EYESFUD

Train lines could close for engineering works

Department for Transport tells Network
Rail to consider closures in order to
speed up improvement works.
Entire train lines could be shut down to enable
major engineering work to take place, it has
emerged.
The radical approach would replace the manner in
which repairs and upgrades are currently carried out
on bank holidays and overnight, which can be a
slow and laborious process and causes chaos in the
holidays.
It has been mooted by Patrick McLoughlin, the
transport secretary, who praised a five-week
shutdown of Nottingham station in 2013 as an
example of the best way to carry out engineering
work.
"Why do we insist on doing engineering
works at night, over a very long period,
rather than putting in place quicker,
ambitious plans for reconstruction?"
Patrick McLoughlin
He has said there should be "quicker, ambitious
plans for major reconstruction," according to The
Times.
His comments amid concerns about huge delays and
spiralling costs for some projects, including the
electrification of the Great Western mainline.
Yet they will strike fear into commuters already
subjected to long delays, cancellations and over-
crowded trains.
In a speech this week, Mr McLoughlin reportedly
said: "Why do we insist on doing engineering works
at night, over a very long period, rather than
putting in place quicker, ambitious plans for
reconstruction with proper alternatives and
information for passengers?"
Sir Peter Hendy, the chairman of Network Rail, told
The Times that there was likely to be more
wholesale closures of railway lines, adding: "The
secretary of state is encouraging us to do more of
that and he's right."
Network Rail is undertaking 450 separate
improvement projects, which almost all take place at
night or over bank holidays.
It announced on Thursday that more than 450
separate improvement projects would be carried out
over the Easter weekend.
The improvements are part of Network Rail’s
£40bn upgrade plan.

NCC slams MTN, denies N50bn payment claim

The Nigerian Communications
Commission, NCC, yesterday distanced itself from
claims by MTN Nigeria that it persuaded the
phone company to withdraw its lawsuit for both
sides to reach an out-of-court settlement over a
N780 billion fine imposed by the regulator.
The commission also denied knowledge of
MTN’s claim that it made a part payment of
the fine.
MTN had announced Wednesday that it was
dropping its legal challenge, and making a
“good faith” payment of N50 billion to enable
the two sides reach an amicable solution on the
matter.
“This is a most encouraging development. It
demonstrates a willingness and sincerity by both
parties to work together towards a positive
outcome,” MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive
Officer, Ferdi Moolman, had said.
But the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Tony
Ojobo, said yesterday the commission was neither
aware of MTN’s decision to withdraw its court
case, nor pay $250 million (about (N50 billion)
to the Nigerian government.
“We, NCC, are not privy to it (agreement to
withdraw a case from court and pay $250 million
by MTN). We do not have anything to do with
it. We do not have any evidence of payment of
any money to the Nigerian government.
‘’There is no invoice to that effect. We have
also not gotten any official information or
confirmation that they have withdrawn their case
in court.
“That information is not from us, NCC. It is
MTN that released it from South Africa. We
have not got into any discussion on the
modalities of payment of the fine.
‘’Whatever MTN is doing does not affect the
fact that a regulatory fine was imposed and
payment is expected,” Ojobo said.
Mr. Ojobo, however, assured that the NCC
management would meet later to review the
report and take a decision that would be
communicated to the public through an official
statement.
“We have not even met to take a decision like
that. There was no discussion whatsoever with
NCC on the matter. MTN has not even met with
the committee that was set to discuss these
issues.
“On what basis was the agreement made? We
do not know the basis on which they arrived at
the $250 million they claim to have paid.
‘’For now, no official position on this. We are
just hearing it in the news like every other
person,” he explained.
The NCC had in October 2015, sanctioned MTN,
Nigeria’s largest mobile operator, for failing to
disconnect 5.1 million improperly registered lines
within the prescribed deadline in compliance with
its regulatory directive to telecom operators in the
country.
The penalty was based on N200,000 fine imposed
for every unregistered SIM card in use on any
telecom operator’s network.
Although the fine was subsequently reduced by
25 per cent to N780 billion, MTN Nigeria failed
to pay the penalty.
The company later filed a suit at the Federal
High Court, Lagos to challenge the Nigerian
government’s action.
The court gave both parties until March 18, 2016
to reach an amicable out-of-court settlement over
the matter.
When contacted, spokesperson for MTN, Funso
Aina, said he should be given some time to
respond.

Pres. Buhari excited by Islamic bank’s offer to Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday
welcomed an offer by the Islamic Development
Bank to organise a financing round-table in Abuja
to mobilise more funds for investment and
development of infrastructure in Nigeria.
According to a statement by his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,
the President expressed his delight at the offer at a
meeting he had with the IDB President, Dr. Ahmed
Mohammed Ali, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The President is currently on an official visit to
Saudi Arabia.
Ali was said to have assured Buhari that the IDB
will work with its traditional partners such as the
Saudi Fund, the Kuwait Fund, Arab Bank for
Development in Africa and the Abu Dhabi Fund, to
increase the quantum of funding available to
Nigeria.
Welcoming the offer, Buhari restated his
government’s determination to revamp and
diversify the Nigerian economy rapidly.
He said, “The days of Nigeria as a big oil
producer with plenty of money are gone. We need
all the support we can get to diversify our economy
as quickly as possible.
“We also need to rehabilitate our infrastructure,
develop the domestic capacity to feed ourselves and
export the surplus.”
The President welcomed the plan by the IDB to fast
track the take-off of the Bilingual Education
Program, aimed at integrating the Almajiri system
of education with Western education in Nigeria.
The IDB has already provided $98m for the
Bilingual Education Program in Adamawa, Gombe,
Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun and
Yobe.
The bank plans to support similar projects in other
states of Nigeria.

How Pregnancy Happens at a Glance

Pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg implants in
the uterus.
Getting pregnant can happen in different ways.
Understanding your fertility pattern can help with
avoiding pregnancy as well as getting pregnant.
Understanding how pregnancy happens is important.
If you want to avoid pregnancy, it helps to know
when a woman is most likely to get pregnant, and
when she is not. If you are trying to become
pregnant, it is important to know when getting
pregnant is most likely and the different ways it can
happen.
Whether you are trying to avoid pregnancy, trying
to get pregnant, or are just curious, you may have
lots of questions. Here are some answers about how
pregnancy happens.
When Does Pregnancy Begin?
In order for a woman to become pregnant, she
must release an egg from her ovary — ovulation.
Next, the egg and sperm must meet and form a
single cell — fertilization. Then pregnancy begins
when and if the fertilized egg attaches to a
woman’s uterus and begins to grow —
implantation.
MENSTRUATION
During the first two weeks of a
woman’s menstrual cycle she has her period.
This usually lasts 3–7 days. After that, hormones
make eggs mature in her ovaries, and the lining
of her uterus thickens.
OVULATION
Ovulation happens about two weeks before a
woman’s next period would take place. The egg
enters a fallopian tube and starts moving toward
the uterus.
FERTILIZATION
After vaginal intercourse
or alternative insemination , several hundred
sperm travel up through the uterus and into the
fallopian tubes. An egg may be in one of the
tubes. One sperm may fertilize the egg. The
millions of other sperm seep out of the vagina or
are absorbed by the woman’s body.
The joining of egg and sperm is called
fertilization. It is most likely to occur from sexual
intercourse that happens during the five days
before the egg is released or on the day of
ovulation.
BOY OR GIRL?
Millions of sperm are released when a man
ejaculates. About half of them have a gene that
could produce a boy. The other half have one that
could produce a girl.
IMPLANTATION
The fertilized egg moves down the fallopian tube
and divides into more and more cells, forming a
ball. The ball of cells reaches the uterus about 3–
4 days after fertilization.
The ball floats in the uterus for another 2–3
days.
Pregnancy begins if the ball of cells attaches to
the lining of the uterus. This is called
implantation. It usually starts about six days
after fertilization and takes about 3–4 days to be
complete. The embryo will develop from cells on
the inside of the ball. The placenta will develop
from the cells on the outside of the ball.
Up to half of all fertilized eggs never implant.
They pass out of women’s bodies during
menstruation.
TWINS?
It is possible for the developing ball of cells to
split up until about the end of week four. If it
splits into two, for example, identical twins can
develop. It is also possible for two eggs to be
released at ovulation. Fraternal — not identical —
twins can develop if both eggs get fertilized by
sperm and implant in the uterus.
GESTATIONAL AGE
Pregnancy is measured using “gestational age.”
Gestational age starts on the first day of a
woman’s last menstrual period
(LMP).Gestational age can be confusing. Most
people think of pregnancy as lasting nine
months. And it’s true that a woman is pregnant
for about nine months. But because pregnancy is
measured from a woman’s last menstrual period
— about 3–4 weeks before she is actually
pregnant — a full-term pregnancy usually totals
about 40 weeks LMP — roughly 10 months.Many
women do not remember the exact date of their
last menstrual period — that’s OK. The surest
way to tell gestational age early in pregnancy is
with ultrasound.

