FLEMING ISLAND | The Clay County School Board voting 3-2 sided with Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. and rejected recommendations made by an independent special magistrate regarding teacher salary, insurance benefits and job security. The decision provoked jeers, threats of election day retaliation and other angry responses from the standing-room-only overflow crowd of at least 300 teachers and their supporters who packed the board room. The Clay County Education Association, representing all district instructional employees, already adopted all the magistrate s recommendations and urged School Board members to follow suit during a contentious 2 1/2-hour contract impasse hearing Thursday morning.

Van Zant and the majority of the board opposed the recommendations. They mainly cited the district s financial situation specifically the need to ensure its reserve fund remains at the minimum 3 percent level mandated by the state. The district recently attained that goal for the first time since the 2012-13 school year. The board decision maintains the contract status quo. The current contract remains in place, and the two sides will head back to the bargaining table next year to try to negotiate a new one.

Voting to uphold Van Zant s rejection of the recommendations were board Chairwoman Johnna McKinnon, Vice Chairwoman Ashley Gilhousen and member Betsy Condon. Supporting the union and magistrate s recommendations were board members Janice Kerekes and Carol Studdard. The board quickly left without comment. Clay County sheriff s deputies served as security during the meeting and escorted all the members to their cars in the parking lot as a precaution given the emotional borderline hostile tone of the crowd throughout the hearing.

Renna Lee Paiva, union president, said after the hearing that they were not surprised by the board s action. It was expected. It s obviously scripted by the three school board members said Paiva. Prior to voting, McKinnon, Gilhousen and Condon gave similar explanations for rejecting the recommendations that Paiva said echoed Van Zant s reasoning in a recent email sent to district teachers regarding the impasse and hearing.

They got their marching orders. So, we knew to expect it, Paiva said.

After the decision, Van Zant said the bottom line is money. Right now, he said there is none to give teachers the raises they want and deserve.

At every opportunity when the Clay County School Board has had the money to offer a raise or to buy-down the cost of health insurance, I ve been supportive of it, said Van Zant, noting that includes the 14 years he served on the board before being elected superintendent in 2012. He also said Clay now pays a beginning teacher $38,500 compared to about $25,500 in 1998 when he came on the school board.

This year the union asked for about $1,000 in some kind of a raise. The district countered with about $500 , said Van Zant, adding the union left the bargaining table about the third time the two negotiating teams sat down to talk. We would all like to see our teachers paid more, then we all have to sit down and work through this.

Paiva said the issue is over and done. The current contract now goes before the union members for a ratification vote. They can accept or reject it, but next year new contract negotiations begin, she said. Van Zant said it then will come back to the board for action. The district has about 2,700 teachers.

On Thursday, the district either used substitute teachers, divided up students among classes or in a few instances, had school administrators filled in for the teachers attending the hearing, according to Tracy Butler, service unit director for the teachers union. Special Magistrate Leonard T. Helfand issued a report and recommendations on seven items at issue in the impasse. He supported the union on five and the district on the remaining two. The union accepted them all. But the district only accepted the two recommendation supporting its position. That disconnect led to the impasse hearing.

The hearing got off to a rocky start when Kerekes and Studdard tried and failed to convince the board to table the meeting until an evening session. Kerekes and Studdard, siding with the union, objected to holding it during the day when many teachers and support employees as well as parents were unable to attend without taking time off from their jobs. In two separate 3-2 votes, the board rejected moving the meeting to a night session and extending the public comment period.

The crowd most wearing red to show solidarity as well as wearing badges stating, Budgets Reflect Priorities, and holding signs saying We Will Vote You Out in August booed and berated the board Van Zant and the board majority that supported him. Van Zant, McKinnon and Studdard are running for re-election this year and all face challengers. The countywide primary is Aug.

30 and could decide those and other local races a fact referenced by several of the dozen teachers who spoke out during the public comment period. Kerkes, Gilhousen and Condon are halfway through their first terms. Teacher Christopher Trahan told the board to consider what message they want to send to the county s voters

All eyes are now on each of you.

