Monday, 18 August 2014

Witness video sought in Utah nightclub shooting


Authorities investigating a weekend shooting that injured six people at a crowded Salt Lake City nightclub said Monday they are hoping someone took video that will help them identify the gunmen.


Hundreds of people were at the Inferno Cantina Night Club when the shooting occurred Saturday night, and investigators are betting a few of them had their smartphones recording when the shooting happened, Salt Lake City Police Detective Greg Wilking said.


"Everybody records stuff these days," Wilking said. "It's human nature these days that somebody is taking a selfie while stuff happens."


Investigators are trying to talk with as many witnesses as they can, he said. They also are searching through what they say was a getaway car found west of the city in an industrial area to see if there is any evidence to lead them to the suspects.


Wilking says the stolen car was used by at least two men who fled the scene after somebody shot six people inside the club.


All six victims are expected to survive.


Police are investigating whether the shots were meant for specific people or if it was random fire.


The nightclub is in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, less than a block south of the Salt Palace Convention Center. It opened in early 2011 after another restaurant in the space shut down.


The nightclub's website says, "Recognizing a demand for a hip, downtown restaurant and bar combination that features authentic Mexican food, Inferno Cantina has answered that call with a bang!"


A person who answered the phone at Inferno on Monday said the nightclub isn't commenting on the incident.



Aussie miner lawmaker criticized for China tirade


A larger-than-life Australian mining magnate turned lawmaker, Clive Palmer, was widely accused Tuesday of threatening Australia's relationship with its biggest trading partner through an extraordinary tirade against China.


The 60-year-old multi-millionaire called the Chinese "bastards" and "mongrels" and accused Beijing of trying to take over Australia during a nationally televised forum on Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday night.


The tirade began when Palmer, who was elected to Parliament in October last year, was questioned about a legal dispute between his mining company Mineralogy and its Chinese state-owned partner, CITIC Pacific Mining. CITIC said in court that Palmer syphoned 12 million Australian dollars ($11 million) to fund his Palmer United Party's election campaign.


Palmer, whose party forms a powerful voting bloc in the Senate with the support of four senators, said his companies were owed "about AU$500 million by the communist Chinese government that doesn't want to pay." He said he was countersuing.


"But it won't stop the fact that the Chinese government wants to bring workers here to destroy our wage system; it won't stop the fact that they want to take over our ports and get our resources for free," Palmer said.


Palmer said CITIC had shipped AU$200 million in iron ore from Australia without paying royalties to Western Australian state, a claim the state premier denied.


"I don't mind standing up against the Chinese bastards and stopping them from doing it," Palmer said.


Palmer said his companies already had three federal and supreme court judgments "against these Chinese mongrels."


"I'm saying this because they're communist, they shoot their own people, they haven't got a justice system and they want to take over this country, and we're not going to let them do it," Palmer said.


Palmer said on his Twitter account on Tuesday his comments were "not intended to refer to Chinese people but to (a) Chinese company which is taking Australian resources & not paying."


Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Tuesday that she would personally tell the Chinese Embassy that "these views are not representative of the Australian Parliament and I don't believe representative of the Australian people."


"Mr. Palmer's comments are offensive, they are unnecessary and it is unacceptable for a member of Parliament to make such comments, particularly on a national television program," Bishop told Melbourne Radio 3AW. "I think he's using his position to demean the Chinese people because he's in a legal dispute with a Chinese company."


Treasurer Joe Hockey described Palmer's tirade as "hugely damaging."


"He is in a very obvious legal dispute with his Chinese partners, but I'd say to Mr. Palmer, please don't bring down the rest of Australia because of your biases," Hockey told reporters.


Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce described Palmer's comments as Australia finalizes a free trade deal with China as "not helpful."


Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett described Palmer's comments as "offensive, abhorrent and damaging" to his iron ore-rich state and Australia's long-standing relationship with China.


"CITIC Pacific has paid all royalties owed to the West Australian government on time and in full," he said.


"The royalties Mr. Palmer is referring to are payments owed to him and his private companies, not royalties owed to the state government ..." he added.


CITIC spokesman John Gardner declined to comment.


Palmer was a major donor to Australian conservative politics before he decided to bankroll his own political party.


His headline-grabbing business projects have included building a replica of the Titanic and adding a Jurassic Park-style collection of mechanical dinosaurs to the grounds of his five-star resort.



Dollar General and Monster are big market movers


Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Monday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market:


NYSE


Dollar General Corp., up $6.68 to $64.14


The discounter started a bidding war for rival Family Dollar, offering $8.95 billion as it tries to trump a Dollar Tree bid.


Sensata Technologies Holding NV, up $2.67 to $48.84


The company said plans to buy Schrader International, which makes tire pressure monitoring sensors, for about $1 billion.


J.C. Penney Co., up 37 cents to $9.87


Shares of the department store operator continue to rise after it posted a better-than-expected second-quarter results last week.


Ingersoll-Rand PLC, up $1.63 to $62.18


The industrial products maker is buying Cameron International Corp.'s centrifugal compression business for $850 million.


United Continental Holdings Inc., up $1.83 to $47.84


Shares of the airline rose on falling oil prices. Investors expect it could pay less for fuel.


Lannett Co., up $2.50 to $40.40


The generic drug developer gave a fourth-quarter and full-year outlook that exceeded Wall Street expectations.


Nasdaq


DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., up $1.94 to $22.55


The company behind the "Shrek" movies hired DirecTV executive Fazal Merchant as its new chief financial officer.


Monster Beverage Corp., down $5.05 to $88.44


A Jefferies analyst downgraded the energy drink maker saying that its stock may be fully valued after Coca-Cola said it will buy a stake in it.



Lebanon's Arabic press digest – Aug. 19, 2014



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


An-Nahar


MPs may make fresh efforts to end pay raise crisis


An-Nahar has learned that lawmakers are likely to launch a fresh effort based on a logic approach to solve the salary scale crisis in coordination with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.


Al-Joumhouria


UCC hints it can finish grading in no time


Al-Joumhouria has learned that high-level efforts intensified in the past few hours in a bid to put an end to the confusion caused by the decision to issue passing certificates.


The efforts focused on convincing the Union Coordination Committee to end its boycott and begin grading tests quickly so that certificates can be issued before Aug. 25.


Intermediaries have received signals from the UCC that the union can finish grading tests in a short time, especially since entry students will only be admitted to certain universities on the basis of exam results.


Al-Akhbar


Jumblatt-Frangieh meeting aimed at opening new page


Well-informed sources told al-Akhbar that the meeting between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Marada Movement head Sleiman Frangieh aimed at opening a new page between the two men after years of estrangement.


The two leaders presented their own point of view on the developments in the region and discussed the impact of the conflicts on Lebanon’s future and interests.


Both Jumblatt and Frangieh voiced concerns over the security in Lebanon and the dangers facing the country, particularly from takfiri groups, first and foremost ISIS.



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Rail Runner damage settlements reach nearly $8M


New Mexico's commuter rail service has received a free ride while taxpayers have shelled out nearly $8 million to settle damage claims against the Rail Runner Express, according to state records.


The Rail Runner, until last month, didn't pay premiums for the state's self-insurance program that provides liability coverage for settlements of lawsuits against government agencies. The insurance arrangement represented a little-known subsidy for the state-owned passenger train.


The taxpayer-financed liability fund has covered about $7.7 million in settlements involving the Rail Runner, including $4.2 million for wrongful death claims for car-train accidents in Valencia County that killed three people in 2007, according to General Services Department records.


Gov. Susana Martinez's administration started assessing an annual insurance premium on the Rail Runner in the budget year that began last month.


The Rail Runner will pay $2 million to cover liability claims up to $3 million. The Rail Runner buys insurance in the private market for claims over that amount.


State agencies typically pay for coverage based on their history of liability losses. But that didn't happen for Rail Runner when it started in 2006 during former Gov. Bill Richardson's administration.


Because the Rail Runner paid nothing into the insurance fund, the rates for other state agencies ended up being higher, according to Risk Management Director A.J. Forte, who discovered the no-premium policy and sought to change it.


He estimates there were uncollected Rail Runner premiums of about $5 million during the past three years. Rail Runner won't be required to retroactively pay any premiums, but will be charged going forward starting with this budget year.