Success; Business Information Systems

'It's kind of like a puzzle. I enjoy figuring it out,
solving a problem'
Being in control of technology is an inviting
prospect for Haley Shelton.
Riding waves is great. Making them is even better!
The Business Information Systems (BIS)
curriculum will teach you to harness technology to
help organizations achieve a competitive advantage
in today's rapidly changing environment.
You will gain a firm foundation in business
administration and learn to architect, manage,
develop and deploy information systems.
Depending on your skills and interests you might
become a business process analyst, IT project
manager, data modeler, systems analyst, software
quality tester, developer or database administrator,
or you can choose from other technology-related
business careers.
You won't only learn theory. You have plenty of
opportunities to build, troubleshoot, refine and
manage information systems through targeted
exercises in real-world projects and current projects
sponsored by outside companies to help you learn
to bring together people, business processes and
information technology.
The Students in Information Management (SIM)
club meets weekly for presentations by recruiters
and consultants, giving you a chance to interact
with potential employers.
You can apply to join the Multiple Engineering
Co-Operative Program (MECOP) and experience
full system development and testing at the Center
for Applied Systems and Software (CASS), develop
IT service delivery expertise working for the
college's information services department, or
immerse yourself in one of the many BIS
internships offered by outside organizations. As an
intern you can apply what you learned in class in
real-world organizations and develop marketable
skills. And when you come back to school, you
can share your experiences and newly acquired
skills. Go make some waves!
Curriculum
Your freshman and sophomore years in BIS will be
largely confined to starting the OSU baccalaureate
core and the Business Core (see Requirements .)
These courses are required of all business students.
The BIS major courses are completed during the
junior and/or senior years. Students should review
the BIS major specific requirements.
CISA Certification
The OSU College of Business BIS and Accounting
programs are certified by the Information Systems
Audit and Control Association (ISACA) . Students
who complete their studies in both disciplines, will
need only two, instead of the three years of
practice normally required for the prestigious
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
certification. For more information on the CISA
certification, see the requirements at isaca.org.
Enrichment Activities
Participation in BIS-specific enrichment activities
expand your understanding and build your skills
beyond the classroom. The Students in
Information Management (SIM) Club meets
weekly for presentations by recruiters, consultants
or software instruction. Principal activities include
weekly meetings, a career night in the winter, field
trips in the winter and spring, and a graduation
event in the spring.
Pursuing paid internships, including the Multiple
Engineering Cooperative Program (MECOP),
increases your career opportunities after
graduation. BIS students are supported by
scholarships and awards, by the BIS Advisory
Council, and the Portland Chapter of the Society
for Information Management (SIM) .

Why NDA Can ’t Expel Cadets For Torturing Civilian – Commandant

The Nigerian Defence Academy , NDA , yesterday
explained why it could not expel some cadets
captured on video torturing a civilian for no just
cause .
Nigerians cried out in condemnation of some
cadets led by a female , who were shown in a
video clip , which went viral last month ,
dehumanizing a young man , later identified as
Amari Sunday, a staff of Abuja Park “N ” Pay,
for allegedly commending the beauty of one of
the female cadets.
While majority of Nigerians called for the
expulsion of the cadets, the Commandant of the
elite Nigerian military training institution , Major
General Mohammed Ibrahim, said they could not
be expelled because the time to prosecute them
had lapsed .
According to the NDA Commandant , the time
frame for expelling any cadet for wrongdoing
must not exceed six months from the date the
alleged offence was committed.
Speaking at the matriculation ceremony of 466
officer cadets of the 67th Regular Course, Maj . -
Gen. Ibrahim noted that the incident in question
took place two years ago when the cadets were
first termers and had just been in the academy for
only three months .
While noting that appropriate disciplinary action
had already been taken on the cadets, he urged
the newly matriculated ones to consider
themselves lucky to have successfully passed the
one month intensive military training.
Ibrahim assured that the NDA would give their
welfare priority while the enabling academic
environment would be provided for their study .
The NDA , situated in Kaduna State was founded
in 1964 in response to the defence needs of the
country, which gained independence four years
earlier, to train officers for the Armed Forces of
Nigeria .

Aurora Australis: Antarctica icebreaker passengers rescued

Thirty-seven people stranded on Australia's flagship
icebreaker, which ran aground in Antarctica, have
been rescued, authorities said.
The Aurora Australis had broken free of its mooring
lines on Wednesday following a severe blizzard.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) said a
barge ferried the expedition members to the Mawson
research station after weather conditions improved.
Thirty-one crew members remain onboard to refloat
the vessel.
The AAD said the refloating process, where the crew
will attempt to move the ship off the rocks, would
take several hours, and that afterwards the ship
would be taken to a nearby sheltered area for
inspections.
The vessel incurred a small breach in the hull when
it ran aground, which the AAD said poses no risk
to the ship's stability or to the environment. It
added there was no fuel spilled so far.
The Aurora Australis left Hobart in Tasmania on 11
January and carried out marine science research
around the Kerguelen Plateau, a submerged
continent that extends for 2,200km (1,365 miles),
before arriving at Mawson on Saturday.
It broke free of mooring lines at 09:15 local time
(04:15 GMT) on Wednesday, amid winds of more
than 130kph (80mph), and ran aground at West
Arm in Horseshoe Harbour.
It was also scheduled to pick up another group of
expedition members from Davis research station.
The AAD said on Friday that this group would now
be flown to Casey research station, and then flown
home in coming days.
The Aurora Australis, which is 95m long and
weighs 3,911 tonnes, was launched in 1989 and is
capable of breaking ice that is up to 1.2m thick.
The ship is designed to cope with heavy seas and
contains laboratories that are used for biological,
oceanographical and meteorological research. It also
has a gym, library and recreation areas.

Syria conflict: Russia bombs 'terrorists' ahead of truce

Russia says it is continuing to bomb "terrorists" in
parts of Syria ahead of a cessation of hostilities due
to come into effect later.
"The Russian air force is certainly continuing its
operation in Syria" against "terrorist organisations,"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
But he denied reports from monitors that Russian
planes had been intensively striking rebel
strongholds.
World powers agreed on 12 February that a truce
would start within a week.
But that deadline passed and scepticism remains
over the new plan. The "cessation of hostilities"
involves regime and rebel forces - but not so-called
Islamic State (IS) and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra
Front.
What's the difference between 'ceasefire' and
'cessation'?
Overnight, Russian air strikes which were "more
intense than usual" hit rebel bastions including at
Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus, in the north of
Homs province and in the west of Aleppo province,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
monitoring group said.
"It's more intense than usual. It's as if they [the
Russians and the regime] want to subdue rebels in
these regions or score points before the ceasefire,"
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman was quoted
by news agency AFP as saying.
But Mr Peskov said Russia was targeting IS, Al-
Nusra Front and other extremist groups designated
as legitimate targets by the UN Security Council.