Your decision today will tell the voters one of two things, either you stand with the teachers of Clay County or you have no regard or respect for us as professionals, Trahan said. Trahan also said failure to support the magistrate s ruling will tell the voters that you are committed to continuing to neglect the well-being and the needs of your own employees.

It is impossible to put our students first if teachers repeatedly are put last, Trahan said. The crowd wildly cheered and loudly applauded the remarks by Trahan and other teachers. They did the same for the union leaders as they presented their case to the board. On the other hand, the audience booed and tried to shout down board attorneys and three members opposing the recommendations.

McKinnon warned the audience several times to be civil and respectful of the speakers or she would have the deputies escort them from the hearing. Nobody got thrown out. But nobody left happy.

Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075

A prisoner posted a review and pictures from inside his “4-star” police cell.

Christian Willoughby described the staff at Grimsby Police Station, Lincolnshire, as “pleasant enough” and added: “Had my own on-suite (sic) room and butler”. He shared a series of photographs of the food and his room on Facebook after being arrested for what he described as a “misdemeanor”. When asked how he managed to get his phone into the cells he replied “it’s an iPad”.

He posted a picture of a tray of food on Wednesday morning and said: “2 sausages floating around a runny sauce with a threw (sic) diced potatoes thrown in. Lovely.”

Later the same day he shared another six photos and wrote: “I’ve given this place 4 stars. It’s the all day breakfast that lets it down really.

“Apart from that the staff are pleasant enough. Had my own on-suite (sic) room and butler … Who would come with tea and newspapers.

“Room was nice, the minimalistic idea was a nice touch. It was secure and safe … Quadruple glazing and security door.

Ideal place for winding down after a hard day. I’d definitely come back.”

Humberside Police said the breach of security is being investigated. Chief Inspector James Glansfield said: “The force are aware of pictures apparently of the Grimsby Custody Suite on social media.

“These appear to have been taken by a prisoner while in custody on Wednesday March 9.

“We take any such breach of security and detainee safety extremely seriously and will be carrying out a review of our detainee management to identify any lessons learned and prevent further reoccurrences in the future.

“The force’s Professional Standards Branch are investigating the circumstances of the incident.”

The value of the US and UK’s special relationship has been reaffirmed in the wake of Barack Obama’s criticism of David Cameron for his actions over Libya.

The president was critical of European nations – including the UK – which joined the US in military action to prevent a massacre in Libya in 2011, but then failed to prevent the north African country becoming a “mess” in the aftermath of war. In a lengthy interview in The Atlantic magazine, he said Mr Cameron became “distracted” from Libya by other priorities, while he accused then French president Nicolas Sarkozy of seeking to hog the spotlight for his part in countering dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s attempt to put down a rebellion. But the Prime Minister was described as a “close partner” of Mr Obama in a statement from a US National Security Council spokesman in the wake of the interview.

“Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had, and we deeply value the UK’s contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship,” spokesman Edward Price told ITV News.

“With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us – including the United States – could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.

“More broadly, the UK has stepped up on a range of issues, including PM Cameron’s leadership within Nato in terms of meeting the 2% commitment and pressing the other members of the alliance to do so at the Wales Summit.”

Mr Cameron’s official spokeswoman declined to comment on private conversations between Mr Obama and the Prime Minister, but insisted that Britain had made efforts to help the people of Libya build a stable and peaceful future in the wake of Gaddafi’s overthrow.

“We would share the president of the United States’ assessment that there are some real challenges in Libya,” she told a regular Westminster media briefing.

“That is why we are continuing to work hard with our international partners, including the US, and through the United Nations to support the process in Libya that puts in place a government that can bring stability to that country.”

In the interview, Mr Obama warned Mr Cameron that the UK would have to pay its “fair share” on defence if it wanted to maintain the special relationship. He also explained why he had decided to involve the US in military action in Libya, despite some advisers telling him that the situation was not America’s problem.