"We felt that it was appropriate to charge the Rail Runner premiums and not have the pool take the hit," Forte said in a recent interview.


Terrence Doyle, director of the Rio Metro Regional Transit District, which manages the Rail Runner, said he learned from the Martinez administration earlier this year that the state hadn't been charging for liability coverage. The rail service had long been paying a private insurer, but it was for coverage beyond what the state provided.


"We were a little bit taken back when this conversation came up because we thought what we were paying covered everything," said Doyle. "But we were completely happy to say, 'Hey, that's something we need to take on.'"


The insurance is for claims such as when the train hits livestock, if a rider is injured and for fatalities. Two bicyclists have died this year after being hit by the train in separate accidents in Santa Fe.


The Rail Runner is financed by rider fares, a voter-approved tax in the rail service area and federal money. With the state no longer paying for insurance, Doyle said, the train's budget fully covers operational expenses.


"I don't think there is anything left that I know of on the operation and maintenance side that would be on the burden of the state," Doyle said.


The rail service has another liability provision unique in state government.


In damage lawsuits, Forte said, the state indemnifies the losses of the private companies and other governmental agencies involved with the train. That includes Herzog Transit Services, a contractor running the trains day-to-day; Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which sold track to the state for the commuter rail service but retains a right to run freight trains over the line; and the Mid-Region Council of Governments, which implemented the rail system for the state and governs the transit district.


The Transportation Department said in a statement that the Richardson administration negotiated the indemnification provisions when Rail Runner was created, and the Legislature approved a law change for the state to provide liability coverage.



Court: Boy Scout council has right to sell camp


A Boy Scout group has the authority to sell or trade its camp on Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled Friday.


The justices upheld a lower-court decision in the case brought in September 2011 against the Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Opponents contested an Arizona developer's offer to trade the 420-acre Camp Easton for 270 acres elsewhere on the lake along with a new camp and a $2.5 million endowment. Discovery Land Co. wanted to build luxury condominiums on the current campsite.


Talks about the proposed swap ended in September 2012, but a group called Camp Easton Forever sought a final ruling on whether the Boy Scout council had the right to trade the land.


Opponents argued that 132 acres of the land was donated to the Scouts by F.W. Fitze in 1929 with the condition that it would always be used as a Scout camp. They offered minutes of a meeting between Fitze and a scouting group as evidence.


The council's attorneys argued the actual deed contained no such restrictions. In May 2012, District Court Judge John Luster granted a summary judgment in favor of the council.


After talks about the swap ended, the group began raising money to make improvements to Camp Easton.



Crude oil crosses paths with two Philadelphia commuter train lines


Philadelphia’s commuter railroad runs alongside at least three crude oil trains every day on two of its lines, and is looking to separate the freight operations in those places to avoid delaying its passenger trains.


Jeff Knueppel, deputy general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, said that CSX operates an average of two loaded and two empty crude oil trains a day on the West Trenton Line, which the freight railroad owns but the commuter railroad dispatches.


The double-track line, which terminates in West Trenton, N.J., sees 57 commuter trains and more than 20 freights a day, including the crude oil trains. A $38 million project, supported by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will build a six-mile-long third track to keep CSX freights out of the way of SEPTA trains.


Knueppel said he hopes the new track will be operational by the end of 2015. The oil trains are going to the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery complex in South Philadelphia, which was slated to close until rail deliveries of Bakken crude oil revived it recently.


A stickier problem, Knueppel said, is SEPTA’s line to Philadelphia International Airport. The city owns the track and paid to improve it for high-speed commuter trains. But CSX and Norfolk Southern both can operate a limited number of freight trains on it, including crude oil trains.


“The issue that’s been the most difficult,” he said, “is on the airport high-speed line.”


Norfolk Southern is already operating one roundtrip every night over three miles of the airport line to reach a new crude-oil offloading terminal in Eddystone, Pa. The facility is designed to receive two loaded crude oil trains a day of 120 cars each, but the four-hour overnight window SEPTA imposes on the freight movements presents a challenge.


Knueppel said Norfolk Southern and CSX had approached SEPTA about running crude oil trains over the airport line in daylight, but the commuter railroad made clear that such operations would interfere with its trains. Moreover, the railroads’ agreement with the city requires that passenger trains be given priority.


“I think they were surprised when we stood our ground,” Knueppel said of the freight carriers.


SEPTA trains operate every half hour from Philadelphia’s 30th Street station to the airport, and Knueppel said the agency would like to offer service every 20 minutes.


He said that the railroads could run more crude oil trains over the airport line, provided they pay for a separate track.


“We’ve made it quite clear that they would have to fund the improvements,” he said.


SEPTA and Amtrak have provided information about crude oil trains in Pennsylvania that state officials have refused to release.


The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has declined open records requests from McClatchy and other news organizations, citing a nondisclosure agreement the agency signed with Norfolk Southern and CSX.


DOT required the railroads in May to furnish the information to states after a series of derailments involving trains carrying Bakken crude.



NCAA's strongest argument might be cap limit


The NCAA's best argument against the Ed O'Bannon ruling may be the financial limits imposed by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken — the same ones the NCAA lauded in her decision.


Less than two weeks after the court decision opened the door for college athletes to receive a small portion of the millions of dollars they help generate, several attorneys told The Associated Press they believe the NCAA should now attack that cap. Wilken ruled Aug. 8 that the NCAA violated antitrust law by restricting schools from providing money beyond current scholarship limits to athletes.


She said schools should be allowed to put up to $5,000 per year of competition into a trust fund for football players and men's basketball players, money that could be collected once they are finished with school.


Legal experts question how she reached that number and wonder whether it will hold up on appeal.


"The cap is inconsistent with a judicial decision that the restraint (of trade) is unreasonable," said Robert McTamaney, an antitrust lawyer with the firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. "If the restraint is unreasonable out it goes, there's no partial remedy under the Sherman Act and, frankly, judges aren't supposed to construct one. Either it's good or it's not."


Within an hour of the ruling, NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy issued a statement noting that the governing body disagreed with the ruling but supported the cap. The NCAA, which faces a Wednesday deadline to appeal the decision, declined to comment Monday.


Wilken said she set the $5,000 annual threshold to balance the NCAA's fears about huge payments to players.


"The number is immaterial, it's the concept," said Jim Ryan, an attorney at Cullen and Dykman. "It does seem rather arbitrary. Why isn't it $3,000 or $10,000? She pulled the $5,000 somewhat out of the air, so it could be $3,000, it could be $10,000, what's a few thousand?"


In October 2011, the NCAA Board of Directors approved a $2,000 annual stipend for athletes, legislation that was shelved when more than 125 schools signed on to an override measure. The five richest conferences are attempting to bring back the stipend now that they have been given autonomy over some of the trickiest issues in college sports.


McTamaney believes if the stipend were already in place and Wilken applied the same logic to the O'Bannon case, the NCAA might have already won in court.


Instead, the NCAA is headed back to a playing field where it has traditionally been successful.


According to a study released last month by Illinois professor Michael LeRoy, athletes suing the NCAA won 49 percent of the initial cases but the NCAA won 71 percent of the appeal in the second and third rounds.


This time, the governing body's lawyers face a vastly different obstacle. The appeal, promised by NCAA President Mark Emmert, will be heard by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court, a venue that has a reputation for siding with labor. Remy has repeatedly said the NCAA will take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.


If the ruling stands, some worry it could ruin non-revenue sports and others believe the NCAA could face additional litigation from female athletes who could argue they are not being compensated equally in violation of Title IX laws.


Still, NCAA critics contend Wilken's decision didn't go far enough in compensating players for the merchandise and video games that have produced millions in revenue for the NCAA and its members but not for the athletes themselves. Joseph Farelli, an attorney with Pitta & Giblin who specializes in labor law, argues there should be no cap at all. He's not alone.


"I think how the court framed its injunction, exposed itself to some vulnerability," said Jeffrey Shinder, managing partner of Constantine Cannon and a self-described NCAA critic who declined to go into specifics because he didn't want to give the NCAA any advice.


Even NCAA supporters understand the rationale that if antitrust laws were broken, the players' options should not be limited.


But they're urging the NCAA attorneys to question Wilken's reasoning in setting the cap and continue to argue that college sports will be damaged if players are paid.


