, that the gambling zone could be set up at the site previously used for the Games.

FDA approves first drug from Anacor Pharma

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Shares of Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc. climbed Tuesday morning after federal regulators approved its first drug, the toenail fungus treatment Kerydin, a few weeks ahead of schedule.

The Palo Alto, California, company said it expects to launch Kerydin, also known as tavaborole, in the United States as early as the end of this quarter, either alone or with a partner.

Kerydin is a clear, alcohol-based solution that is applied with a dropper to an infected toenail once a day for nearly a year. It treats onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nail and nail bed.

The Food and Drug Administration had accepted Anacor's marketing application for the drug last fall and wasn't expected to complete its review until July 29.

Other toenail fungus treatments already on the market include Lamisil and Penlac.

Anacor was founded in 2002 and went public eight years later. It also has a potential treatment for atopic dermatitis in late-stage clinical testing, or the last phase before a drug developer submits a treatment to regulators for approval.

The company's stock was up 4.4 percent, or 74 cents, to $17.48 shortly before markets opened.

Hamas: All Israelis targets after deadly raid on Gaza home

Israel army authorized to mobilize 40,000 troops

Israel appears bent on dealing the Islamist Hamas movement a heavy blow, with the cabinet authorizing the call up of...

Army: 1100 suspects held in security crackdown in June

BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army said in a statement Tuesday that troops have rounded up some 1100 suspects from different nationalities June, on a variety of charges ranging from terrorism to staying in Lebanon illegally.

The statement said that the arrests were carried out in all Lebanese regions as part of a security crackdown implemented by the Army to curb car-bomb attacks and suspected jihadist activities.

“As a result of the security measures implemented by the Army in the various Lebanese areas, some 1100 people from different nationalities were arrested last June on various charges including involvement in terrorism crimes, illegal possession and use of firearms, drug dealing and smuggling,” the statement said.

The statement gave no specific information regarding the nationalities of the suspects, but said many were apprehended for staying in Lebanon illegally.

The Army also confiscated 172 cars and 129 motorcycles without legal papers, and seized quantities of arms, ammunitions and military equipment, the statement said, adding that all detainees were referred to the pertinent authorities.

The Army and the Internal Security Forces have enforced a security plan in Beirut and other regions following a spate of suicide bombings that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut and security checkpoints. Bombers often used stolen cars or vehicles with forged papers in their attacks.

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Border money request won't include policy change

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is preparing to ask Congress for emergency spending of more than $2 billion to deal with the crisis of unaccompanied kids at the Southern border, but for now he won't seek legal changes to send the children back home more quickly.

That decision comes after immigration advocates objected strongly to administration proposals to speed thousands of unaccompanied minors back home to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where many face gang violence.

The White House insists the kids must be returned. Administration officials say they are still working on ways to do it faster, but say that the request for specific legislative changes will move on a separate track than the emergency spending request Obama is sending to Congress on Tuesday.

Obama plans to discuss the crisis with faith and local leaders during a political fundraising visit to Texas Wednesday, but he is resisting calls to visit the border for a firsthand look. The White House has invited Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who is among those urging Obama to get to the border while he's in the state, to Wednesday's meeting in Dallas.

Decoupling the spending request from the contentious policy changes, which faced pushback from Obama's own political party, may give the emergency money a better chance of getting through Congress.

The decision to submit the spending request apart from the policy changes was confirmed Monday by two Capitol Hill aides who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan by name ahead of the formal announcement.

An administration official said the White House has already advised the congressional leadership that it wants expanded authority and said it is still seeking those policy changes. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the request before it is announced, said the administration always intended to send the request for money separately.

The developments underscore the delicate position the administration finds itself in as it risks alienating allies by pursuing changes to turn the migrant kids around more quickly. More than 50,000 have arrived since October, in many cases fleeing violence at home, but also drawn by rumors that they can stay in the U.S.

Congressional Republicans blame Obama policies for the confusion; Obama administration officials dispute that.

The money Obama is seeking would be for immigration judges, detention facilities, legal aid and other items that could address the situation on the border, which the administration has termed a humanitarian crisis.