“The way I looked at it was that it would be our problem if, in fact, complete chaos and civil war broke out in Libya,” said Mr Obama. “But this is not so at the core of US interests that it makes sense for us to unilaterally strike against the Gaddafi regime.

“At that point, you’ve got Europe and a number of Gulf countries who despise Gaddafi, or are concerned on a humanitarian basis, who are calling for action. But what has been a habit over the last several decades in these circumstances is people pushing us to act but then showing an unwillingness to put any skin in the game … Free riders.

“So what I said at that point was, we should act as part of an international coalition. But because this is not at the core of our interests, we need to get a UN mandate; we need Europeans and Gulf countries to be actively involved in the coalition; we will apply the military capabilities that are unique to us, but we expect others to carry their weight.”

Mr Obama said that the intervention “averted large-scale civilian casualties (and) prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict”.

But he added: “And despite all that, Libya is a mess.”

He left no doubt that he felt blame rested with Europe over the continuing chaos in Libya.

“When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, there’s room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya’s proximity, being invested in the follow-up,” said Mr Obama. Mr Cameron became “distracted by a range of other things”, he said. And he said that Mr Sarkozy “wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure” for the intervention.

The PM’s spokeswoman said that Mr Cameron had made clear many times that he still believes military intervention in Libya was “absolutely the right thing to do” and noted that he had put support for the country on the agenda when the UK hosted the G8 in Northern Ireland in 2013.

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References

1. ^ The Human Factor: The hidden cyber security vulnerability inside every business (business-reporter.co.uk)
2. ^ Best CCTV Home Security Systems Installations London (www.securicocctv.co.uk)
3. ^ Outdoor Wireless Security Cameras Systems Kayaks (rojas.bid)

This is the moment bystanders were left stunned as a base jumper leapt from the top of the Shard this morning. Shocked passers-by watched as a man attached to a large, green parachute jumped from the capital s tallest building. Wine merchants Philglas & Swiggot captured photographs of the moment and tweeted: Just saw this guy #basejump from #london #shard #boroughmarket. Absolutely mental!!

The daredevil landed in St Thomas Street, not far from Borough Market, police said.

Witness Justin Knock, 41, told the Standard: “He had a very tight loop to follow to land in St Thomas Street.

“He landed and someone helped him pack his chute then he bolted for the Tube.

“Minutes later police and Shard security were right there looking for him.”

Witness Brian Smith told The Sun: “I haven’t seen anything like that before, I have no idea what he was thinking.

“He was moving quite fast and kind of swinging or swaying from side to side.

“He landed in the road here and sprinted off and that was it, everyone around just looked around and laughed. The daredevil jumped from the top of the Shard @PhilglasSwiggot

“They couldn’t believe it.”

And traffic signal engineer David Hilton told the paper: “I just looked up and saw him circling, he was kind of moving from side to side in the air as if to keep his parachute under control.

“I saw the whole thing and was totally dumbstruck. Jumping off point: The Shard (Jeremy Selwyn)

“He landed in the road, picked-up his parachute, and then ran off.”

The parachuter landed in St Thomas Street @PhilglasSwiggot

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: We were called at 10.18am to reports of a man parachuting from the Shard and landed in St Thomas Street.

We did attend. We are not aware of any injuries and there have been no arrests.

It is not known how the unidentified parachuter got past security to leap from the building the 87th tallest in the world. The Shard has recently become a popular conquest for daredevils including magician Dynamo, who performed a levitating stunt from the top of the 1,017ft landmark. In 2012, Essex roofer Dan Witchalls made it past security guards and videoed himself jumping from the building four times.

A spokesperson for the Shard said: We can confirm that we are investigating an incident involving a member of the public this morning.

All parts of the building remain open.

United Nations The UN Security Council on Friday in New York adopted the Resolution 2272 (2016), aimed at preventing and combating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) by UN peacekeepers. The resolution was adopted by 14 votes in favour, with abstention by Egypt. The Council specifically endorsed the decision of the Secretary-General to repatriate a particular military unit or formed police unit of a contingent when there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse by that unit.