"I think the key to this case is whether these restraints are reasonable or not. I personally think that they are," McTamaney said. "If the athletes turn out to be compensated for their performances, the fan perception and alumni perception, I think, would be dramatically different. I think their support of the schools would decline significantly. And all of that sort of comes full circle, because if the restraints are substantial to keeping the fiction of the student-athlete, then they are reasonable."


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Online:


NCAA statement on appeal: http://bit.ly/1p8gzaV



Lawyer: Revel still seeks sale, losing $1M weekly


The troubled Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City still hopes to auction off its property but needs to close to stop big losses, a lawyer for it said.


Attorney John Cunningham said in bankruptcy court Monday that the casino is losing more than $1 million every week, The Press of Atlantic City reported.


"Our earnest hope is that we will have a successful auction," Cunningham said. "But it takes two to tango. ...It may be (that) some of the dust has to settle from the shutdown."


The casino wanted to close on Monday, but state regulators denied the request and told it to stay open until Labor Day weekend.


The hearing, in front of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Gloria Burns, was scheduled to approve a sale, but an auction last week was canceled. The judge set a hearing for Sept. 2, the day the casino is scheduled to close, to approve a sale if a satisfactory buyer emerges.


The closing of the $2.4 billion casino will put about 3,100 people out of work. The judge said she was "heartsick" at the casino's inability to find a buyer.


A lawyer representing restaurants operating inside the casino demanded a more open process for the sale.


"If there's only two casinos left in Atlantic City, this should be one of them," said attorney Warren Martin.


Revel's hotel will close at 11 a.m. on Sept. 1, and the casino will shut down at 5 a.m. on Sept. 2. It is one of three Atlantic City casinos due to shut down in the coming weeks. The Showboat is due to close Aug. 31, and Trump Plaza on Sept. 16.


Revel opened in April 2012 as the first new casino in Atlantic City since the Borgata opened nine years earlier, and it was seen as the last, best hope to provide a catalyst to jolt Atlantic City back to life. Revel has ranked near the bottom of Atlantic City's casinos in terms of the amount of money won from gamblers since it opened.


The shutdowns are part of a rapid contraction of what was until just a few years ago the nation's second-largest gambling market, after Nevada. Atlantic City, which now trails Nevada and Pennsylvania, has seen its casino revenue fall from $5.2 billion in 2006 to $2.86 billion last year. The city has lost thousands of casino jobs as more gambling halls open in the northeastern United States.


Atlantic City began the year with 12 casinos but will have eight before summer ends. The Atlantic Club shut down in January.



Information from: The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), http://bit.ly/1nyHwDi


Detroit water fund gets $200,000 in donations


Two auto companies and the United Way announced $200,000 in donations Monday to help Detroit residents pay overdue water bills after criticism about the city's aggressive shut-off policy.


Water shut-offs related to unpaid bills have been suspended since July 21 but will resume after Aug. 25.


The new Detroit Water Fund will pay up to 25 percent of an overdue bill. To qualify, a customer must owe $300 or more, pay at least 10 percent up front and meet other conditions, based on income.


United Way for Southeastern Michigan is contributing $100,000 to the fund, while the Ford Motor Fund and the General Motors Foundation are giving $50,000 each. More donors will be identified in the coming days.


"They have let Detroiters know they are not alone and their generous donations will be able to immediately begin assisting residents," Mayor Mike Duggan said in a written statement.


Duggan encouraged Detroit residents to contact the city about payment plans and avoid a shut-off. Another opportunity is scheduled for Saturday at Cobo Center.


The issue gained national attention in June when activists appealed to the United Nations for assistance. About 2,000 people protested in Detroit in July during a national convention of liberal Democrats.


The water department stopped service to about 7,200 homes and businesses in June, compared to 1,570 in the same month last year. Water was restored to 43 percent after customers paid or worked out payment plans, though thousands more have been affected since last fall.


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Online:


Fund: http://bit.ly/1pFlujz



Falcons shift Matthews to left tackle for Baker


When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Jake Matthews, they figured he would take over at left tackle someday.


They didn't expect it to be this soon.


Midway through his first NFL preseason, the Falcons shifted Matthews across the line on Monday to replace Sam Baker, who went down with a season-ending knee injury.


Matthews, the No. 6 overall pick, was expected to break into the league at right tackle, a less-demanding position than protecting quarterback Matt Ryan's blind side.


Now, the rookie will have to step up to the challenge right away.


"I think the coaches are going to put me in good situations," Matthews said. "If I keep getting reps, I'll be ready to go."


Baker sustained a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during a 32-7 loss to the Houston Texans in a preseason game last Saturday night, hindering Atlanta's plans for revamping the offensive line.


The team struggled mightily up front last season, a big reason the Falcons ranked last in the league in rushing and gave up 44 sacks, the most in Ryan's career.


Not surprisingly, the Falcons used their top draft pick on Matthews and signed free agent Jon Asamoah, another instant starter at right guard. Baker, a former first-round pick who played only four games last season because of a knee injury, also was part of the rebuilding effort.


Coach Mike Smith tried to put the best face on Baker going down again.


"As soon as we had confirmation that Sam wasn't going to be able to play anymore this season, it's an easy switch," Smith said. "Jake is a No. 1 pick, the sixth pick in the draft, he's got left tackle written all over him."


Former starter Lamar Holmes, who had been listed as Baker's backup, moved over to take Matthews' spot on the right side. Gabe Carimi and Ryan Schraeder will compete for playing time as well, though Carimi is banged up at the moment.


"You just flip your mind, get over to that other side, and continue to play fast," said Holmes, who started 15 games last season — essentially because the team had few other choices — but has yet to show he can handle a first-team job.


The Falcons have no such concerns about Matthews, who played left tackle at Texas A&M and was projected to take over that position at some point in the NFL.


"Jake is comfortable playing both right and left," Smith said. "I don't think he'll blink. We're not."


Even so, the newest version of the offensive line got a lot of attention at its first practice together. During one drill, assistant coach Mike Tice shouted instructions while Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff stood nearby, watching intently.


"Look how big a hole you're leaving with your feet," Tice barked to a lineman. "Come on, man, details."


Matthews knows there will be an adjustment period as he makes the switch, especially since he's only played two preseason games. He'll have to switch up his footwork to get blocking leverage off his left leg instead of his right.


"It's almost like going from your right hand to your left," Matthews said. "But I did them both in college. I feel pretty comfortable on both sides."


His job going forward it to make sure Ryan feels comfortable with a rookie protecting his back side.


"Honestly, it's not that big a difference for me," Matthews said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. Whether it's on the right or left side, I put just as much pressure on myself."


NOTES: The Falcons officially placed Baker on injured reserve and signed OT Pat McQuistan. The 317-pound McQuistan has played in 72 games with 11 starts over a career that includes stints with Dallas, Miami, New Orleans and Arizona. ... Smith said the competition is heating up at nickel back, a position filled the last two years by Robert McClain. Josh Wilson came aboard after starting every game the last three seasons for Washington. Another newcomer, Javier Arenas, will likely get more of a chance to show what he can do in Saturday's preseason game against Tennessee.


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AP NFL websites: http://bit.ly/1rQf6nQ and http://bit.ly/1f8IcYq



Community Health details attack on patient records


Hospital operator Community Health Systems said a cyberattack took information on more than 4 million patients from its computer network earlier this year.


The Franklin, Tennessee, company said Monday that no medical or credit card records were taken in the attack, which may have happened in April and June. But Community said the attack did bypass its security systems to take patient names, addresses, birthdates, and phone and Social Security numbers.


The hospital operator said it believes the attack came from a group in China that used sophisticated malware and technology to get the information. Community Health has since removed the malware from its system and finalized "other remediation efforts" to prevent future attacks.


A spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking comment on the attacks.


The information that was taken came from patients who were referred to or received care from doctors tied to the company over the past five years.


Community Health Systems Inc. is notifying patients affected by the attack and offering them identity theft protection services. The company owns, leases or operates 206 hospitals in 29 states.


The attack follows other high-profile data security problems that have hit retailers like the e-commerce site eBay and Target Corp. Last year, hackers stole from Target about 40 million debit and credit card numbers and personal information for 70 million people.


Shares of Community Health climbed 38 cents to $51.38 late Monday morning, while broader trading indexes also rose less than 1 percent.