UBS charged with tax fraud and money laundering in Belgium

Swiss bank giant UBS has been charged with
money laundering and serious organised tax fraud in
Belgium.
A statement from prosecutors said: "The Swiss bank
is suspected of having directly, and not via its
Belgian subsidiary, approached Belgian clients to
convince them to set up constructions aimed at
evading taxes."
UBS said it would "defend itself against any
unfounded allegations".
It is the latest in a series of probes into malpractice
by banks.
The prosecutors' statement said the charges came
after "excellent" help from French authorities, who
had been looking at allegations that UBS had been
encouraging clients to open accounts in Switzerland
to avoid tax between the years 2004-12.
The US has also been looking into whether the
bank allowed its US customers to hide their wealth
from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to avoid
paying full tax.
In 2014, Belgian police carried out raids both at the
bank and at the homes of UBS Belgium chief
executive Marcel Bruehwiler and a client.
Mr Bruehwiler was also charged at the time.
UBS denied that its Belgian division had ever
supported tax evasion.
UBS's small Belgian subsidiary, which employed
around 60 staff including 20 private bankers, has
since been sold to Belgian private bank Puilaetco
Dewaay.

Japan population shrinks by one million census confirms

New census figures in Japan show the population
has shrunk by nearly one million in the past five
years, in the first decline registered since 1920.
As of October last year the country has 127.1
million people, 0.7% fewer than in the last census.
Demographers have long predicted a drop, citing
Japan's falling birth rate and a lack of immigration.
The rapidly ageing population has contributed to a
stagnating economy and worries of increasing
health costs.
Sharp drop-offs
Japan now has 947,000 fewer people than when the
last census was conducted in 2010, figures released
by the internal affairs ministry show.
Only eight prefectures, including the capital Tokyo,
saw a population increase, national broadcaster
NHK. reported.
The remaining 39 all saw declines, including
Fukushima which saw the largest drop of 115,000
people.
Fukushima, site of the doomed nuclear power
station, was hit especially badly by the 2011
earthquake and tsunami.
Japan has seen population growth for much of the
past century, but this has been slowing rapidly in
recent decades. The last census showed the
population had completely stopped growing.
Friday's numbers mark the first time a decline has
been recorded in the census.
Researchers are predicting a sharp drop-off in the
working population and a simultaneous rise in the
number of elderly in coming decades.
According to government projections, by 2060 about
40% of its citizens will be sixty-five or older, and
the general population will be one-third smaller
than it is now.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it a priority to
boost the birthrate from 1.4 children to 1.8 children
per woman, including improving childcare and tax
incentives. Advanced economies usually require a
rate of at least 2.1 for a stable population.

Harvard abolishes 'master' in titles in slavery row

Harvard University in the US is going to remove the
word "master" from academic titles, after protests
from students who claimed the title had echoes of
slavery.
House masters, in charge of residential halls at the
university, will become known as "faculty deans".
Harvard Law School is also deciding whether to
change its official seal, because of links to slavery.
US campuses have faced a series of protests over
allegations of racism.
Harvard has not agreed that the use of "master"
represented a link to slavery, but it has accepted
campaigners' calls for a name change.
It will mean changing the job titles of 24 members
of staff - but will not affect other uses of "master",
such as a master's level degree.
Harvard academics say that the word "master"
derives from the Latin term "magister" - a form of
address for scholars or teachers. It is similar to
terms such as "school master" or "head master".
But protesters have argued that whatever its original
derivation, the word now has connotations of
slavery.
Student campaigners are also calling for a change in
the official seal of Harvard Law School, with a sit-
in being held this week.
The seal includes the coat of arms of 18th Century
college donor Isaac Royall, who as well as
establishing the college's first professorship in law,
was a notoriously brutal slaveholder.
Isaac Royall, whose money helped to endow the
university, has been accused of burning slaves alive.
A decision on whether to change the seal is expected
to be made soon.
Disputes about race and identity have affected many
US campuses.
Carol Christ, director of the Center for Studies in
Higher Education, University of California,
Berkeley, has said that "symbolic fights are always
about real and current political issues" and race and
diversity remain major campus issues.
"Race is so traumatic and central an issue in
American culture," said Dr Christ.
Last month, Amherst College, in Massachusetts,
accepted student demands to drop links with its
informal mascot, Jeffery Amherst, an 18th Century
general accused of advocating infecting native
Americans with smallpox .
And there have been sit-ins at Princeton in a bid to
rename a school named after Woodrow Wilson,
because of claims the former US president held racist
views.
The protests by US students are part of a wider
international campaign challenging historical titles,
statues and emblems.
But further demands for "safe space", where some
students have called for the right to study away
from attitudes or behaviour they find offensive, have
been rejected by university leaders and others who
have argued for the importance of protecting free
speech.
In South Africa, a statue of Cecil Rhodes was
removed from the University of Cape Town, with
protesters attacking the statue as an emblem of
colonialism and apartheid.
But a call to remove a statue of the 19th Century
politician from Oriel College in Oxford University
was rejected.
Louise Richardson, the university's vice-chancellor,
said students needed to be able to debate and
confront "ideas that make them uncomfortable".

Angolan vice president implicated in Portugal graft probe

Lisbon (AFP) - Angolan Vice President Manuel
Vicente has been directly implicated in a corruption
probe in Portugal which triggered the arrest of a
magistrate this week, a source told AFP Thursday.
Public prosecutor Orlando Figueira, 54, is suspected
of receiving a bribe of at least 200,000 euros
($220,000) in return for shelving an investigation
into the Angolan politician, according to media
reports.
A source close to the case confirmed a report by
Portuguese news agency Lusa that Vicente is
suspected of corruption over the affair. The
Portuguese prosecutor's office declined to comment
on the report.
On Tuesday officials announced the arrest of
Figueira, who has been on unpaid leave since
September 2012, in an investigation into corruption
and money laundering.
The prosecutor's office, while not naming Figueira,
said they had detained someone suspected of having
"received compensation .. to act in favour of the
suspect in a probe which he was leading."
The probe, shelved in January 2012, centred on the
origin of funds with which Vicente, then the head
of Angola's public oil company Sonangol, had
bought a luxury apartment in a Lisbon suburb.
According to Portuguese media reports, Figueira
received at least 200,000 euros from a subsidiary of
Sonangol to bury the affair.
The Angolan politician's Portuguese lawyer, Paulo
Amaral Blanco, has been put under formal
investigation for corruption, and his office was
raided.
"We have nothing to do with what prosecutor
Orlando Figueira might have done, and we hope he
will clarify everything," the lawyer told the daily
Correio da Manha.
In November 2013, Portuguese prosecutors shelved
another probe for tax fraud and money laundering
involving Vicente.
A year earlier Portuguese press revelations about
probes targeting senior Angolan regime officials
sparked a chill in diplomatic ties between Portugal
and Angola, one of its former African colonies.