As lawmakers return to Washington this week from a weeklong July 4th recess, Obama's spending request is set to be a focus, with the Senate Appropriations Committee scheduling a hearing to examine it. It's not yet clear how lawmakers will react to the request, although aides seem optimistic it will get through the Democratic-controlled Senate in the coming weeks.

The issue has become a political problem for Obama that looks likely to follow him this week to Texas, where he is traveling primarily to raise money for congressional Democrats. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest reiterated Monday that Obama had no plans to visit the border, but Obama faced renewed criticism from Republicans over that decision.

"President Obama needs a wakeup call — and visiting the border and seeing firsthand the severity of this ongoing crisis is that wakeup call," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in remarks prepared for delivery on the Senate floor.

The developments all come as Obama has declared comprehensive immigration legislation dead in Congress and announced plans to proceed on his own by executive action to make whatever fixes he can to the nation's dysfunctional immigration system. That could put Obama in the seemingly contradictory position of shielding millions of people from deportation while at the same time trying to hurry deportations for the unaccompanied children.

The White House told Congress last week that it would seek "additional authority" for the Homeland Security secretary to quickly return the minors back home. Immigration advocates understood this to mean that the children, who currently have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, would lose that right and instead would have to make it through an initial screening with a Border Patrol agent.

The immigrant advocacy community responded angrily, with more than 200 groups signing onto a letter last week calling on Obama to reconsider the changes.

"It would take away their right to council, right to proper screening. ...It would undermine completely due process," Leslie Holman, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said in an interview Monday.

The White House says the plan is to speed up the processing of Central American border crossers without taking away their due process.

"The president believes it's important for those due process rights to be respected; at the same time we should have a process that is efficient and that reflects the state of U.S. law," Earnest said Monday.

Now the White House and the Homeland Security Department will spend more time developing the proposals, along with plans to increase penalties on smugglers.

Cedar Falls OKs tax break for John Deere project

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The City Council has approved a tax break for John Deere's $27.8 million expansion project in Cedar Falls.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier says (http://bit.ly/1zmm8X0 ) the five-year property tax abatement was approved at Monday night's meeting, following a public hearing.

Director of Developmental Services Ron Gaines says the city issued a building permit on June 24 for an addition that is expected to have a valuation of about $9.5 million.

John Deere's Chris Meyers says the expansion will provide nearly 62,000 square feet of additional space and improvements to the existing engineering center's infrastructure.

Arab League seeks urgent UN Security Council meet on Gaza

France urges all sides to show restraint in Gaza

France's foreign ministry, commenting on violence between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, urges all...

Civil Defense raise awareness on pre-tremor preparation

BEIRUT: The Civil Defense Tuesday circulated instructions on precautions that should be taken in preparation for earthquakes, days after a series of tremors hit Lebanon, exposing the country’s unpreparedness to face such natural forces.

The guidelines also comprised information on how to behave during and after earthquakes whether indoors, outdoors or in a car.

“Abiding by the principle of prevention and for the sake of public safety, the Directorate General of Civil Defense has placed at the disposal of the public a series of instructions to raise awareness on how to get prepared for potential earthquakes,” a statement said.

Preparatory measures include making sure that heavy objects which might fall and cause injury are strongly fixed; identifying safe spots in the house away from glass windows and doors such as beneath solid tables or next to pillar walls; keeping a first-aid kit at hand and determining safe exits.

If caught by the tremor outdoors, stay away from buildings, trees and power poles, avoid rushing to the seaside, since earthquakes increase risks of tsunamis, and go to heights instead, the guidelines said.

If in a car, drivers should maintain control of their vehicle, park on the right-hand side of the road as quickly as possible, stay far from murals or poles, and avoid accessing bridges or tunnels which might collapse depending on the tremor’s magnitude.

In case of injury or being trapped under the rubble, stay calm and try to draw attention of rescuers by any available means such as knocking on pipelines to guide them towards you.

If unhurt, help evacuate the others or offer assistance to rescue teams, the guideline said, cautioning that highest precautions should be maintained as earthquakes are usually followed by aftershocks.

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Berri: Lebanon is not a good ground for fundamentalism

BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri Tuesday said Lebanon is not a fertile ground for fundamentalists, because all its parties and communities have rejected such groups.