New Corvette feature keeps an eye on valets


Face it. If you own a luxury or sports car, whenever you hand the keys to a valet, you imagine the car going on a high-speed joyride like the Ferrari in the 1980s cult movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."


Now, General Motors has an option on the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette that takes those worries away.


The latest version of the sports car, due out in September, has a feature that records where the car goes with a camera mounted in the windshield trim. It also captures audio in the cabin as well as speed, engine revolutions per minute, gear position and G-force. That all helps the car tattle on any valet who doesn't take a slow, direct route to a parking space.


GM says it's the most extensive attempt by an automaker to thwart valet joyriders, although it's not the first. The automotive website Edmunds.com says Hyundai and Mercedes offer "geofencing," a feature that sets a perimeter and then notifies the owner's smart phone if a car goes beyond it. Chrysler has a valet mode that caps engine speed and horsepower, while Audi lets owners limit engine speed for valets.


With the Corvette, once the owner activates the feature with a four-digit code, the touch screen tells the driver it's in Valet Mode. But it doesn't warn the valet that he's being recorded. The feature also locks the glove box and a storage compartment in the dashboard and shuts down the infotainment system.


Valet Mode started off as a performance data recorder for those who take their Corvettes on the racetrack. GM engineers quickly figured out that it had more uses.


"Think of it as a baby monitor for your car," Corvette Product Manager Harlan Charles said in a statement. "Anyone who has felt apprehension about handing over their keys will appreciate the peace of mind of knowing exactly what happened while their baby was out of sight."


Data and video from the valet mode can be viewed instantly by the owner on the car's 8-inch color screen when the car is parked, or it can be downloaded to a computer.


The system could go into more mainstream models if feedback is good on the Corvette, GM spokesman Monte Doran said.


The feature is paired with a navigation system and costs $1,795. A 2015 Corvette starts at just under $54,000.



Government wants to make cars talk to each other


The Obama administration said Monday it is taking a first step toward requiring that future cars and light trucks be equipped with technology that enables them to warn each other of potential danger in time to avoid collisions.


A research report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the technology could eventually prevent as many as 592,000 left-turn and intersection crashes a year, saving 1,083 lives. The agency said it will begin drafting rules to require the technology in new vehicles.


The technology uses a radio signal to continually transmit a vehicle's position, heading, speed and other information. Similarly equipped cars and trucks would receive the same information, and their computers would alert drivers to an impending collision.


A car would "see" when another car or truck equipped with the same technology was about to run a red light, even if that vehicle were hidden around a corner. A car would also know when a car several vehicles ahead in a line of traffic had made a sudden stop and alert the driver even before the brake lights of the vehicle directly in front illuminate. The technology works up to about 300 yards away.


If communities choose to invest in the technology, roadways and traffic lights could start talking to cars, as well, sending warnings of traffic congestion or road hazards ahead in time for drivers to take a detour.


The technology is separate from automated safety features using sensors and radar that are already being built into some high-end vehicles today and which are seen as the basis for future self-driving cars. But government and industry officials see the two technologies as compatible. If continuous conversations between cars make driving safer, then self-driving cars would become safer as well.


Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called the vehicle-to-vehicle technology "the next great advance in saving lives."


"This technology could move us from helping people survive crashes to helping them avoid crashes altogether — saving lives, saving money and even saving fuel thanks to the widespread benefits it offers," Foxx said.


It will take time for the technology to reach its full effectiveness since the current fleet of vehicles on the road will have to turn over or be retrofitted. Once a critical mass of vehicles is equipped with the technology, they are expected to be able to follow each other safely at a close, pre-set distance on highways. Such "platoons" or "road trains" hold the potential to enhance the flow of traffic and save fuel.


The information sent between vehicles does not identify those vehicles, but merely contains basic safety data, NHTSA said. "The system as contemplated contains several layers of security and privacy protection to ensure that vehicles can rely on messages sent from other vehicles," the agency said.


Adding the technology to new vehicles or retrofitting existing ones is expected to cost about $341 to $350 per vehicle in 2020, but could decrease by more than $100 over time as manufacturers gain experience making the devices, the safety administration report said.


The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers praised the technology, but avoided commenting directly on the government's intention to require the technology in new cars. Instead, both groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve the 5.9 GHz radio frequency for vehicle-to-vehicle communications.


The frequency was initially expected to be dedicated to transportation technologies, but the commission has said it is exploring whether that frequency can be used for other wireless demands as well.


"We understand the pressing need for additional spectrum and are open to sharing this spectrum if it can be done safely," said Gloria Bergquist, vice president for the alliance. "We continue to urge the FCC not to compromise the use of the spectrum until it is definitively established that sharing will not interfere with the safety of the driving public."



Cianci sauce made no money for charity in 4 years

The Associated Press



Former Mayor Buddy Cianci's face beams from the label of his Mayor's Own Marinara Sauce, which also promises that sales are "Benefiting Providence School Children" and have helped hundreds of students attend college.


But in recent years, no money from the sauce's sales has been donated to Cianci's charity scholarship fund, The Associated Press has learned. From 2009 to 2012, the sauce made a total of $3 in income, longtime Cianci adviser Charles Mansolillo told the AP.


Mansolillo — Cianci's former city solicitor and the vice president, secretary and treasurer of the company that sells the pasta sauce — acknowledged the label could be misunderstood and said he would like to see it changed.


"People are thinking that every time they are buying a bottle of pasta (sauce) they're making a contribution. That is not necessarily the case. That's got to be clearly stated," Mansolillo said. "It benefits the scholarship fund when it's possible. ... I don't think even in the best year any more than two or three scholarships could be said to come from that."


Cianci was mayor for a combined 21 years over two separate stints starting in 1975. Both ended in felony convictions. He started selling the sauce in 1995, during his second go-round as mayor and before he was sent to prison in 2002 for presiding over widespread corruption in City Hall. He is now running again for his old job as an independent.


The ex-mayor said he puts money into the sauce every year and has never personally made money on it. He said expenses such as labels, taxes and insurance eat away profits many years. Even if the sauce loses money some years, it's great publicity for the scholarship, and, admittedly, for himself, he acknowledged.


"There's a certain public relations aspect to it all to me, I can't deny that," Cianci told the AP.


In 1994, Cianci set up a fund that awards scholarships to college-bound high school seniors from Providence. This year, 13 students received the $1,000 scholarship. A press release dated June 8 states, "The scholarships are funded from a portion of the sales from The Mayor's Own Marinara sauce."


Mansolillo is also president of the scholarship fund, and he told the AP that they always intended to use the income to supplement the scholarship fund. The fund currently has about $500,000 in assets, he said.


In 2009, they lost $2,200 on the sauce, Mansolillo said. The following year, they made $2,974, while in 2011, they lost $2,969. In 2012, they made $2,198 profit, he said. That adds up to a profit of just $3 during the 4-year period.


Much of the money currently in the fund came from previous fundraising efforts, such as golf tournaments, as well as sales of the pasta sauce, Cianci and Mansolillo said.


The fund now makes most of its income from investments and has received only $450 in contributions since 2005, according to forms filed with the IRS.


In that sense, Mansolillo said, past sauce sales are benefiting Providence school children today. But he also acknowledged that the meaning of the line "Benefiting Providence School Children" might not be entirely clear to consumers.


"At the end of the day, I think we should just take it off," he said. "It's giving an impression that possibly we're going to the bank on this. That we're banking our scholarship on this when we're not, and we don't have to."


Newman's Own, the food company founded by the late actor Paul Newman, gives all after-tax profits to charity, something it specifically states on its label. Mansolillo said Capital Innovations, the company that sells Cianci's sauce and where Cianci serves as president, was intentionally vague on the label and didn't make specific promises because, "We didn't want to be held to anything."


Cianci and Mansolillo said sales have been hurt in past years by mismanagement from some of the sauce's previous distributors, one of which went bankrupt. During the time when Cianci was in prison from 2002 to 2007, the sauce sometimes was not on the shelves at all.


When asked why they continue to make the sauce when it has not benefited the charity in years, Mansolillo said they are hopeful that things are going to do better and that it benefits the economy by providing jobs to the people who make it and distribute it.


"It's a good product, and a lot of people like it," Cianci said.