Italy close to landmark vote in favour of same-sex civil unions

Italy is nearing a landmark vote in
favour of same-sex civil unions but the
victory is looking increasingly hollow to
gay rights supporters after the bill was
dramatically watered down to win the
backing of conservative and Catholic
senators.
More on this topic
'It’s discrimination, plain and simple':
Italians on the civil unions vote
The intensity of the political fight over
the legislation has shown the enduring
influence of the Catholic church on
Italian politics, and the willingness of
opponents of the prime minister, Matteo
Renzi, to exploit the issue to score
political points.
In order to get the bill into a position
where it could be passed, Renzi was
nevertheless forced to make a major
concession on the parental rights of
same-sex couples, despite this week
rejecting the idea that Italy could have
“Serie A and Serie B children” – a
reference to the Italian football league.
The bill is expected to be voted on by
the senate on Thursday. It will then be
voted on in the lower house, where
Renzi has more support.
An amendment known as the
“stepchild” provision that would have
granted parental rights to a non-
biological parent in a same-sex union
was stripped out of the legislation this
week.
The decision came days after the
populist Five Star Movement, Italy’s
second largest political party, backed
out of an agreement to work with
Renzi’s Democratic party to overcome
parliamentary hurdles against the
proposed legislation.
The decision was probably a pragmatic
one by the M5S leader, Beppe Grillo,
who analysts said was looking to make
in-roads with conservative voters ahead
of local elections this summer.
More on this topic
A history of same-sex unions in Europe
Renzi was then forced to turn to his
conservative coalition partners in the
New Centre Right to get the legislation
passed.
But after winning the major “stepchild”
concession, members of the New Centre
Right party were on Wednesday pushing
for more compromises.
“Scrapping stepchild adoption is not
sufficient,” said Beatrice Lorenzin, the
Italian health minister. “At the moment
the [ruling] Democratic party and my
party are working to build an
amendment [to the bill] to avoid [civil
unions] being given the same status as
marriage, which we consider
unconstitutional.”
Lorenzin has been a leading voice
against the provision granting parental
rights and has argued that its passage
would see a big increase in same-sex
couples seeking to have children
through surrogacy, which is illegal in
Italy. She has called surrogate
motherhood “ultra prostitution” and
said all attempts to legitimise surrogacy
and the donation of sperm and eggs to
allow same-sex couples to have children
had to be “denounced without
hypocrisy”.
Gianni Riotta, a journalist and professor
at Princeton University, said the fight
over the civil unions bill had exposed a
fact that sometimes gets overlooked in
Italian politics: that the parliament is
deeply divided.
“Renzi being a magician has managed
so far to hide this. but when things got
back to basics, it was clear this was the
reality,” Riotta said.
While the bill will be far from perfect,
Renzi will have managed to achieve
what his predecessors did not.
This could ultimately reflect not just
Renzi’s political manoeuvres, but the
fact that another important change has
occurred in Italy since the last time such
legislation was tried and failed. Pope
Francis, who was elected in 2013, has
publicly stated his desire to stay out of
Italian politics, despite his concern over
gay unions.
While the Catholic church has certainly
been influential in the political battle,
including vocal opposition by members
of the Italian bishops conference, it has
not killed the bill.
Riotta said it was likely same-sex
couples would eventually win parental
rights, but that they are likely to win the
concessions in court, not parliament.
“This is the Italian way of kicking the
can down the road and doing tomorrow
what you could have done yesterday,”
he said.

UK's Cameron: East Jerusalem settlement construction is 'genuinely shocking'

British Prime Minster David Cameron on
Wednesday blasted Israeli settlement construction in
east Jerusalem as "genuinely shocking" and called
for the reversal of further building plans, according
to British media.
While the Cameron underlined that he was a
staunch ally of Israel's, he noted that the UK does
not support what he called "illegal settlements."
"I am well known for being a strong friend of
Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited
Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that
wonderful city and saw what has happened with
the effective encirclement of east Jerusalem, occupied
east Jerusalem, it is genuinely shocking," the UK's
Independent quoted him as saying to parliament
members in the House of Commons.
The British prime minister reportedly made the
remarks in response to a question by Labour MP
Imram Hussain about London's plans on the
Palestinian issue.
According to the Independent, Hussain asked the
prime minister what actions the government was
taking "to prevent the infringement into Palestinian
lives and land.”
In response, Cameron was quoted by British media
as saying: “What this government has consistently
done and gone on doing is saying yes, we are
supporters of Israel, but we do not support illegal
settlements, we do not support what is happening
in east Jerusalem and it’s very important that this
capital city is maintained in the way that it was in
the past."
While the UK has repeatedly condemned Israeli
plans for building over the Green Line, earlier in
February, Israel hailed a tough British move against
boycotts as a welcome step in the fight against
discrimination against the Jewish state.
The PLO said it perpetuated the “tragedy” that
began when Britain issued the Balfour Declaration
a century ago.
Visiting UK Cabinet Office Minister Matthew
Hancock announced that “we are publishing new
guidance for public authorities in the UK that
makes clear that discriminating against members of
the WTO [World Trade Organization], including
Israel, is wrong and it is illegal and it must stop.”
The British government issued the guidance making
clear that “procurement boycotts by public
authorities are inappropriate.”
Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

Benefits of eating Fish

Fish is among the healthiest
foods on the planet.
It is loaded with important
nutrients, such as protein
and vitamin D.
Fish is also the world’s
best source of omega-3 fatty
acids, which are incredibly
important for your body and
brain.
Here are some benefits
1. Fish is High in Important Nutrients
That Most People Don’t Get Enough
of
Generally speaking, all types of fish are good for
you.
They are high in many nutrients that most people
aren’t getting enough of.
This includes high-quality protein, iodine and
various vitamins and minerals.
However, some fish are better than others, and the
fatty types of fish are considered the healthiest .
That’s because fatty fish (like salmon, trout,
sardines, tuna and mackerel) are higher in fat-based
nutrients.
This includes the fat-soluble vitamin D, a nutrient
that most people are deficient in. It functions like a
steroid hormone in the body.
Fatty fish are also much higher in omega-3 fatty
acids. These fatty acids are crucial for your body and
brain to function optimally, and are strongly linked
to reduced risk of many diseases ( 1 ).
To meet your omega-3 requirements, eating fatty
fish at least once or twice a week is recommended.
2. Fish May Lower Your Risk of Heart
Attacks and Strokes
Heart attacks and strokes
are the two most common
causes of premature death in
the world
Fish is generally considered
to be among the best foods you can eat for a
healthy heart.
Not surprisingly, many large observational studies
have shown that people who eat fish regularly seem
to have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and
death from heart disease.
In one study of more than 40,000 male health
professionals in the US, those who regularly ate 1
or more servings of fish per week had a 15% lower
risk of heart disease
Researchers believe that the fatty types of fish are
even more beneficial for heart health, because of
their high amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
3. Fish Contains Nutrients That Are
Crucial During Development
Omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for
growth and development.
The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
is especially important, because it accumulates in
the developing brain and eye ( 8 ).
For this reason, it is often recommended that
expecting and nursing mothers make sure to eat
enough omega-3 fatty acids ( 9 ).
However, there is one caveat with recommending fish
to expecting mothers. Some fish is high in mercury,
which ironically is linked to brain developmental
problems.
For this reason, pregnant women should only eat
fish that are low in the food chain (salmon,
sardines, trout, etc), and no more than 12 ounces
(340 grams) per week.
Pregnant women should also avoid raw and
uncooked fish (including sushi), because it may
contain microorganisms that can harm the fetus.
4. Fish May Increase Grey Matter in the
Brain and Protect it From Age-Related
Deterioration
One of the consequences of ageing is that brain
function often deteriorates (referred to as age-related
cognitive decline).
This is normal in many cases, but then there are
also serious neurodegenerative diseases like
Alzheimer’s disease.
Interestingly, many observational studies have
shown that people who eat more fish have slower
rates of cognitive decline ( 10).
One mechanism could be related to grey matter in
the brain. Grey matter is the major functional tissue
in your brain, containing the neurons that process
information, store memories and make you human.
Studies have shown that people who eat fish every
week have more grey matter in the centers of the
brain that regulate emotion and memory.
5. Fish May Help Prevent and Treat
Depression, Making You a Happier
Person
Depression is a serious and incredibly common
mental disorder.
It is characterized by low mood, sadness, decreased
energy and loss of interest in life and activities.
Although it isn’t talked about nearly as much as
heart disease or obesity, depression is currently one
of the world’s biggest health problems.
Studies have found that people who eat fish
regularly are much less likely to become depressed
( 12).
Numerous controlled trials have also found that
omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial against
depression, and significantly increase the
effectiveness of antidepressant medications ( 13 , 14 ,
15).
What this means is that fish can quite literally
make you a happier person and improve your quality
of life.
Fish and omega-3 fatty acids may also help with
other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder ( 16 )
6. Fish is The Only Good Dietary Source
of Vitamin D
Vitamin D has received a lot of mainstream
attention in recent years.
This important vitamin actually functions like a
steroid hormone in the body, and a whopping 41.6%
of the US population is deficient in it
Fish and fish products are the best dietary sources of
vitamin D, by far. Fatty fish like salmon and
herring contain the highest amounts
A single 4 ounce (113 gram) serving of cooked
salmon contains around 100% of the recommended
intake of vitamin D ( 19).
Some fish oils, such as cod liver oil, are also very
high in vitamin D, providing more than 200% of the
recommended intake in a single tablespoon ( 20 ).
If you don’t get much sun and don’t eat fatty
fish regularly, then you may want to consider taking
a vitamin D supplement .