“There is no bread for such phenomena in Lebanon,” head of Maronite General Council Wadih Khazen quoted Berri saying.

Speaking of the recent calls for attacks against Lebanese Christians and churches by the Twitter-based Free Sunni Brigades of Baalbek, Berri said that all Lebanese had denounced similar calls and that religion itself had repudiated such groups after they “exceeded all forms of religious fundamentalism.”

Khazen also said that Berri adopted Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai’s view on the presidential elections, and concurred with his commitment to the constitutional process.

Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb also visited Berri in Ain al-Tineh, saying that the two discussed the general political situation in the country, as well as the ministry’s plans to “serve the Lebanese farmers and whatever is left of the green in Lebanon.”

Chehayeb praised Berri as “the open heart and the open mind who is willing to work with all the loyalists in the country to move beyond the current reality.”

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Arab world needs the Bible: Rai

BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai Tuesday urged Christians to multiply efforts toward promoting the Bible’s culture of love and forgiveness among Arab countries.

“We cannot stand idly by,” Rai told the president of the Maronite Lebanese Missionaries father Malik Boutanios. “On the contrary, we need to boost our activity and increase our hope; and understand that the Arab world needs the Bible for what it says about love and brotherhood, about peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.”

Rai pointed to the difficult circumstances that Lebanon and the Middle East are going through.

“This should increase our commitment more and more,” he stressed. “We have a role. We have to work to help our Christian people in Syria and Iraq, and in the Middle East.”

“These days we unfortunately live in a culture contrary to the teachings of God: war, violence, terrorism, murder and hatred.”

“This should not detract us from our role,” he insisted. “We should remind them that Christians are here to spread the culture of the Bible.”

“There is no Arab spring without a Christian spring and there is no Arab spring if there is no Lebanese spring, and this is Lebanon's message,” Rai added.

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Jumblatt warns Syria's Druze against sectarian conflict

BEIRUT: MP Walid Jumblatt Tuesday urged Syrian Druze not to fall prey to the Syrian regime's plan to incite sectarian strife and drag them into a bloody battle with others, which he said would bolster the regime’s position.

“I call on you to be alert for what might happen in the next few days from security campaigns that include people of other sects, be aware not to be dragged into a sectarian war that only serves the regime,” Jumblatt said in an appeal to the residents of Jabal Sheikh in Syria.

The Progressive Socialist Party leader said Syrians would eventually gain their freedom as a result of the Druze people’s “sacrifices and solidarity with their counterparts of the free people of Syria from various areas and sects.”

“Once again, I come to you via the media to affirm your nationalism and tell you that I rely on your awareness and responsibility to foil the project of sectarian strife that the Syrian regime is trying so hard to plant among you and between your Syrian brothers from other sects.”

The aim of the project, Jumblatt noted, was to intervene at the right time and regain control of areas that were liberated from its oppression.

Jumblatt, a staunch critic of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has repeatedly urged Druze in Syria to join the revolt.

“Your exceptional efforts to foil such plans of the regime to turn Syrian areas against each other and drag them into bloody battles ... affirms that you side with what is right in the face of conspiracies that the Syrian regime has always adopted,” Jumblatt said.

“The fact that you refrained from joining the so-called national defense force, which is nothing more than Shabiha groups seeking to oppress, is proof of your nationalism.”

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Army: Israeli air force violate Lebanese waters

UN: Lone woman heads 1 in 4 Syria refugee families

More than 145,000 Syrian refugee families in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan are headed by women who are the sole...

Ain al-Hilweh elite force deployed

SIDON, Lebanon: The newly formed elite security force responsible for stabilizing security in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp will launch its security plan Tuesday, straight after a 1:30 p.m. ceremony, the force's commander told The Daily Star

“The deployment of the security force that includes all Palestinian factions in Ain al-Hilweh will begin [as soon as the ceremony concludes],” elite force commander Gen. Khaled Shayeb told The Daily Star.

The force's members were gathered along with political officials and residents, in the camp's Ziad al-Atrash Hall.

“It is backed and welcomed by all the residents of the camp as well as its parties and factions,” added Shayeb, who is a senior member of the Fatah Movement.