Bob Borges, gourmet manager at Eastside Market in Providence, said the sauce sells well at his store, which goes through about a dozen 12-jar cases a month. He said he thinks first-time purchasers might buy it because they think sales are benefiting children, but they wouldn't get the repeat sales they get unless it was good. They sell it for $5.69 per jar.


The sauce is sold in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and at two stores in New York, said Kristen Catanzaro of Catanzaro Food Products, the company that has manufactured and distributed it since 2010. She said Cianci's sauce helps the company, the last one in the state that manufactures pasta sauce.


She said sales have gotten a bump since Cianci announced he would get into the mayor's race in June.


Mansolillo said sales of the sauce have never produced the income they had hoped for.


"In the overall scheme of things," he said, "it really hasn't worked out very well."



Sheridan grandmother will buy first lottery ticket


A 67-year-old grandmother from Sheridan who doesn't normally enter games of chance will be the first person to buy a lottery ticket sold in Wyoming next weekend when the state joins the nationwide jackpot frenzy.


"I am not a lottery player at all; this will be the first lottery ticket that I will ever buy," Mary Ogg said in a telephone interview Monday.


She's already a winner, beating out more than 27,000 people for the chance to buy the first ticket in the new Wyoming Lottery as well as a new car in the promotional event.


The state begins selling tickets for Powerball and Mega Millions, both nationwide games, at noon Sunday.


"I won't have to worry about buying anymore for a while," said Ogg, who also receives a year's supply of Mega Millions tickets.


She will buy her ticket at a convenience store in Sheridan where she normally buys gas. After Ogg makes her purchase, the rest of the approved outlets around the state will begin selling tickets.


Gov. Matt Mead and Secretary of State Max Maxfield on Monday announced Ogg as the winner of the contest.


She said she hesitated before entering because such contests can be a "pain" with all the unsolicited emails that might follow and because she's not one who seeks notoriety.


In fact, despite the car and chance to buy the first ticket, she would have preferred to be one of the eight other finalists, who won $1,000 and the Mega Million tickets.


The lottery is expected to net about $6 million a year for Wyoming after expenses and prizes. The first $6 million of proceeds will go to local governments, and anything above that total goes to a state school fund.



President Obama Provides an Update on the Latest in Iraq and Ferguson, Missouri

This afternoon at the White House, President Obama delivered a statement on the latest developments in Iraq and in Ferguson, Missouri — two issues he has been following closely each day.


First, the President relayed to the nation that the American operation in Iraq has effectively protected our personnel in Erbil by stopping the terrorist group ISIL from advancing on the city of Erbil, and by helping Iraqi forces to recapture the largest dam in Iraq:



The Mosul Dam fell under terrorist control earlier this month and is directly tied to our objective of protecting Americans in Iraq. If that dam was breached, it could have proven catastrophic, with floods that would have threatened the lives of thousands of civilians and endangered our embassy compound in Baghdad. Iraqi and Kurdish forces took the lead on the ground and performed with courage and determination. So this operation demonstrates that Iraqi and Kurdish forces are capable of working together in taking the fight to ISIL. If they continue to do so, they will have the strong support of the United States of America.



President Obama also noted that the U.S. is building an international coalition to address the humanitarian crisis in northern Iraq:



Even as we've worked to help many thousands of Yazidis escape the siege of Mount Sinjar, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced by ISIL’s violence and many more are still at risk. Going forward, the United States will work with the Iraqi government, as well as partners like the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy and Australia, to get food and water to people in need and to bring long-term relief to people who have been driven from their homes.



The long-term strategy against ISIL requires an inclusive Iraqi government that can unite all of Iraq’s communities against ISIL’s terrorism. The President outlined the “historic progress” Iraq has made toward this goal and the work that remains:



Over the next few weeks, Dr. Abadi needs to complete the work of forming a new, broad-based, inclusive Iraqi government, one that develops a national program to address the interests of all Iraqis. Without that progress, extremists like ISIL can continue to prey upon Iraq’s divisions. With that new government in place, Iraqis will be able to unite the country against the threat from ISIL, and they will be able to look forward to increased support not just from the United States but from other countries in the region and around the world.



"There should be no doubt that the United States military will continue to carry out the limited missions that I've authorized -- protecting our personnel and facilities in Iraq in both Erbil and Baghdad, and providing humanitarian support, as we did on Mount Sinjar," he said.


After meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder this afternoon, President Obama also provided an update on the situation in Ferguson, Missouri and the federal investigation into the tragic death of 18-year-old Michael Brown:



The Justice Department has opened an independent federal civil rights investigation into the death of Michael Brown. They are on the ground and, along with the FBI, they are devoting substantial resources to that investigation. The Attorney General himself will be traveling to Ferguson on Wednesday to meet with the FBI agents and DOJ personnel conducting the federal criminal investigation, and he will receive an update from them on their progress. He will also be meeting with other leaders in the community whose support is so critical to bringing about peace and calm in Ferguson.


Ronald Davis, the Director of the DOJ’s Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services -- or COPS -- is also traveling to Ferguson tomorrow to work with police officials on the ground. We've also had experts from the DOJ’s Community Relations Service working in Ferguson since the days after the shooting to foster conversations among local stakeholders and reduce tensions among the community.




President Barack Obama receives an update on the situation in Ferguson, Missouri

President Barack Obama receives an update on the situation in Ferguson, Missouri, from Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., in the Oval Office, Aug. 18, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)




The President closed by speaking to "a community in Ferguson that is rightfully hurting and looking for answers":



As Americans, we've got to use this moment to seek out our shared humanity that's been laid bare by this moment -- the potential of a young man and the sorrows of parents, the frustrations of a community, the ideals that we hold as one united American family.


I’ve said this before -- in too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local residents and law enforcement. In too many communities, too many young men of color are left behind and seen only as objects of fear. Through initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper, I'm personally committed to changing both perception and reality. And already we're making some significant progress as people of goodwill of all races are ready to chip in. But that requires that we build and not tear down. And that requires we listen and not just shout. That's how we're going to move forward together, by trying to unite each other and understand each other, and not simply divide ourselves from one another. We're going to have to hold tight to those values in the days ahead. That's how we bring about justice, and that's how we bring about peace.



Mexico to offer $4.9 billion in electric projects


Mexico says it expects to put out for bid $4.9 billion in electrical generation and natural gas pipeline projects as part of the opening of the nation's state-run energy sector.


The Federal Electricity Commission wants to build several power plants, but didn't set a date for the opening of bidding.


Commission director Enrique Ochoa said Monday the bidding will be open to private and foreign firms.


The government wants to build more natural gas-fired plants, to reduce costs. Mexico has high electricity rates, which officials say limits the growth of some businesses.


Some of the pipelines would be built in Texas, to take advantage of cheaper U.S. gas.


Mexico began opening its oil and electricity industries to private and foreign firms earlier this month.



BC-Cotton Bale


Cotton futures No. 2 closed $1.30 to $2.55 a bale lower Monday.


The average price for strict low middling 1 & 1-16 inch spot cotton declined 25 cents to 63.14 cents per pound Monday for the seven markets, according to the Market News Branch, Memphis USDA.



Lawmakers ask NFL to support Redskins' name change


A contentious national debate over the Washington Redskins' name has led to a testy exchange between two California lawmakers.


A resolution calling on the NFL to support a name change was among several items considered Monday as the legislative session enters its final two weeks.


ACR168 by Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo of Watsonville calls the Redskins name disparaging to Native Americans. Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly objected, blasting the resolution as a waste of time.


Alejo, who often objects to Donnelly citing immigration during debates, told the former gubernatorial candidate he is "no position to talk about wasting the Legislature's time."


The resolution passed 49-5.


Also Monday, the Assembly sent the governor bills restricting smoking in home day cares, increasing penalties for stealing restaurant grease and relaxing rules for drought-resistant lawns.



Congressmen call for hearings into contractor's loss of service members cars


Two metro-east congressmen -- U.S. representatives Bill Enyart, D-Belleville; and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville -- said Monday they want the House Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on problems with a federal contractor that led to the disappearance of hundreds of privately owned vehicles belong to military members who have served overseas.


The U.S. Transportation Command, based at Scott Air Force Base, plans to send survey teams around the globe next week to search for the missing trucks and cars, the News-Democrat reported Sunday.