S.A economy in crisis

The South African economy is 'in crisis' says the
country's finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
The comments came ahead of his Budget speech, in
which he cut the country's growth forecast for 2016
to 0.9%, down from 1.7%.
He conceded the economy was struggling with
shrinking growth, 25% unemployment, and
widespread poverty.
The South African currency, the rand, which has
halved over the past five years, fell after the speech.
It dropped 2.25% to make one rand worth around
$0.0639.
In a briefing ahead of the Budget, Mr Gordhan said:
"There is no doubt about the fact that we are in
crisis."
The measures announced in Parliament were aimed
at stopping the country falling into recession and to
appease the rating agencies who have threatened to
downgrade South Africa to junk status, which
would raise borrowing costs for the country.
Mr Gordhan unveiled government spending cuts, a
civil service job freeze and some moderate tax rises.
These tax increases affect property sales, fuel, sugary
drinks, alcohol, tobacco and and capital gains, as
well as environmental levies, which are expected to
bring in an extra 18bn rand ($1.18bn; £840m).
He had been expected to announce plans on
privatising state assets - he fell short of that but
said the government was looking at the possibility
of merging the loss-making national carrier, South
African Airways, with the state-owned SA Express
airline "with a view to engaging with a potential
minority equity partner".
Privatisation has long been resisted by sections of
the ruling African National Congress.
Mr Gordhan was blunt on his outlook for the
country.
"We cannot spend money we do not have. We
cannot borrow beyond our ability to repay. Until we
ignite growth and generate more revenue we have to
be tough on ourselves."
Maike Currie, investment director at Fidelity
International, said she was unsure if the measures
announced would stop the rating agencies cutting
their outlook for the country, as they have warned:
"There was no increase in VAT, which has remained
unchanged at 14% for two decades now, or income
tax hike as the finance minister looked to moderate
the impact of tax increases on struggling South
African households amid a testing economic
backdrop.
"Whether this will be enough to appease rating
agencies and businesses, however remains to be
seen".
She added that it was interesting that Mr Gordhan
had focused on cutting down government spending
without enforcing austerity measures on everyday
South Africans, such as raising income tax.
Analysis: Lerato Mbele, presenter, Africa Business
Report:
In his Budget speech, South Africa's finance
minister Pravin Gordhan was cautiously optimistic
and realistic about the challenges facing the
country.
He spoke about the need to tackle wasteful
expenditure and was candid about corruption.
The most blatant example of misuse of public funds
is the Nkandla scandal where officials used
taxpayers money to renovate the president's private
country home.
His strategy seems to be that of spending less in
order to save more.
The minister said that his focus will be to reduce
the government deficit to 3.2% this year, and over
the next three years.
The rand weakened after he had finished speaking
which suggests the markets are not convinced that
the minister has a recovery plan that will lift
growth and convince the ratings agencies before they
take a decision around May or June.
Concern
The ruling ANC party faces municipal elections later
this year and much was riding on this Budget to
turn the economic situation around. Although the
country is rich in mineral resources it has been hit
hard by the fall in global commodity prices. South
Africa's farmers have also been hit by the worst
drought in more than a century.
Last December, President Jacob Zuma shocked the
nation and the business community by suddenly
replacing the well-respected finance minister
Nhlanhla Nene with an ally and backbencher David
Van Rooyen.
The markets took a dim view, with foreign investors
withdrawing money and there were complaints
within his own ruling African National Congress
party.
Four days later President Zuma did a U turn and
re-appointed Mr Gordhan who had served as finance
minister for five years to 2014.

Brazil; UN health chief calls for fight against Zika

Continuing efforts to bolster the
international response to Zika,
World Health Organization
( WHO) Director-General
Margaret Chan arrived today in
the northeast of Brazil to visit
the area most affected by
neurological disorders suspected
of being linked to the virus,
including microcephaly in
babies.
The top United Nations health
official visited a hospital and
clinical research centre in
Recife, the capital of Pernambuco state where a
significant number of pregnant women who contracted the Zika virus during pregnancy have
delivered babies with microcephaly.
“A coordinated international response is needed
to improve surveillance, the detection of
infections, congenital malformations, and
neurological complications, to intensify the
control of mosquito populations, and to expedite
the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines
to protect people at risk, especially during
pregnancy,” Dr. Chan said.
Last year, as Zika was spreading through
northeastern Brazil, thousands of children with
suspected microcephaly were born in the region.
Though many causes of microcephaly exist,
suspicion has focused on Zika because the
incidence of such cases has increased in areas
where the virus has taken hold. In addition,
several countries, including Brazil, have
increased reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome,
a neurological disorder that can result in
paralysis.
Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) is also
taking part in the visit, which will contribute
to an ongoing assessment of the Zika virus
situation and response.
Last week, WHO launched its global Strategic
Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan
focusing on mobilizing and coordinating
partners, experts and resources to respond to the
spread of Zika virus and the neonatal
malformations and neurological conditions
associated with it.
As part of the high-level visit to Brazil, Dr.
Chan has visited Brazil’s National Center for
Risk and Disaster Management (CENAD) in
Brasilia and met with President Dilma
Rousseff.
At the beginning of February, following a first
meeting of the International Health Regulations
Emergency Committee on Zika, Dr Chan
announced that the cluster of microcephaly
cases and neurological disorders reported in
Brazil, following a similar cluster in French
Polynesia in 2014, constituted a public health
emergency of international concern.
The Committee advised, however, that there was
no public health justification for restrictions on
travel or trade to prevent the spread of Zika
virus.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy
Agency ( IAEA ) today announced plans to
facilitate the transfer of a nuclear technique to
Brazil to help the country’s battle with the
Zika virus by supressing the mosquito
populations that transmit the disease.
A cobalt-60 gamma cell irradiator is expected to
be transferred to the Brazilian non-profit Sterile
Insect Technique (SIT) centre Moscamed in
Juazeiro, Bahia, the IAEA announced at an
expert meeting in the Brazilian capital of
Brasilia.
It could, in a few months, help scale up the
production of sterile male mosquitoes to be
released in selected areas, and they, once
released, mate with wild females who do not
produce any offspring, effectively suppressing
the insect population over time, experts said,
agreeing that SIT was an efficient, safe,
environmentally neutral and sustainable method
to control mosquito populations and fight
vector-borne diseases like Zika and dengue fever.
“Our discussion summarized the current status
of all methods that can be used to fight
disease-transmitting mosquitoes,” said Marc
Vreysen, who heads the insect pest control
laboratory at the Division of Nuclear
Techniques in Food and Agriculture, a shared
office between the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) and IAEA.
Moscamed has long experience in applying SIT
to fight insect pests, and was one of the first
facilities to mass rear sterilized mosquitoes in
the world,” said its Director, Jair Virginio.
“The irradiator would allow our facility to
produce up to 12 million sterilized male Aedes
aegypti mosquitos per week, reaching up to 750
000 people in 15 municipalities in the Brazilian
states of Bahia and Pernambuco, which have
been particularly hard-hit by Zika.”
The announcement was made, as international
experts from 12 countries gathered in Brasilia
for a two-day meeting to share experiences on
the use of SIT as part of a comprehensive
approach to control mosquito populations along
with other methods, such as site inspections
and fumigation.
The meeting, organized in cooperation with
Brazilian Ministry of Health, is part of the
IAEA’s response to the current Zika outbreak
in Central and South America. The World
Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika an
international public health emergency earlier
this month.