The decision was one of several recommendations in a report that was presented on Thursday by the UN chief to the 15-member body which for the first time ever, listed the names of the countries of alleged perpetrators. It also showed an increase in the number of new allegations in 2015, with 69 of the total 99 allegations lodged against UN personnel serving in peace operations. The U.S.-sponsored text, adopted as resolution, further requested that the UN Secretary-General should replace all units of the troop- or police-contributing country from which the perpetrator is from, if appropriate steps have not been taken by the country to investigate the allegation.

Furthermore, the Council urged the secretary-general to take appropriate steps when the perpetrators have not been held accountable, and/or when there has been failure to inform the UN about progress of investigation or actions taken. The resolution also highlighted the Council s deep concern over the continuing and serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Central African Republic (CAR), as well as in other UN peacekeeping operations and by non-UN forces. On-going efforts by member states to strengthen pre-deployment training on sexual exploitation and abuse was also welcomed by the Council, which wanted further efforts to be taken in this regard.

In addition, the resolution underscored the need to protect civilians, particularly women and children in sites for internally displaced persons and refugees, from any form of abuse or exploitation. It also encouraged the appropriate UN mechanisms, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to continue to include allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in their regular reporting. The U.S. expanded its outreach to troop and police contributing countries to press for immediate and necessary actions to complement the UN s efforts to bolster justice and accountability measures for perpetrators of SEA.

In the report, the Secretary-General requested member states to approve several reform initiatives. The U.S. urged the Secretary-General to take action on SEA, while advising member states to approve his requests. The U.S.

tabled a draft resolution to add the Security Council s weight to the UN s response to the recurrent problems in peacekeeping missions, while supporting the Secretary-General s decision to repatriate units that demonstrate a pattern of SEA. Amb. Samantha Power, U.S.

Permanent Representative to the UN said: We need a whole-of-UN approach to ending sexual exploitation and abuse and ensuring that those who commit such crimes are held accountable.

Solutions to this scourge cannot continue to be marked pending.

NAN also reports that of the 99 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse uncovered by the UN in 2015, 69 of them were in countries where UN peacekeeping operations were taking place.

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A day after the George Soros-backed group Moveon.org caused Republican front-runner Donald’s Trump’s Chicago rally to be canceled1, an Ohio gathering took a dramatic turn when a disturbance broke out behind the podium, causing Secret Service agents to jump on stage and form a protective wall around the billionaire. A campaign spokeswoman said a man at the Dayton, Ohio, event “attempted to breach the secure buffer and was removed rapidly and professionally.”

The suspect was identified as Thomas Dimassimo, 32, and was charged with disorderly conduct and inducing panic both misdemeanors, Chief Mike Etter of the Dayton Airport Police Department told NBC News. He reportedly jumped the bike racks and tried to climb onto the stage, but was stopped by Secret Service agents stationed nearby. He may have thrown a bottle at the beginning of the incident, but this could not be confirmed. A second video emerged showing Dimassimo leaping out from the crowd and attempting to reach the stage:

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One Secret Service agent received a minor injury.

As the suspect was hustled away, the audience cheered “Trump!” and the billionaire gave two thumps up and joked, “I was ready for him, but it’s much easier if the cops do it.”

Earlier in the rally, held at Dayton International Airport, Trump said he “didn’t want to see anybody get hurt” as he explained why Friday’s event was canceled.

“You would have had a problem like you haven’t seen in a long time,” Trump said. “It was determined that if we go in, it could cause really bad, bad vibes.”

Police said five people were arrested and two officers were injured amid the clashes at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

What do YOU think? Sound off in WND’s Poll on protesters shutting down the Chicago Trump rally.2

“All of a sudden, a planned attack just came out of nowhere,” Trump said of the protesters, whom he accused of carrying signs “printed by people that were professional people … very professionally done. A disgrace, if you want to know the truth.”

Trump said he decided to cancel what would have been a “tremendous” rally after consulting with law enforcement and his security staff.