The vehicles were entrusted to International Auto Logistics, of Brunswick, Ga., which took over a five-year, nearly $1 billion contract to ship the privately owned cars and trucks.


Enyart, who sits on the armed services panel, said he has the greatest respect for Transcom.


Read more here



Canadian company to create 68 jobs in Scotland


A Canadian company that makes bathroom tissue, napkins and paper towels will open a new plant in Scotland County that is expected to create 68 jobs.


Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday that Cascades Tissue Group of Cascades Inc. will invest $62 million over the next three years as part of the project in Wagram.


The average annual payroll for the new plant is expected to total more than $3 million.


The company already employees nearly 180 workers at plants in Kinston and Rockingham.


The state is providing a grant of up to $400,000 for the project.



Judge approves merger of Corcoran Gallery of Art


One of the nation's oldest museums and its art college will be allowed to merge with two larger institutions, effectively dissolving one of the few independent art galleries in the nation's capital, a judge ruled Monday.


The ruling by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Okun settles debate over the future of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and its college after years of financial and managerial trouble. The decision comes days before the Corcoran college's new school year is to begin.


Trustees of the Corcoran will now merge the museum and college into George Washington University and the National Gallery of Art, handing over about $2 billion in assets. The Corcoran will become an art school within the larger university.


"Today we take a dramatic step toward realizing a dynamic partnership that will safeguard the Corcoran legacy for generations to come," said George Washington University President Steven Knapp.


A group of students and faculty fought the merger, arguing the Corcoran could be saved with better leadership, philanthropic support or a better partnership model. Witnesses in court described an organization in limbo with a broken fundraising operation and struggling board.


In a city full of government-funded museums, the Corcoran was one of the few independent art galleries and was celebrated for its adventurous programs.


Camila Rondon, the Corcoran's student government president, said the decision was devastating but that she and others who fought the merger now want to make sure students' voices are heard and their artwork is still exhibited in the gallery as the college merges.


"We did our best," she said. "I think we should be happy with how strong we were and how persistent we were and how far we got."


The opponents do not plan to appeal.


Okun had to decide whether to allow a break in the Corcoran's 1869 deed of trust that established the museum to allow for the merger. It was a legal question of whether it was "impossible or impracticable" to continue the original deed.


"This court finds it painful to issue an order that effectively dissolves the Corcoran as an independent entity," Okun wrote. "But this court would find it even more painful to deny the relief requested and allow the Corcoran to face its likely demise — the likely dissolution of the college, the closing of the gallery, and the dispersal of the gallery's entire collection."


Okun wrote that two internationally recognized institutions with strong commitments to art and education had agreed to sustain the college and art collection under the Corcoran name.


Under the merger, most of the 17,000 artworks would be given to the National Gallery of Art, which would run exhibit programs in a smaller gallery space. Most of the building would be devoted to the art school as part of George Washington University. The Corcoran will give the university at least $35 million from recently sold art to pay for initial renovations, and the university will pay for future renovations.


Corcoran attorney Charles Patrizia argued the trustees had no choice but to seek support from larger institutions, citing $28 million in cumulative deficits since 2008 and 40 years of struggles. The Corcoran college's accreditation was endangered because of its financial problems, Patrizia said in court.


Opponents of the merger objected to the giveaway of Corcoran art and real estate, as well as the separation of the museum and college. They pointed to a recent turnaround of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, which also had considered merger and takeover options.


The opponents presented alternatives, including a proposal from a Washington philanthropist to lead a campaign with new donors who have said they would help make the Corcoran a world-class center for creativity.


While the judge found some criticism of the Corcoran's past management valid, he was not convinced the alternative proposals, "amorphous and aspirational as they are," would be as consistent with the Corcoran's founding purpose.


The judge noted the Corcoran founder's historic connection to George Washington University.


"Undoubtedly, Mr. Corcoran would not be pleased by this turn of events," Okun wrote. "It seems likely, however, that he would be pleased to see that the college will be preserved through its partnership with the very university to which he donated both property and his company's archives ... and that the gallery will be preserved through its partnership with one of the country's pre-eminent art institutions."



Follow Brett Zongker on Twitter at http://bit.ly/1rPxgWB .


UCC mulls end to boycott, ministry says too late


BEIRUT: The Union Coordination Committee (UCC) will make a final decision Tuesday on whether to end its boycott of marking official exams, despite a statement by the Education Ministry saying that its decision to issue passing certificates for all students has already gone into effect.


The Association of Private School Teachers announced Monday after holding a general assembly that it would end its boycott. The strike’s aim is to pressure Parliament to pass a long-awaited salary raise for the public sector.


“After discussion, the general assembly unanimously voted to continue with all forms of movement and escalation until the salary raise is approved and to go back on the decision to boycott correcting exams,” the association said in a statement.


The association’s head Nehme Mahfoud told The Daily Star by phone that the decision was made solely by the private school teachers while other groups of the UCC held different stances on the matter.


The association had previously stated that it is committed to the UCC’s position to boycott the correction of the official exams until the approval of the wage hike. However, the statement said that Monday’s decision to reconsider the stance was “for the sake of [safeguarding] the quality of education in Lebanon ... against the non-educational decision by the education minister.”


Faced with the teachers’ ongoing strike, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab said over the weekend that he had decided to issue passing certificates for all Grade 9 and Grade 12 students who took the official exams.


Teachers at secondary public schools during their general assembly called for an end to the boycott.


Hanna Gharib, the head of the League of Secondary Public School Teachers, delivered a speech in which he called for a united UCC decision to defend its existence by not budging on the decision to boycott the correction procedures.


“We should not back down under the pressure. If the minister is trying to burn the card we hold, we should retort by holding on to this card. They cannot issue passing certificates every year,” he said.


Gharib rejected any blame for the minister’s decision, saying that the UCC had opposed the issuance of passing certificates from the start.


“We are not embarrassed by the issuing of passing certificates. The step was proposed by the minister alone and not by the UCC,” he said.


Gharib praised the united front that the UCC put up to counter the minister’s pressure and called for continuing the battle for teachers’ rights, even if this year’s round might be lost.


“They simply failed to infiltrate our position or break our decision, and the retaliation was issuing the passing grades,” Gharib said.


Gharib stressed that despite differences in opinion among teachers, the UCC would come up with one united stance on whether to end the boycott during a meeting Tuesday, underlining that the group would remain united.


But the Education Ministry said in a short statement that Bou Saab’s decision to issue passing certificates was final and had gone into effect.


“The decision to issue passing certificates has gone into effect and students can now enroll in universities,” said a statement released by the Education Ministry late Monday. It added that the move would be “legalized” later. Issuing passing certificates requires Parliament’s approval.


Lebanon has not had to resort to issuing passing certificates in lieu of grading exams since the end of the Civil War in 1990. Passing certificates were issued on several occasions during the 15-year-long civil strife, either because exams could not be held or because rounds of fighting prevented correction.


Mahfoud had notified The Daily Star Sunday that the teachers might decide to correct the exams, while continuing all other current methods of protest.


The union leader said he was aware that Bou Saab was using passing certificates to pressure the union, but maintained that teachers would take the necessary decisions to protect students.


“If the UCC decides to correct [the exams], and the minister refuses, let him take responsibility for ruining the students’ academic future.”



Siniora makes case for Parliament extension


BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora sent the strongest signal yet Monday about the possible extension of Parliament’s mandate for a limited period, citing similar security threats to the ones that had led to last year’s extension.


The Cabinet, meanwhile, failed to meet the legal deadline to publish a decree calling on the electorate to vote in parliamentary polls scheduled for November.


Citing security conditions mentioned by Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk that were not conducive to holding parliamentary elections on time, Siniora, the head of the parliamentary Future bloc, said: “We may be duty-bound to resort to an extension of Parliament’s mandate, but only for a limited period.”


However, Siniora stressed that the new extension of Parliament’s term should be used to elect a successor to former President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year tenure ended on May 25. “The election of a president should be given priority over any other matter,” he told reporters after meeting Sleiman.


Referring to last year’s extension of Parliament’s term for 17 months, Siniora said: “We are now going through a similar phase. No doubt, we wish we could ensure [holding] true parliamentary elections, but we are now in a difficult position. Priority should be given to the election of a president, and subsequently proceed toward holding parliamentary elections. But the security circumstances which the interior minister and others have spoken of make this matter difficult.”