Italy faces fine over CIA abduction of Egyptian cleric

Former pres. Jonathan congratulates Shagari @ 91

Former President Goodluck Jonathan
has congratulated the nation’s first Executive
President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, as he turns 91
today, describing him as an inspiration to many
Nigerians.
Jonathan, who made this known in a statement
issued yesterday by Ikechukwu Eze, his media
adviser, described Shagari as a blessing to the
nation.
He added that Shagari’s long-standing
commitment to peace and development would
continue to inspire many Nigerians to offer their
best to their fatherland.
He said: “I am glad the Almighty Allah has
blessed you with long life and good health, in
line with your selfless dedication to noble causes
and human progress.
“You have been of immense blessing to Nigeria
while serving her in various capacities as a
teacher, nationalist, politician and statesman.
“The nation will continue to be grateful to you
because of your vision, wisdom, democratic ideals
and outstanding achievements as President."
“Your altruism, patriotism and long-standing
commitment to peace and development will
continue to inspire many Nigerians to offer their
best to their country.”
The former President further prayed to God to
grant Shagari more productive years to see a
more united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.

F A cup Fixtures

Saturday 12th March 2016
F A cup Fixtures Matches-- sixth round
Everton v Chelsea 15:00
Man Utd v West Ham 15:00
Reading v Crystal Palace 15:00
Arsenal or Hull v Watford 15:00

Man U and FA damaged the Cup more than Pellegrini ever did

o paraphrase a question supposedly
asked of George Best in a hotel
bedroom, where did it all go wrong
for the FA Cup ?
The answer remains the same:
Manchester. There are two obvious
salients to help chart the decline of the
nation’s favourite knockout
competition, and both involve decisions
made in and around Old Trafford over
the past couple of decades. The first was
Manchester United pulling out of the
2000 event, with the shameless
connivance of the Football Association,
to visit Brazil instead in what we now
know to be a hopelessly naive attempt
to win votes for a World Cup in
England.
What seemed a poor decision at the
time looks even worse from today’s
perspective, particularly as United were
not only the holders but defending the
Treble. Few teams will ever get the
chance to do that, and although the
domestic cup is clearly the weakest
element of the three titles, that it should
have been the FA helping undermine
the importance of its own competition
remains scandalous.
The next big low point came almost a
decade later, when United were beaten
by Everton in a 2009 Wembley semi-
final through fielding a weakened team.
Everton would never have got past a
full-strength United side, and failed to
convince in the final against Chelsea,
but Sir Alex Ferguson decided players
such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano
Ronaldo would be better saved for
Champions League challenges ahead.
This was not the first time Ferguson had
made clear through team selection that
the FA Cup was low on his list of
priorities, and other managers had done
the same by this point, yet disrespecting
the competition at the semi-final stage
was a new slap in the face. In the old
days teams would never have done such
a thing when they were 90 minutes
from Wembley, but United already were
at Wembley (pah!) and nothing could
have demonstrated more starkly that the
old days and the old ways had been
consigned to history.
So all those accusing Manuel Pellegrini
of perpetrating the worst ever act of
vandalism on the FA Cup are wrong.
Chelsea v Manchester City ought to have
been the tie of the round and it was sad
to see how it ended up at the weekend,
but managers are paid to make
decisions and there was not only logic
but precedent behind Pellegrini’s
reasoning. He might yet end up with egg
on his face in either Europe or the
Capital One Cup final this week –
Ferguson’s careful husbanding of his
resources in 2009 saw United squeeze
past Arsenal in the Champions League
semis only to fall short against
Barcelona in the final in Rome – but
when you have a lengthy injury list and
three big matches in three different
competitions in the space of eight days,
then something has to give.
Those arguing that Pellegrini has turned
his back on more attainable silverware
are also being slightly unfair. In all
probability the FA Cup would have been
easier to win than the Champions
League, in which City have generally
struggled against the top sides. It would
have been easy too for Pellegrini to
concentrate on the domestic prizes in
his farewell season, so as not to bow out
empty-handed.
But the brief when Pellegrini arrived
was to advance and improve the team
in Europe, and he is doggedly sticking
to it. City have never been in the last
eight of the Champions League, and
now they have a chance. Even if they
don’t make it any further that at least is
experience in the bank for the next
manager to build upon. In the circles in
which City are now moving, the
company they are aspiring to keep, an
FA Cup win by itself would not be a
satisfactory return. Look at Arsenal.
They are pleased with two successive FA
Cups though not exactly delighted.
Mostly they are just relieved the joking
has stopped.
That is, of course, the trouble. Touching
as it was to hear City fans complaining
they fancied a day out at Wembley in
May, the bottom line is that the
Champions League and the FA Cup exist
in the same space. If you are lucky
enough to be involved in the first, you
are unlikely to allow the second to
compromise your chances. Occasional
treble feats might suggest otherwise,
though to win a treble you need to be
the best team in your country by a
considerable distance, and keep your
best players fit through the business
part of the season.

City are not in that situation, and it
must be remembered that though
United’s Cup final against Newcastle in
their Treble year was something of a
formality, the semi-final against Arsenal
involved a replay, a last-minute penalty
save and a prodigious winning goal . It
could have gone either way.
Even so, the fact that everyone
remembers Ryan Giggs’s memorable
winner means the FA Cup was alive and
well as recently as 1999. It still meant
something then, because both Arsenal
and United gave it everything they had.
Then United pulled out the following
season, and the decade that followed
brought a succession of mostly drab
finals – exceptions can be made for
2001 and 2006 – mainly because each
one involved teams from the Champions
League elite.
That expression, Champions League
elite, is ultimately where everything
went wrong for the FA Cup. In all the
years when only the champions from
each country contested the European
Cup the two competitions happily
existed side by side.
Things started to change from 1997‑98
when runners-up were first admitted,
and from the millennium onwards up to
four teams from the major leagues could
take part. Check those dates against the
perceived decline of the FA Cup. That’s
where the glory went.
How could it ever retain its old status
when the best four teams in the country
were required to play bigger, more
glamorous, more lucrative games at the
same time? Now people are talking
about switching to midweek or
scrapping replays, when they should be
looking instead at the insidious creep of
the Champions League. Ought it really
take a whole month to sort out the
round of 16?
That’s eight separate match-nights, from
16 February to 16 March, or four whole
closed midweeks, because Uefa will not
tolerate any televised competition to its
prestige tournament. Now the notion is
even being mooted that slackers such as
Manchester United should be allowed
access through a Champions League
wildcard. Keep an eye on that one.
Nothing in the Champions League’s
short history allows confidence that bad
ideas that work in favour of big clubs
will be rejected out of hand.
Too much of the debate over the past
week has assumed it is the FA Cup that
has become a problem. It certainly has
a few problems, though its basic
precepts of fairness, accessibility and
opportunity ought to be celebrated
rather than abandoned or adapted in
the name of progress.
Especially if progress is represented by
a competition that was designed to be
elitist, self-enriching and disruptive.
Stealthily invading space that belongs to
others while refusing to make
concessions of its own, the biggest
problem here is the one hiding in plain
view.

Campaigning underway for Iran’s first national elections

Final campaigning is underway in Iran, ahead
of Friday’s elections for parliament and the
body that will choose the country’s next
supreme leader.
Allies of President Hassan Rouhani hope to
gain influence. But moves by hardliners to
block moderate candidates – and disillusion over
Rouhani’s stalled reforms – do not make it
easy for them.
Reformist candidates are upbeat.
“Looking at past experience. Fortunately, we
have been successful in different spheres,
including the economy sphere. God willing we
will continue along the same path,” said
reformist candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref.
Last year’s nuclear deal lifted crippling
sanctions and created hope of an economic
upturn and higher living standards.
Conservatives are putting the economy at the
heart of their campaigning.
“Because we believe that today the country’s
big problem is economic problems and the
future parliament should deal with that,” said
candidate Gholam Ali Hadad Alel.
The hardline Guardian Council, which vets
candidates and laws, has blocked thousands of
mostly moderate hopefuls from standing in the
parliamentary election.
It has also barred almost 80 percent of
candidates in the poll for the Assembly of
Experts, which will eventually choose the
successor of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.