“We want to get along with everybody. But when they have organized, professionally staged wiseguys, we’ve got to fight back,” he said at his Ohio campaign stop.

Hours earlier, Trump defiantly tweeted: “The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First Amendment rights in Chicago, have totally energized America!”

The protesters were “bad people,” he said Saturday. “These are people who truly don’t want to see our country great again.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen.Ted Cruz were quick to criticize Trump for the Chicago situation.

“Donald Trump has created a toxic environment,” said Kasich. “And a toxic environment has allowed his supporters and those who sometimes seek confrontation to come together in violence. There is no place for this. There is no place for a national leader to prey on the fears of people who live in our great country.”

Cruz told reporters, “When you have a campaign that disrespects the voters, when you have a campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, when you have a campaign that is facing allegations of physical violence against members of the press, you create an environment that only encourages this sort of nasty discourse.”

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter slammed Fox News and Cruz for their reactions. “Fox News & Cruz are American traitors, in league with the liberal establishment. Silent majority must face fire from a unified oligarchy,” she tweeted early Saturday.

References

1. ^ Donald’s Trump’s Chicago rally to be canceled (www.wnd.com)
2. ^ What do YOU think?

   Sound off in WND’s Poll on protesters shutting down the Chicago Trump rally.

   (www.wnd.com)

Two-year-old twin boys have drowned in “heartbreaking” circumstances after falling into a fish pond in a garden in Fife.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Dalgety Bay at around 8.20am on Saturday after the boys were found. They were rushed to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy but later died, Police Scotland said. Local MSP Alex Rowley described the incident as “every parent’s worst nightmare”.

Officers are supporting the family and working to establish the full circumstances of the incident. Images on social media showed the a cul-de-sac at the scene cordoned off with police tape and officers standing guard at the front of the home. It is understood the pond is in the back garden of the house.

Dalgety Bay councillor Dave Dempsey said the whole community is shocked. He told the Daily Record: “It is enormously sad and my heart goes out to the family.

“I cannot begin to imagine what the family are going through – it is everyone’s worst nightmare.

“The whole community is shocked.

“As local councillors, we were all notified that two young children had fallen into a pond and died.

“To think it is twin boys is heartbreaking.”

Mr Rowley added: “This is awful news and is every parent’s worst nightmare.

“The loss of two young lives from the same family is just heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers, and those of the whole community, are with the family.”

Police and ambulance crews were called to the scene.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We received a call around 8.20am on Saturday following a report of concern for two children at an address in Dalgety Bay, Fife.

“Two male twins, aged two-years-old, had reportedly drowned in a fish pond and officers attended with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“The children were taken to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy where they sadly died.

“Officers are supporting the family at this time.

Inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing.”

North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina head coach Roy Williams and players celebrate victory after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Virginia head coach Tony Bennett walks in the bench area during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against North Carolina, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) Virginia guard Marial Shayok (4) blocks a shot by North Carolina guard Joel Berry II (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks (4) stops the shot of Virginia forward Anthony Gill (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) UNC tops UVa for ACC Tournament title x Thumbnails Gallery North Carolina forward Brice Johnson walks off the court wrapped in net and holding the Championship trophy after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina head coach Roy Williams holds part of the net after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington.

North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina forward Kennedy Meeks holds part of the net after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina head coach Roy Williams and players celebrate victory after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Virginia head coach Tony Bennett walks in the bench area during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against North Carolina, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) Virginia guard Marial Shayok (4) blocks a shot by North Carolina guard Joel Berry II (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks (4) stops the shot of Virginia forward Anthony Gill (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) North Carolina forward Brice Johnson walks off the court wrapped in net and holding the Championship trophy after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington.

North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina head coach Roy Williams holds part of the net after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina forward Kennedy Meeks holds part of the net after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. North Carolina won 61-57. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet North Carolina head coach Roy Williams and players celebrate victory after an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington.