The elections, originally set for June 2013, were delayed by Parliament last May. MPs, citing the security situation and the inability of rival parties to agree on a new electoral law, voted to extend Parliament’s term by 17 months.


For his part, Machnouk stressed the need for the Cabinet to publish the decree calling on the electorate to participate in parliamentary elections. “It must be issued by the Cabinet in order for it to become effective,” Machnouk said Monday. “The issue will be discussed in the Cabinet’s extraordinary session Tuesday.”


However, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said the decree was not on the Cabinet’s agenda for Tuesday’s session, saying instead that the topic would likely be discussed in another session set for Thursday.


The decree calling on the electorate to vote should have been published before Monday, Aug. 18, as per the 90-day constitutional deadline before the date of parliamentary polls scheduled for Nov. 16.


Although he had issued the decree to the Cabinet, Machnouk said last week that security agencies had advised against holding the parliamentary elections.


Several officials have also hinted that the parliamentary polls would be delayed in light of security threats linked to the repercussions of the war in Syria, especially following five days of fierce clashes earlier this month between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants in the northeastern town of Arsal.


Siniora’s remarks came as attempts to extend Parliament’s term moved into high gear last week, after Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush presented a draft proposal for the extension of the legislative body’s term by two years and seven months, arguing that the move was aimed at protecting civil peace in the face of security threats.


Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Siniora said last week they supported a new extension of Parliament’s term in the event a new president could not be elected.


MP Walid Jumblatt was also reported to be supporting a limited extension of Parliament’s mandate.


However, Speaker Nabih Berri, MP Michel Aoun’s bloc, Hezbollah and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said they opposed attempts to extend Parliament’s term.Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi told MTV that his Kataeb Party also opposed the extension of Parliament’s mandate.


Health Minister Wael Abu Faour from Jumblatt’s bloc said that had a president been elected, there would have been no excuse for any political party to call for an extension of Parliament’s term.


“The extension of Parliament’s mandate is motivated by fears of complete vacuum in institutions,” Abu Faour told reporters after meeting Sleiman. “Had there been an election of a president, then there wouldn’t have been any justification for any of the political parties to demand an extension of Parliament’s mandate.”


In a bid to break the three-month-old presidential deadlock, Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb proposed adopting a simple majority quorum for electoral sessions after Parliament had failed to secure a two-thirds quorum because of a boycott by lawmakers from Aoun’s bloc and Hezbollah’s bloc and its March 8 allies.


“Just as we concluded from the Constitution that the first round required a two-thirds quorum, as well as two-thirds of votes needed for the election of a candidate, then let’s conclude that a simple majority quorum with an absolute majority vote are required for the following rounds of voting,” Harb told a news conference announcing his initiative.


Meanwhile, Jumblatt held talks with Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh as part of the Progressive Socialist Party chief’s consultations with rival politicians to help break the presidential impasse. Accompanied by his son, Taymour, Jumblatt met Frangieh at the latter’s residence in the northern town of Bneshaai.


Acknowledging political differences with Frangieh, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Jumblatt, an outspoken critic of the Syrian leader, said after the meeting: “Regardless of political differences ... there are some common grounds that begin with maintaining Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and stability.”


Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai decried Parliament’s failure to elect a president, saying the presidential void was a disgrace in the country’s history. “Five months have passed and Lebanon is still without a president and the presidential palace is closed,” Rai said, referring to Parliament’s attempts since April to elect a president. “This is very shameful for our Lebanese dignity.”



Bassil visits Iraq in solidarity with Christians


BEIRUT: Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil expressed solidarity with Iraqi Christians Monday during a visit to the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil and the capital Baghdad.


Speaking at a joint news conference with Iraq’s acting Foreign Minister Hussein Shahristani in Baghdad, Bassil said Lebanon and Iraq shared many common features, including a diverse social fabric.


Iraqi Christians, especially in Mosul and other northern parts of the country, fled after being given an ultimatum by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) to either convert to Islam, pay a religious tax or face death.


“Our keenness to preserve Iraq stems from our keenness to preserve ourselves, because we are facing the same threats. The threat to our diversity,” Bassil said.


He warned that the onslaught against Iraq’s Christians was not a recent phenomenon, adding that the community has faced discrimination for over 20 years and has seen their numbers drastically dwindle.


“Christianity is in danger, and the new Iraqi government should secure all the requirements to preserve [Iraq’s] Christians, including security and economic measures,” he said.


Bassil met in Baghdad with Iraq’s new prime minister-designate, Haider al-Abadi.


In Irbil, Bassil paid a visit to the Chaldean Diocese and held a meeting with numerous Christian religious officials. He then visited Iraqi refugees in the diocese.


“Christians today will persist with their faith and resilience,” he said after a meeting at the headquarters of the Assyrian Democratic Movement.


Bassil warned that extremist threat in Iraq posed a danger not just to that country but to all regions and religions of the world.


“Lebanese, Iraqis and Syrians aren’t the only ones threatened; those in Europe are threatened too,” Bassil said. “This is why there should be international protection for Iraqi Christians.”


Last week, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 2170 in a bid to weaken ISIS and Al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing, the Nusra Front.


“The Lebanese government and people are all involved in supporting Christians,” Bassil said. “Not to welcome you on our land but to help you remain on yours.”


The foreign minister also met with President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani. The two agreed that terrorism was a major threat that needed to be eliminated.


Bassil concluded his trip with a visit to Nechervan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.



ISF arrests two Syrians suspected of murder



BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces arrested Monday two Syrian nationals suspected of involvement in the killing of eight people on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.


“G.M., female, born in 1997, and G.A., male, born in 2000, were arrested after their houses were raided,” an ISF statement said.


The statement said an investigation was launched after the body of Sleiman al-Hujeiri, 27, was found in his car in April in the al-Jamalah neighborhood of Arsal with shots to the head.


As a result of the probe, Baalbek’s judicial police unit was able to identify and locate the suspects.


“During interrogation ... [G.M.] admitted that in collaboration with [G.A.] along with two other individuals, one of whom is her half-brother, she would entice victims, kill them and steal their belongings,” the statement said. “The suspect has also identified the areas where the crimes took place.”


Efforts are in progress to arrest G.M.’s two accomplices, it added.



A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on August 19, 2014, on page 3.

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Protesting EDL contract workers defiant in face of ISF action


TYRE, Lebanon: Contract workers from Electricite du Liban defied attempts by authorities to end their protest against the company Monday, vowing to continue until signs of goodwill emerged.


Security forces deployed heavily around the EDL branches in Tyre and Sidon, preventing contract workers from protesting and briefly detaining two of them.


The contract workers have been carrying out protests over the past week at all EDL offices, preventing employees from entering the buildings. They are demanding full-time employment at EDL for each of the nearly 2,000 workers in line with a law passed by Parliament in April, but EDL has only agreed to hire 897.


Members of the Internal Security Forces entered the courtyard of the EDL complex in Tyre, forcing protesters out of the building and preventing them from erecting tents.


The ISF allowed EDL full-time employees to enter the building, but stopped contract workers from burning tires to block the road outside the facility.


During a minor scuffle with the protesters, police detained two people, one of whom attempted to self-immolate in protest and another who tried to set tires on fire. They were identified as Amer Youssef and Malek Jaber, both EDL contract workers, a security source told The Daily Star.


The Committee of EDL Contract Workers vowed to block a vital Beirut highway to demand the release of the two detainees. The two were released hours later.


In Sidon, police also deployed inside the EDL building and did not allow protesters to hold a sit-in.


In Beirut, members of the committee presented their demands to Fatima Oweidat, the head of the Civil Service Board.


“During the meeting today, we submitted a legal review of the situation of workers to the Civil Service Board and the dynamics of the company’s work so that the council could re-evaluate [EDL Chairman] Kamal Hayek’s decision,” Ahmad Shuaib, a member of the committee, told reporters after the meeting.


Speaking outside EDL headquarters in the Beirut neighborhood of Mar Mikhael, Shuaib called the meeting “positive” and expressed hope that the board would study their review, saying the council representative had promised to look into the matter.


Contract workers argue that EDL is in need of many more than the 897 workers it decided to make full-timers, a claim disputed by EDL.