Libya: Islamist fighters are pushed back in Benghazi

Relieved residents have been celebrating in
Benghazi after Islamist militants were forced
out of parts of the eastern Libyan city by forces
loyal to the internationally recognised
government.
The victory for supporters of military
commander Khalifa Haftar, a leading figure in
the 2011 revolution, comes despite fears over
ISIL’s expanded presence in Libya, exploiting
the security vacuum left when Colonel Gaddafi
was toppled.
Benghazi has seen some of the worst violence in
the conflict that has plagued Libya ever since.
The country still has two rival administrations
although a UN-backed plan for a future unity
government is starting to take shape.
In the meantime, the US special envoy to the
coalition fighting ISIL, Brett McGurk, warned
on Tuesday that the group is trying to attract
as many foreign fighters to Libya as possible.

Xiaomi fires shots at Apple as it launches smartphone

Xiaomi launched its Mi5 smartphone on
Wednesday, using its first ever European launch
event to take on Samsung and Apple handsets and
build up its brand beyond its current markets.
The Chinese mobile company took the wraps off the
5.15 inch Mi5 smartphone which will cost 2,699
yuan ($354) for the top-end 120 gigabyte version
and 1,999 yuan for the 32 GB handset.
Xiaomi's Mi5 will be available from March 1 in
China and will roll out to the company's other
markets such as India.
A few of the key features include:
A 16 megapixel back camera and 4 megapixel
selfie camera
A fingerprint sensor
A curved back
White and gold models available.
The smartphone maker, which is valued at around
$45 billion, has seen huge growth due to its tactic
of selling low-price, high-spec smartphones and
using a mix of social media and selling direct to
the consumer to build its brand.
But as the smartphone market slows, particularly
in China, Xiaomi is looking beyond its current
markets and to the West where there is a big
demand for its devices.
Xiaomi has previously signaled its intent to break
into the U.S. and European market but has always
declined to give a specific timeframe.
"We primarily focus on existing markets…we're
beginning to work our way into other markets,"
Barra told CNBC in a TV interview on Wednesday.
Analysts said that Xiaomi would be looking for
growth elsewhere amid slower growth in China.
"It's little surprise Xiaomi has gone for a big
European launch. As the Chinese smartphone
market plateaus, it is essential Xiaomi (and other
Chinese phone makers) drive growth in
international markets," Ben Wood, chief of research
at CCS Insight, told CNBC by email.
"The big questions for Xiaomi are whether it has
overcome the intellectual property challenges it has
faced to date and how it builds its brand to
Western consumers who will never have heard of
the brand?"
Hugo Barra, international vice-president, addressed
the patent issue at MWC, saying that the company
filed 3,600 patents last year globally. Barra told
CNBC in December that Xiaomi had filed over
6,000 patents with 40 percent of them in 2015
being filed outside of China.
The Chinese upstart currently holds a 4.6 percent
smartphone market share, according to IDC, and is
hoping to increase that this year with the Mi5.
During the event, Barra constantly compared the
Mi5 to rivals Apple and Samsung, a feature that is
often seen in Xiaomi's launches as it looks to
position its brand alongside the world's biggest
smartphone makers.Most of Xiaomi's success in
China has been built on the ability to get users to
spend money on its software and services. There are
some doubts about whether Xiaomi can replicate
this model abroad when it expands into western
markets where Google and Apple's services
dominate.
But Barra said that the sales model would be
transferable globally and Xiaomi was already
starting to make moves in this space.
"We'll bring this to other markets…so lot of
exciting evolution ahead which will allow us to
bring our internet content outside of China," Barra
told CNBC.

So Europe could throw out changes

the closest kind, making strong but completely
contradictory claims in the referendum campaign.
David Cameron has boasted that the deal he secured
in Brussels with the 27 other European leaders is
legally binding, and cannot be reversed.
He believes the promises in the deal have legal force,
and that will be incorporated into EU law as part
of treaty agreements in the future.
But in his first interview since announcing his
decision to campaign to leave the European Union,
the man who is responsible for the English legal
system, Michael Gove, suggests that European
judges could throw out the changes that Mr
Cameron fought so hard to achieve.
And he urges voters to realise that the European
Court still "stands above every nation state". He
believes nothing in the deal will change that.
Given his role, and his closeness to the prime
minister, Mr Gove's views have considerable
significance in the early days of this fraught
campaign.
With his customary sharp politeness, Mr Gove
explained repeatedly how Mr Cameron's assertion
that the deal can't be unpicked is essentially wrong.
He carefully stepped around making that direct
accusation, saying instead: "There are two things
which are true.
"The first thing is the prime minister is right: this is
an agreement between 28 nations and all have
agreed that they will abide by it.
"But above those nations sits the European Court of
Justice."
But clearly, he, as now one of the senior members
of the Vote Leave campaign, is disappointed that the
prime minister's negotiations did not achieve his
original aim of "full-on treaty change" and wants to
highlight what he believes are the limitations of
what's been achieved.
Mr Gove's comments will be catnip for Eurosceptics
who've already been arguing that Mr Cameron's deal
is hardly worth the paper it's written on.
For David Cameron, maintaining the sense that the
deal he's achieved can and will improve the UK's
relationship with the rest of the European Union in
a meaningful way is a vital part of his campaign.
It's one thing Tories from different parts, different
generations of the party, disagreeing. It's quite
another when it is two who have shared political
hopes, ambition, and even family holidays.
Michael Gove praised Mr Cameron's generosity in
allowing ministers to disagree publicly. But politics
has moved into a phase when friendships and
loyalties will be tested like never before.

Liver Transplanted

 A third cadaver liver transplant
took place in the city on Sunday when a
young donor's organ was transported to
Ruby Hall Clinic from Aurangabad
through a green corridor on a 230-km
stretch.
. . The road journey between Aurangabad and
Pune that would have taken five hours
was accomplished in 2 hours and 45
minutes with coordinated efforts from
doctors, the traffic police, the district
administration and ancillary staff.
.
. The donor was a road accident victim from
Aurangabad and the recipient a 50-year-
old man in Pune. The donor was declared
brain dead on Friday night. His other vital
organs, including the heart and two
kidneys were retrieved on Sunday morning.
His heart was flown to Chennai and the
two kidneys were transplanted into two
patients in Aurangabad.
"The liver got allocated to Ruby Hall
Clinic from Aurangabad-based Zonal
Transplant Coordination Committee
(ZTCC) on Saturday afternoon,"
transplant coordinator Surekha Joshi of
Ruby Hall Clinic said.
. . The hospital's chief transplant surgeons
Manish Varma and Kamlesh Bokil
hastened to Seth Nandlal Dhoot Hospital
in Aurangabad for retrieving the liver of
Rambhau Ubale (28), a resident of Wai
village in Mantha taluka in Jalna district.
. . Ubale had sustained severe head injuries in
a road accident in Jalna district on
February 18. He was brought to a private
hospital in Aurangabad. Efforts were made
to revive him, but he was declared brain-
dead on Friday night (February 18). When
contacted by the hospital organ donation
coordinator, his wife and other family
members agreed to donate his organs.
. . "The retrieval began at 9.30am on Sunday.
The man's heart was retrieved by a team
from Chennai. The liver, kept in an organ
preservative solution, reached us in our
ambulance in less than three hours
through the green corridor. The recipient
was suffering from liver cirrhosis for eight
years," transplant physician Sheetal
Mahajani, chief of transplant department
at Ruby Hall Clinic, said.
. . Post-retrieval, the heart must be
transplanted in four hours and liver in 12
hours.
 The accident victim was declared officially
brain dead on Saturday at 2.30pm,
Aurangabad ZTCC chairman Sudhir
Kulkarni said.
. . Chief surgeon and Seth Nandlal Dhoot
hospital CEO, Vijay Borgaonkar said
Ubale's heart, liver and two kidneys that
were harvested on Sunday were
transplanted. For the first time, the heart
had travelled 1,000 km, the longest, from
Aurangabad to Chennai, he added.
. . Search for recipients
. . State health officials and the ZTCC
authorities of Pune, Mumbai and Chennai
decided that the liver would go to Mumbai
(Global Hospital), while the heart and
lungs would be taken to Chennai's Global
Hospital and the kidneys to two hospitals
in Aurangabad.
. . "However, the patient's condition in
Chennai, who was to get both the heart
and the lungs, deteriorated. But the Tamil
Nadu ZTCC recommended the heart
donations to Fortis Hospital in Chennai.
The recipient was a young boy of 17 years,
the son of a navy official. The harvesting
of the lungs was dropped since no
recipient could be identified within such
short period," a state health official said.
The liver came to Pune because the
Mumbai patient's condition deteriorated.
This is the second time that liver went to
Pune from Aurangabad within a month's
span, the official added.
. . One kidney was transplanted into a 45-
year-old resident of Aurangabad, who was
on peritoneal dialysis for the past five
years, while the other renal transplant was
done on a 34-year-old patient from Jalna
who was suffering from end-stage renal
disease.