North Carolina won 61-57.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Photo: Todd Melet Virginia head coach Tony Bennett walks in the bench area during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against North Carolina, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) (Todd Melet/WNCN) Virginia guard Marial Shayok (4) blocks a shot by North Carolina guard Joel Berry II (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks (4) stops the shot of Virginia forward Anthony Gill (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON (WNCN) North Carolina used a powerful second half to fight its way to the 2016 ACC Tournament championship over Virginia in Washington. After trading blows throughout the first half, the Tar Heels pulled out the 61-57 win. The Cavaliers held a 44-40 lead with 9:50 left in the game but went ice cold for the rest of the game.

The Wahoos would only score two points over the next eight minutes while the Heels heated up. Berry hit three with 5:26 left and the Heels never looked back. He finished with 19 points and hit all three of his three point shots.

He was named Tournament MVP. This is Roy Williams first tournament title since winning back-to-back championships in 2007 and 2008. Virginia s Malcolm Brogden shot 6 of 22 from the field and was 2 of 9 from the three point line.

He finished with 15 points. The Cavaliers used a suffocating defense in the first half to stop UNC s interior game but the shooting slump took UVA out of their element. _________________________________________________ UNC and UVA square off with the ACC Tournament title on the line. Do you think Roy Williams and the Tar Heels can taste the tournament championship?

It would take an epic meltdown for UNC to lose this one. Nothing is going Virginia s way. UVa is shooting 33 percent right now to UNC s 53 percent. _________________________________________________ Things are looking up for North Carolina.

Joel Berry s three-point shot with 5:26 was a dagger. Berry is shooting 100 percent from three. He is the only Tar Heel who has done anything from three.

Marcus Paige is 0 for 6. The team as a whole is 3 for 11. But a seven point lead for the Heels is massive with 4:44 left.

Virginia looks uncomfortable out there. _________________________________________________ Virginia has gone ice cold. After leading 44-40, UNC has gone on an eight point tear and now leads 48-44. UVa has missed at least their last four three-point attempts.

The UNC offensive machine is getting warmed up. _________________________________________________ It has been an intense first eight minutes to say the least. UVa is letting North Carolina hang around, which is great news for the Heels. Marcus Paige is really playing well for the Heels.

His 13 points leads North Carolina over all. Virginia is still collapsing on any Heel that moves into the lane. UVa is out rebounding UNC 24-19.

With 10:44 left in the game, The Hoos are up 42-40. _________________________________________________ Somehow, the game is tied at 28 at the half. It feels like Virginia played a much better half than UNC but the score doesn t reflect that. Brice Johnson is 4-4 from the field for the Heels.

He has to keep that up in order for UNC to cut down the nets. Virginia s defense was intense throughout the half and the Tar Heels are still in it. Roy Williams has to be pleased the Heels have eight turnover and they are tied at the half. _________________________________________________ With 3:47 left in the half, Virginia is hanging on to a 25-21 lead.

Every time North Carolina gets something going, UVa answers, usually in spectacular fashion. Interesting note: All but one of UNC s made field goals are in the paint. Berry s three is the only one from outside the lane. _________________________________________________ Marial Shayok just made Justin Jackson look silly on his way to a dunk for Virginia.

Shayok then goes back down court and rips down a rebound. Wow. Virginia can pass the ball. _________________________________________________ Things are swinging Virginia s way at the moment.

After Malcolm Brogdon bricked a three-point shot, Mike Tobey pulled down the rebound between two UNC players and layed the ball in. But it s still a close game. Let s not forget, UNC led Notre Dame 23-22 late in the first half before blowing them out.

UNC has that power but UVa s defense will be hard to break down. Who will step up for UNC? Senior Marcus Paige?

This is where a senior is supposed to take command and lead the team. _________________________________________________ Virginia s ball movement is a thing of beauty. The Wahoos are a fundamentally sound team and it shows. Rarely to they make an ill-advised pass.

With 9:48 left in the first half, Virginia leads 15-13. _________________________________________________ Virginia double teamed Brice Johnson UNC s first possession forcing a turnover. North Carolina used solid defense to force a shot clock violation on the other end of the court. Not a great start for either team.