Shuaib warned that the workers would continue to observe the strike and participate in the sit-ins “until we see some signs of goodwill or positive gestures toward us.” Last week, EDL workers blocked Charles Helou Highway in Beirut, causing an hours-long traffic jam.


Energy and Water Minister Arthur Nazarian held talks with Hayek and Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail Monday afternoon on the issue of the EDL employees.


Speaking after the meeting, both Nazarian and Hayek rejected the manner in which the contract workers had carried out their protests.


“We briefed the prime minister about the situation with EDL. We object to the way things are happening because there is a practical way of protesting, not by shutting down the company and blocking roads,” said Nazarian, who is close to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.


While slamming contract workers for disrupting the work of the company, Hayek said that he was merely applying the law.


“We are applying the law and what the Civil Service Board asked us to do,” Hayek said.


The law, which was approved by Parliament earlier this year, requested that EDL identify vacancies and the company’s needs in a bid to resolve the working status of contract workers accordingly.


The contract workers have been employed by private service providers since 2012, when firms were subcontracted to perform EDL’s technical services for four years.


KVA, one of the private service providers, said in a statement Monday that it had nothing to do with the current dispute between EDL and contract workers.



Aoun recovering quickly from surgery for broken arm


Aoun recovering quickly in hospital


FPM leader Michel Aoun is recovering quickly at a hospital north of Beirut, after undergoing surgery to fix a broken...



UK to pay Raytheon $373 million in tribunal ruling


Britain's government says it will pay some 224 million pounds ($373 million) to defense firm Raytheon Systems Ltd. for unlawfully ending a contract for a program meant to collect information in advance about passengers traveling to and from Britain.


Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May told lawmaker Keith Vaz in a letter that authorities are looking at the Arbitration Tribunal's detailed conclusions to see if there are grounds for challenging the award.


But she says the government stands by its decision to end the eBorders contract. She says key milestones were missed and the program was running late.


Raytheon says in a statement Monday that the tribunal's ruling confirms that the company delivered substantial capabilities to the UK Home Office under the eBorders program.



BC-Cash Prices, 1st Ld-Writethru,0334


Wholesale cash prices Monday:


Mon. Fri.


F


Broilers FOB Ga. ice-packed lb. wtd av 111.87 112.12


Eggs large white NY Doz. 1.21 1.21


Flour hard winter KC cwt 17.60 17.60


Cheddar Cheese Chi. 40 block per lb. 2.6175 2.6175


Coffee parana ex-dock NY per lb. 1.7812 1.7812


Coffee medlin ex-dock NY per lb. 2.0764 2.0764


Cocoa beans Ivory Coast $ metric ton 3606 3606


Cocoa butter African styl $ met ton 8594 8594


Hogs Iowa/Minn barrows & gilts wtd av 101.85 103.65


Feeder cattle 550-600 lb Okl av cwt 258.75 258.75


Pork loins 13-19 lb FOB Omaha av cwt 150.84 149.23


Corn No. 2 yellow Chi processor bid 3.85¾ 3.85¾


Soybeans No. 1 yellow 12.32¾ 12.27


Soybean Meal Cen Ill 48pct protein-ton 459.80 459.80


Wheat No. 2 Chi soft 5.37½ 5.46¼


Wheat N. 1 dk 14pc-pro Mpls. 7.93¼ 7.72


Oats No. 2 heavy or Better 3.79 3.74


Corn oil crude wet/dry mill Chi. lb. .38 .38


Soybean oil crude Decatur lb. .341/8 .341/8


Aluminum per lb LME .8980 .9094


Antimony in warehouse per ton 9810 9810


Copper Cathode full plate 3.1081 3.1236


Gold Handy & Harman 1296.75 1296.00


Silver Handy & Harman 19.650 19.725


Lead per metric ton LME 2194.50 2206.00


Platinum per troy oz. Handy & Harman 1448.00 1446.00


Platinum Merc spot per troy oz. 1446.20 1457.20


Zinc (HG) delivered per lb. 1.0250 1.0410


Cotton 1-1-16 in. strict low middling 63.14 63.39


Coal Central Appalachia $ per short ton 57.25 56.35


Natural Gas Henry Hub, $ per mmbtu 3.760 3.758


b-bid a-asked


n-Nominal


r-revised.


n.q.-not quoted


n.a.-not available<4



PriceWaterhouseCoopers to pay $25M in bank case


PriceWaterhouseCoopers will pay $25 million and face a two-year suspension from consulting for new bank clients in an agreement with New York regulators.


The deal follows an investigation that showed the company improperly altered a report about Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi laundering money for Iran, Sudan and others contrary to U.S. sanctions.


Monday's agreement follows a $250 million settlement with the bank last year.


New York's Department of Financial Services says its investigation shows PriceWaterhouseCoopers, under pressure from bank executives, improperly altered a report to regulators on bank wire transfers on behalf of sanctioned countries.


Miles Everson of PriceWaterhouseCoopers says this relates to a single engagement completed more than six years ago where the company searched for and identified transactions that were self-reported by the client to regulators.



Massachusetts gas prices continue to drop


Massachusetts motorists are getting more good news as the price of gas continues to fall.


AAA Southern New England reports Monday that self-serve regular has dropped another 3 cents in the past week to an average of $3.47 per gallon, and is now down 15 cents in the past month.


The current price is also 17 cents lower than at the same time last year, but 2 cents per gallon higher than the national average.


AAA found self-serve regular selling for as low as $3.29 per gallon and as high as $3.69.



Rain and fog hit mountains amid summer heat wave



BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces’ traffic control urged drivers heading to Qleiat and Faraya via the Ashqout road to be vigilant due to rain fall and poor visibility.


Light rainfall and a heavy fog have spread over the areas of Ashqout, Aley, Bhamdoun, Kesrouan and nearby areas, according to the ISF’s traffic control Twitter page.


According to the Meteorological Department at Rafik Hariri International Airport: “There will be rain fall and fog in the areas above Jounieh.”


“It is expected to last until noon tomorrow.”


Temperatures in Lebanon’s mountain ranged from 19-27 degrees Celsius Monday.


Tomorrow's forecast reveals declining temperatures with 17-25 degrees Celsius in the mountains.



Advertisement



Rai: Presidential void is a mark of shame


Rai: Presidential void is a mark of shame


Beshara Rai criticizes the Lebanese political class for failing to elect a new president, saying it would be a mark of...



SC unemployment rises to 5.7 percent


South Carolina's unemployment has risen nearly half a percentage point after three straight months without change.


The Department of Employment and Workforce said Monday that the state's jobless rate rose to 5.7 percent last month. That's up from 5.3 percent, which had been South Carolina's unemployment rate since April.


Over the last month, jobs in professional and business services and education and health services went down by 5,500. Leisure and hospitality jobs, along with construction jobs, were up by 1,600.


Unemployment in July went up in all of South Carolina's 46 counties and was highest in Bamberg County, at 12.1 percent.


National unemployment went up slightly in July, from 6.1 percent to 6.2 percent.



US stocks open higher; Family Dollar jumps


U.S. stocks are opening higher, following gains in Europe.


The Dow Jones industrial average rose 94 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,757 as of 9:34 a.m. Eastern time Monday.


The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,965. The S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent last week.


The Nasdaq composite climbed 26 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,490.


European markets also rose. Germany's DAX rose 1.4 percent and France's CAC-40 rose 1.2 percent.


A bidding war for Family Dollar sent that company's stock higher. Family Dollar rose 5 percent after Dollar General offered to pay about $9 billion for the discounter in an effort to trump Dollar Tree's bid.


Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.37 percent.



Marijuana company officials resigns


A top official for a company that won a provisional license to operate two medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts has stepped down after it was reported he erroneously claimed he was a college graduate.


Kevin Fisher said in a letter to the board of directors at New England Treatment Access Inc. that he was resigning as executive director because of the "error I included in my resume." The company said he now has no role in its governance.


The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/1ArogMH ) reported that Fisher said in the application he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Ohio's Youngstown State University. The school said although he attended the university, it has no record he graduated.


The state is reviewing the company's application to run dispensaries in Brookline and Northampton.



Aoun recovering quickly in hospital


Aoun recovering quickly in hospital


FPM leader Michel Aoun is recovering quickly at a hospital north of Beirut, after undergoing surgery to fix a broken...