Brendon McCullum and three years of scripting a folklore

Brendon McCullum

For a land fascinated with Rugby, and mired with
allegations of match-fixing in cricket, for the latter
to emerge into prominence, the game needed a hero
who could have folklore scripted around him. There
was Richard Hadlee, there was Martin Crowe, but
they were long gone. For sheer romance, Brendon
McCullum's game lacked poetry. He was more brash
and aggressive with his game to ever have elegance
find a place; entertaining and gentlemanly,
nonetheless.
Trent Boult, who has gone on to become the leader
of New Zealand's pace attack, said, "He has
changed the game in a way. The way New
Zealanders have got behind cricket, behind the team
is because of him and his style of play, his
attacking captaincy."
When he walked out to play his final Test, there
were placards in his honour at the Hagley Oval,
#ThankYouBaz trending online and long-time
arch-rivals Australia giving him the guard of
honour. All of this would've been an unlikely
thought two years back.
Then...
New Zealand, for long, weren't world beaters. They
weren't what the cricketing world likes to define the
less-competitive as - minnows, either. Somewhere
in between the two, they were always a side that
produced a few extraordinarily talented cricketers
and athletes, who harnessed their skills in another
sport/s during the winter months. What they
always did possess was a line of brilliant captains,
who somehow make did with an offering of a
string of all-rounders and a few good men to form
a formidable unit.
When Stephen Fleming, the country's most
successful captain, retired, the line of progression to
take New Zealand cricket forward was known. It
was Daniel Vettori followed by Ross Taylor. While
too many niggles and injuries kept the former out
of action for long, the latter faced an
unceremonious axing following a string of defeats.
Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, had
suggested that Taylor relinquish his role as captain
in limited-overs cricket to concentrate on his
batting. Not too pleased with the turn of events
and the idea of split captaincy, Taylor decided to
take a break from cricket and wasn't too keen on
leading the side in Tests alone. Hesson may have
been convinced that McCullum, whom he had
known since the latter was six years old, could fit
the bill. But his record wasn't anything to boast
about.
He may have played 70 consecutive matches till
then without getting dropped. But he primarily held
his position in the side for the lack of better
options. He wasn't an extraordinary wicketkeeper
either. As a Test batsman, he averaged in the
mid-30s. It was only against Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe and India that he scored more than 40
runs an innings. More importantly, unlike in One-
Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20s, he wasn't a
game-changer in Tests. His accomplishments till
then belonged to the league of far more ordinary
men than those who were accorded a guard of
honour on their farewell Test.
As a batsman, there were doubts about McCullum's
ability to play the long innings. He could unsettle
a few plans for a minor period. But, in late 2012,
things started to change for the man from Otaga
and for New Zealand cricket.
Forging world-beaters
"Tough times don't last, but tough blokes do"
- Brendon McCullum's text message to Alastair
Cook when the English captain was going through
a tough phase.
For long, New Zealand had a tough time to find a
settled batting order in Tests. Kane Williamson
wasn't the best batsman in the side, let alone being
one of the finest in the world. Jesse Ryder's
disciplinary issues found him in and out of the
team too often. Ross Taylor was too good to be left
out, but too inconsistent to have been persisted
with for long. So was the case with Tim Southee.
An array of fine all-rounders had retired and there
weren't able replacements.
For a year since McCullum took over, New Zealand
didn't win a single match. They were whitewashed
against South Africa in a two-match series, drew
against England at home and against Bangladesh
in Bangladesh. The first Test against West Indies
too ended in a draw.
Something had to change - for New Zealand as a
team and McCullum as a player. He was a highly
successful T20 batsman, arguably the best in world
cricket. His style was never in sync with Test
cricket. He could play only in one gear. He may
not have been a Shahid Afridi, but he wasn't a
Virender Sehwag either. Somewhere, in between, he
found his identity. He rarely played long innings.
but changed the course of the match in whatever
little he could. It was only until India found out
otherwise in February 2014.
A match-winning double hundred was followed by
a match-saving triple. The second knock was an
exhibition of patience, application and
determination to believe that all was not over. It
was at this point that New Zealand cricket was
creating a brand for itself, a brand of aggressive
and entertaining cricket. They went all-out on
attack, providing thrill-a-minute contest,
transferring a style which got them success in
limited-overs to the longest format.
Over the last one year, McCullum himself went on
to shift a gear higher. The 188-ball 202 against
Pakistan, the 134-ball 195 against Sri Lanka and
the 28-ball 41 against England - all came in
winning causes. And even when it didn't, like the
run-a-ball 80 in Brisbane or the 79-ball 145
against Australia, it shifted the momentum in
favour of New Zealand, forcing the Australian
captain to adopt a defensive field.
Hadlee defined the turn of events in New Zealand
cricket rather simply: "There is something special
going on in our game at present and it is summed
up in one word: McCullum"
When he eventually called it quits, the question
that was popped, as many other celebrated
cricketers would have liked to hear, was - 'why?'.
With 6,453 runs, McCullum finished as the second-
highest run-getter for the country in Tests. He has
the most double centuries and the highest
individual score in an innings for a New Zealander.
He also hit most number of sixes ever in the longest
format, apart from playing every single match for
the country from debut to retirement (a world
record). He brought in crowds to the stadium and
had sub-continent fans get up early morning
frustratingly to find the streaming links of New
Zealand matches. He infused life into New Zealand
cricket, making them the most exciting bunch to
watch display their art.
John Wright, who stepped down as New Zealand's
coach in August 2012, said, "I knew that New
Zealand are going to have a good period of cricket.
So that doesn't surprise me. They are playing an
exciting brand of cricket under Brendon. That is
what he has personally brought and encouraged.
It's a very good bunch of cricketers that has come
through and matured. They are going to have a
very good period of cricket in the next five to six
years. I think it's one of the best New Zealand
teams."
New Zealand may have failed to beat England in
the four-match Test series, but that also began a
three-year unbeaten run at home. The 14-match
streak lasted till the third Test against Sri Lanka.
The only home series defeat that McCullum faced
as a captain was his farewell series. The two other
series defeats that New Zealand faced under him
was against South Africa in South Africa and
against Australia in Australia.
Describing his captain's contribution, Southee had
said a few months back, "He has changed the game
and other teams are trying to be as attacking as
Brendon has been. He has, sort of, set a standard
as captain to follow. Others are trying to emulate
what Brendon is doing, his aggressive mindset."
Unfortunately for Brendon, much like the World
Cup 2015 campaign which ended with a defeat in
the final, his farewell Test didn't have a result
befitting his career and captaincy. But like so many
other facets of cricket, therein lies the beauty of the
sport, therein lies the narration for a folklore.
"I think there is something pretty romantic about
finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand
crowds and in New Zealand grounds,"