Shayeb will be assisted by a Hamas commander who will act as deputy head of the new force.

Asked about any expected resistance to the security force and its plan, Shayeb said that no factions have noted any remarks or pledged opposition.

“But we will not tolerate any security violation,” he said, moments before the beginning of the ceremony preceding the launch, where the parties’ officials would give speeches to announce the beginning of the widely welcomed security plan.

The 150-member force was formed in response to the infiltration of radical groups in the camp, as well as the fighting that had occurred between the Fatah Movement and the extremist Fatah al-Islam.

The elite security force includes members of both Fatah and Hamas, as well as all major Palestinian parties.

Fatah’s Lebanon leader Fathi Abu al-Ardat expressed his optimism about the success of the new security force.

“All the success elements of the security forces are there,” he told An-Nahar newspaper Tuesday. “Its action is supported by all Palestinian factions, and it answers security needs inside and outside the camp.”

Al-Ardat also said that the security force will not tolerate any suspicious actions aimed at involving the camp in internal Lebanese politics.

“The Palestinian factions insist on protecting the camp against strife,” he said. “And we don’t want it to be a letterbox for any party."

The elite force had their first meeting on July 3rd, where representatives of the different factions discussed the distribution and deployment of their forces.

It was decided that 40 members would carry out patrols and escorts, 30 for intervention or executive forces, 20 for social security, 35 for traffic, 25 prison guards and members of the inquiry committee, as well as members of the investigation and information committee, the technical team, the committee on social reform, awareness and guidance, as well as financial management.

A high-ranking Fatah official had told The Daily Star that the forces’ headquarters would be at the Ziad al-Atrash Hall and would include a prison to protect the new security status quo from any agitations.

He also told The Daily Star that the force would be deployed on Ain al-Hilweh’s main streets, specifically in areas that have witnessed significant security incidents such as the vegetable market, the Safsaf neighborhood, Fatah’s offices at the camp’s main entrance and the Jabal al-Halib area east of the camp.

In parallel to the security committee, a suggestion for a political committee has also been touted.

The head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee met with Hamas’ political leader in Lebanon Monday to discuss a united Palestinian political committee.

“I call on Hamas and all Palestinian factions to play a natural role in fighting terrorism and combating the appearance of any cell in the camps,” said Hasan Mneimneh, expressing his full support for a political committee to work in coordination with the joint security force and the Lebanese government.

During the meeting, Hamas’ political head, Ali Barakeh, stressed the importance of forming a political committee comprised of all Palestinian factions in Ain al-Hilweh, adding that it was consensus among rival groups that allowed for the Palestinian elite security force to be formed.

“We will continue in a way that benefits from lessons of the past, by resorting to dialogue,” said Barakeh.

He regarded the project as the successful start of a wider Palestinian initiative, saying that “subsequent steps would initiate joint security and political forces in the Beddawi and Burj al-Barajneh camps.”

Barakeh pointed out that Hamas’ policy rejects intervention in internal Lebanese affairs and opposes any measure that would bring Lebanon into conflict with Israel.

This view was supported by Mneimneh, saying: “What the Lebanese hope for when it comes to Palestinians is what they hope for themselves – neutrality in the face of inter-Arab problems.”

Steelmaker fined over Indiana worker's death

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. -- The owner of a northwestern Indiana steel mill has agreed to pay a $7,000 fine over what state inspectors determined was a serious safety violation in a worker's death.

The inspection began after 62-year-old Robert Watts of Westville fell into scalding water in an 8 foot-deep sinkhole Feb. 8 at the ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor mill in East Chicago. He died March 20 at a Chicago hospital.

The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for not putting railings around the 11 feet-by-9 feet hole or having someone monitoring the area. The Times of Munster and the Post-Tribune report Watts and another worker were repairing a pump when he fell.

The safety agency says ArcelorMittal corrected the violation during an inspection.

Trade talks on $1 trillion in environmental goods

GENEVA -- Diplomats from the United States, China and the European Union began negotiations Tuesday with 11 other members of the World Trade Organization toward a new deal that would cut tariffs on almost $1 trillion of environmental goods.