Could nerves be affecting either team? Neither team is young and both have been here before. The Tar Heels got settled first but then got sloppy.

Malcolm Brogdon hits a huge basket while being fouled. It s tied 9-9 and Brogdon has a chance to put UVa on top after the media time out. _________________________________________________ 8:30 p.m. update The UNC starters are Joel Berry, Marcus Paige, Justin Jackson, Brice Johnson, and Kennedy Meeks.

Virginia will start London Perrantes, Malcom Brogdon, Devon Hall, Anthony Gill, and Isaiah Wilkins. _________________________________________________ Saturday night, North Carolina will make their seventh appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game since 2007. The Tar Heels won tournament titles in 2007 and 2008 behind Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson. But the Heels haven t won a tournament championship game since.

In 2011, UNC started a three-year losing streak in the title game. In Greensboro in 2011, Duke ran the Heels out of the coliseum by a final score of 75-58. UNC would lose to Florida State in Atlanta in 2012 and then Miami in Greensboro in 2013.

On Friday, the Tar Heels embarrassed Notre Dame, a team they had lost to the three previous times they faced the Irish. Notre Dame is no pushover. But UNC a huge mountain to climb in order to take home a trophy Saturday night.

Tony Bennet has turned around a Virginia program that was stuck in a huge rut in the wake of coaches Pete Gillen and Dave Leitao. The Cavaliers won the tournament title in 2014 over Duke. One of the most interesting parts of a UVa/UNC match up each team s playing style.

The Cavs control the ball and the clock. They have no problem scoring less than 70 points and winning. Virginia scored less than 69 points 12 times in conference play.

Of those 12 times, the Hoos won eight of those games. Virginia lost to Duke, Florida State, Miami and Georgia Tech when they scored less than 69 points. The loss to Georgia Tech is a headscratcher but the other three loses game against quality opponents.

North Carolina and Virginia met only once in conference play in 2016 with then No.

3 Virginia winning a 79-74 game in Charlottesville. UNC and Roy Williams love to push the ball. Their up-tempo offense can overwhelm team s and put games out of reach quick.

A perfect example was Friday s 78-47 win over Notre Dame.

North Carolina will need Marcus Paige to stay hot and play like he did against Notre Dame.

Virginia will just need to play their game and slow down the Tar Heel offense.

One person was treated by ambulance staff after two cars crashed near Telford on Saturday.

Fire crews from Telford were called to the A4169 in Tweedale at about 6.50pm.

Police and ambulance services were also on the scene and fire crews left shortly after 7pm.

The details of as many as 64 Britons or people with UK links are reportedly contained among thousands of leaked Islamic State documents.

Among those listed in the cache of information being examined by intelligence agencies are two young men from Manchester, Sky News said. The broadcaster said it obtained the data, reported earlier this week, from a memory stick handed in by a former recruit to the terror group. Now it is claimed the files, said to show the addresses, telephone numbers and family contacts of jihadis who signed up to join IS, contain the names of dozens of British people.

Manchester father Raphael Hostey is listed as the sponsor of another Briton named Anosh and known as Abu Dujana al Britani, Sky News said. Hostey, who studied at John Moores University in Liverpool, left the UK in 2013 aged in his early 20s and was suspected to have joined IS. He was described by a judge as having become ” an inspirational figure, encouraging others to travel and join in with Jihad”.

Another Briton reportedly mentioned in the files is Khalil Raoufi who also left for Syria to join IS in 2013 and was from Manchester. He died in February 2014, a day after turning 20, having trained with the terror group and taken part in guerilla warfare. Nationals from more than 51 countries including the UK are said to have filled in a 23-question “registration” form as they were inducted into IS.

The leak has been described by one expert as as a potential “gold mine” for security services and law enforcement.

Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute security think tank, said it could make it easier to prosecute fighters who return home, and could also provide new information on people who were not already known to have left the country.