The proposed agreement at the Geneva-based organization would cover 86 percent of trade in environmental goods such as solar panels and gas and wind turbines for producing energy, filters and ultraviolet disinfection equipment for wastewater treatment and soot removers and catalytic converters for air pollution control. U.S. exports of environmental goods reached $106 billion last year, and have grown 8 percent a year since 2009.

The negotiations also include Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, and Chinese Taipei. They are meant to build on a list of 54 environmental goods put together by members of APEC — the alliance known as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation for Pacific Rim economies — for which the governments hope to reduce tariffs to five percent or less by the end of 2015.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said a new agreement would eliminate tariffs of up to 35 percent on dozens of items and fulfill a key part of President Barack Obama's climate-change agenda.

Though climate change isn't technically part of the WTO's work agenda, the organization considers itself relevant to the issue because of the way trade policies affect sustainable development, including the efficient allocation of natural resources that raise standards of living.

"By eliminating tariffs on the technologies we all need to protect our environment, we can make environmental goods cheaper and more accessible for everyone," Froman said.

Luxury Rolls-Royce car sales soar worldwide

LONDON -- Sales of luxury Rolls-Royce cars, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, have soared worldwide.

The Britain-based manufacturer said Tuesday that global sales in the first half of the year were up 33 percent compared with the same period in 2013.

Growth was strongest in Europe, up over 60 percent, with Asia Pacific sales up almost 40 percent, the company said in a statement. Middle East sales were also strong, up 30 percent, with the United States and China also seeing double-digit growth.

Germany's BMW, which owns Rolls-Royce, saw vehicles sales rise across the group almost seven percent in the period. While BMW car sales were up 10 percent, sales of its Mini vehicles dropped just over 10 percent.

Montana regulators hold hearing on $900M dam deal

HELENA, Mont. -- Montana regulators are beginning a public hearing Tuesday to help determine whether NorthWestern Energy's $900 million plan to purchase 11 hydroelectric dams from PPL Montana is in the public interest.

With thousands of documents and public input from 17 meetings, the Public Service Commission has scheduled two weeks for the hearing at the state Capitol. The PSC must give its approval for the sale to move forward.

"It's the case of the millennium for us," PSC Chairman Bill Gallagher said. "The key question we have to answer is do the benefits outweigh the risks."

NorthWestern, the largest electric and natural gas utility in the state, announced the deal with the dams' current owner PPL Montana last year, saying the dams will provide an affordable, long-term electricity supply for customers.

"We want to diversify our sources of electricity and think there's benefit to owning," NorthWestern spokesman Butch Larcombe said of the dams.

The purchase would benefit customers because energy prices would be based on the cost of production and not on varying prices NorthWestern pays for power on the open market, he said.

If the sale goes through, NorthWestern's 342,000 electricity customers will see an immediate rate increase of 5 to 7 percent, Larcombe said. That would add $4 to $6 to an average customer's electric bill each month.

The Montana Consumer Counsel, which represents the interests of utility consumers, has raised concerns that the price NorthWestern is paying for the dams is too high. The counsel also wants shareholders, not ratepayers, to be financially responsible if the company didn't budget enough for operations and maintenance.

"If those pretty large assumptions don't turn out to be correct, the benefits that are assumed pretty quickly disappear," said Bob Nelson with the consumer counsel.

A consulting company the Public Service Commission hired to evaluate NorthWestern's plan also questioned whether enough money is budgeted for dam operations and maintenance. NorthWestern officials have said the concerns are unfounded.

PPL has spent $350 million on maintenance since it purchased the dams and NorthWestern doesn't think they are in poor condition, Larcombe said.

The dams are on the Missouri, Madison, Flathead and Clark Fork rivers, and West Rosebud Creek and were built from the 1940s to the 1960s. They were owned by the Montana Power Co. until PPL bought them during deregulation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Combined, the 11 dams have capacity to generate 633 megawatts of electricity, or as much as a large coal-fired power plant.

The proposed purchase is backed by Gov. Steve Bullock and has received unanimous endorsement from the legislative Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee, which has jurisdiction over the PSC. The PSC will be taking those opinions into consideration as well as those from the public and evidence already under review, Gallagher said.

The Federal Trade Commission has ruled the purchase does not violate antitrust laws.

Public comment will also be taken during the hearing, and people can still comment online, by mail or email.

Italy pledges reforms, brushes away debt discord

BRUSSELS -- Italy's finance minister says his country and the European Union must focus on pushing through structural reforms to boost growth, not rely on easing rules limiting government debt.

Pier Carlo Padoan, whose country holds the rotating EU-presidency, said Tuesday in Brussels his goal is "to help all countries to find incentives and pressure to reform."

The comments came after weeks of discussions during which Italy urged an easing of the 28-nation bloc's rules limiting the member nations' budget deficits and overall debt level.

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who also chairs the meetings of the 18-nation eurozone, insisted the good conditions in bond markets allowing governments to take on debt more cheaply should not distract from the necessity of "getting some work done in terms of reforms."

From Denver to Austin: "The Bear is Loose" Again

President Barack Obama has lunch with Rebekah Erler at Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, Minn., June 26, 2014. Erler is a 36-year-old working wife and mother of two pre-school aged boys who had written the President a letter about economic difficulties. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Going all the way back to the early days of the campaign, whenever President Obama shook off his schedule and busted out of the bubble, we would say “The Bear is loose.”

Lately, the bear has been loose a lot and this week will be no different. The President is hitting the road on a three-day swing to Colorado and Texas where he will meet with Americans who’ve written him letters and whose stories – their challenges and successes -- resonate with folks from across the country.

While Congressional Republicans continue to block votes on important issues like equal pay and the minimum wage and undertake taxpayer funded political stunts like Speaker Boehner’s plan to sue the President for doing his job, the President will continue to do everything in his power – with and without congress -- to create economic opportunity for all Americans.

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Monday Sports In Brief

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The NCAA is suggesting that football teams hold no more than two contact practices per week during the season in guidelines that grew out of a safety and concussion summit early this year.

Practice limits were among several recommendations released by the NCAA, which called them guidelines that could change "in real time" rather than rules passed through legislation.

The practice guidelines also recommend four contact practices per week during the preseason and no more than eight of the 15 sessions during spring football. The NCAA already has legislation regarding preseason and spring practices.

The governing body of college sports is also suggesting that schools have independent doctors to evaluate injuries and a "return to learn" process for integrating athletes back into their academic work after they have been diagnosed with a concussion.

PRO FOOTBALL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge granted preliminary approval to a landmark deal that would compensate thousands of former NFL players for concussion-related claims.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody came about two weeks after the NFL agreed to remove a $675 million cap on damages. Brody had previously questioned whether that would be enough money to pay all claims.

More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia.

The settlement is designed to last at least 65 years and give $1 million or more to retirees who develop Lou Gehrig's disease and other profound neurological problems.

PRO BASKETBALL

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A neurologist testified that Donald Sterling likely has Alzheimer's disease as a trial over the $2 billion Los Angeles Clippers sale finally got underway.

Dr. Meril Sue Platzer testified that she was hired by Sterling's wife, Shelly Sterling, to evaluate him and made the diagnosis based on imaging tests and a two-hour interview at his home with his wife and an attorney present.

Platzer was the first witness to testify in a trial to determine whether Sterling's wife was authorized under a family trust to single-handedly make the deal to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Her lawyers actually called Donald Sterling to the stand first, but he wasn't in the courthouse and was ordered to appear when the nonjury trial resumes in Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier, a federal judge rejected a bid by Donald Sterling's lawyers to move the case to federal court.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Forward Channing Frye has agreed to a four-year, $32 million offer sheet to sign with the Orlando Magic, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The deal can't be signed until July 10 under NBA free agency rules.

The 31-year-old Frye opted out of the $6.8 million he would have made in the final year of his contract with Phoenix to become an unrestricted free agent.

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat announced they intend to sign Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts when the NBA's moratorium on deals being formally struck ends later this week.

McRoberts agreed to a four-year deal that starts at around $5.3 million next season, said agent Mike Conley Sr., with Miami using its mid-level exception to get that contract done.

Yahoo Sports reported Granger agreed to a two-year deal, worth about $2 million annually. Granger's agent, Aaron Mintz, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Hornets rookie guard P.J. Hairston is scheduled to appear in Durham County Court next month on misdemeanor charges of assault and battery following an altercation at a pickup basketball game on Sunday.

Paul Sherwin, the public information officer for the Durham County Sheriff's Office, said Hairston, 21, was issued a summons but will not be arrested.

Hairston practiced with the Hornets, but did not talk to the media. He issued a statement through the team apologizing to the organization and its fans for "creating a distraction."

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks have hired Kurt Rambis as associate head coach, reuniting him with former Laker and head coach Derek Fisher.

Fisher played 10 seasons for the Lakers while Rambis was a coach in Los Angeles.

Rambis was part of eight NBA title teams with the Lakers, either as a player, assistant coach or adviser/assistant general manager. Rambis finished his third stint as an assistant coach with the Lakers last season.

TENNIS

LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic replaced Rafael Nadal at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, while runner-up Roger Federer rose one spot to No. 3.

This is Djokovic's 102nd week atop the men's rankings overall, the eighth most in history. Last in the top spot nine months ago, Djokovic beat Federer 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 for his second championship at the All England Club and seventh Grand Slam title on Sunday.

Federer, who was bidding for a record eighth title at the grass-court major tournament, swapped places with Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion, who slid to No. 4.

In the WTA rankings, Petra Kvitova's second Wimbledon title allowed her to improve two places to No. 4.

The top three places did not change, with Serena Williams at No. 1, Li Na at No. 2, and Simona Halep at No. 3.

BASEBALL

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona right-hander Bronson Arroyo will undergo Tommy John surgery, becoming the third Diamondbacks pitcher to undergo the ligament-replacement procedure this season.

Arroyo had never been on the disabled list during his 15-year career before going out on June 16 with elbow tendinitis. Arroyo said an MRI revealed that the ulnar collateral ligament had torn completely off the bone and he will have surgery in the next week or so.

The 37-year-old said he believes he tore the ligament during a complete game against Washington in May, noticing a steady drop-off in velocity after that game. Arroyo was 7-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 14 starts this season.

HOCKEY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher has a ruptured Achilles tendon that likely will cause him to miss at least the start of the upcoming season.

In a statement released by the team, Predators general manager David Poile said Fisher underwent surgery Thursday after rupturing the tendon during a training session.

The Predators open the season Oct. 9 against Ottawa.

New India rail minister seeks foreign investment

MUMBAI, India -- India's new rail minister on Tuesday proposed allowing foreign investment to modernize the country's cash-strapped state railways.

Sadananda Gowda also outlined plans for a network of high-speed trains, with the first project slated to connect the financial capital, Mumbai, with the home state of new Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ambitious proposals unveiled Tuesday indicated Modi's government intends to move quickly to follow through on reform promises. Investors have been looking for signs as to how bold the new government, which swept to power in May, will be in implementing its agenda to revive economic growth. Some of its changes could be politically unpopular. Another test will come Thursday when the government unveils its first national budget.

Gowda on Tuesday said that fare hikes alone cannot pay for the upgrades needed for the railways, which run on dilapidated tracks and with ancient rolling stock. Poor infrastructure is blamed for a large number of Indian rail accidents.

He said partnerships between the government and private companies should be used for system upgrades, though operations would still be handled solely by the government. Allowing private investment in the network would require Cabinet approval.

India has one of the world's largest railways, which transports 23 million passengers a day. Indian Railways is one of the world's biggest employers with more than 1.3 million employees. The network lost 300 billion rupees ($5 billion) last year.

A 2012 government-sponsored report said the railways need nearly 5.6 trillion rupees ($93 billion) over the next five years to upgrade infrastructure.

One of the Modi government's first acts when it took office was to raise rail passenger fares by more than 14 percent, an unpopular move that was partially rolled back after an outcry.

The backdown on train fares indicated the tough balance the new government must strike in trying to shore up loss-making state companies and narrow India's worrisome fiscal deficit.

Millions of Indians have become accustomed to subsidized food, fuel and fertilizer and any cuts in those subsidies in Thursday's budget would likely put a dent in the new government's early popularity.