After a huge loss to Liverpool in the Europa League midweek, Manchester United will have the benefit of going back home to Old Trafford to take on West Ham United. While they should be focusing on a top four spot, they also have a realistic shot at winning the FA Cup. There are other Premier League giants still in the competition, including Chelsea and Arsenal, but for now, they just have to worry about West Ham in the quarterfinals. Currently ahead of Manchester United in the standings, and fifth overall, West Ham have done extraordinarily well this season. Some of their biggest wins this season have come against Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City on the road. The last time these two met, it was a dull scoreless affair which has been one of Louis van Gaal s biggest criticisms this season. If the Dutchman is at all worried about job security, he should deliver a trophy, although even that might not guarantee him being back next season.

How can you tune into Sunday s FA Cup action?

Here is all of the information you will need to check out the action from the opening kickoff:

Date: Sunday, March 13th
Start Time: 12 p.m.

ET
Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
TV Info: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go1

References

1. ^ Fox Sports Go (www.foxsports.com)

Brian Oliphant says there are serious potential risks for Wales where Brexit is concerned.

March 13th, 2016

What would a UK exit from the European Union mean for Wales? The UK has been connected to the EEC since 1973, transitioning into the EU with its formal establishment with the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, and has ever since been deeply linked with the majority of Europe in economic and political matters alike. In recent years however, many in the UK have grown increasingly skeptical of the benefits of this arrangement. The result is that we re now approaching an official referendum on the possibility of a so-called Brexit the UK s official exit from the EU. But more often than not, this concept has been considered primarily from an English point of view. Where Wales is concerned, the consequences may be different.

Europe: In or Out?

This week on Click on Wales we are debating whether Wales should remain in Europe ahead of the referendum on June 23rd.

You can read all of the series here1.

While immigration and national security have been at the core of many of the debates about the Brexit, the primary focus for a lot of citizens in England and Wales alike is what effect the decision would have on the economy. There s a belief among some Brexit sceptics that should the UK branch off to create its own economy separate from Europe, it would create widespread job losses and uncertainty2. However, the counterargument is that an independent UK economy could afford lower taxes with less of an economic burden stemming from immigration. In Wales specifically, it might not be that simple.

In fact, while Brexit-related polls in England reveal that a significant portion of the population has a Eurosceptic point of view, similar polls in Wales show more sympathy for the EU3.

This is for several reasons, one of which is deeply rooted in the Welsh identity. The largely social democratic nature of Wales lends itself toward a more liberal and progressive attitude, which generally falls in line with those in favour of the UK s membership in the EU. Whereas the Brexit, despite being radical in nature, is viewed as a conservative approach to the future. The economic difference between England and Wales also plays a key role. Broadly speaking, Wales stands to benefit from foreign investment under the current arrangement, but a more isolated economy could result in significant struggles for the poorer economy.

More specifically, the agriculture sector of the Welsh economy could see significant problems in the aftermath of a Brexit. Agriculture directly contributes 217 million to the Welsh economy4 each year, with 4.4% of the total population employed through farming. Those numbers are significant on their own, but when you factor in the broader impact of the farming industry, they grow greater. The Welsh food and drink sector accounts for 2.8 billion (largely as a product of the agriculture industry), and another 17% of people are employed through jobs connected to food and drink. Adding that all up, over 3 billion of the Welsh economy and 20% of the work force can be tied to a farming industry that could be in jeopardy in the event of a Brexit.

In fact, First Minister Carwyn Jones has warned that the farming industry in Wales could effectively come to an end5 if the UK does indeed vote to split away from the EU. The comment was made as part of Welsh Labour s ongoing campaign against the Brexit, and Jones went on to elaborate that he s sceptical of trade with Europe should the UK become independent. While some believe a free trade agreement would be imminent, Jones isn t as confident. He believes that, in the interim, Welsh farmers will miss out on a great deal of money needed to keep the farming industry going. Roughly 200 million in European subsidies come into Wales under the EU agreement, but perhaps even more importantly Welsh gains direct access to exporting rights within the union. Without this structure in place, all of the jobs and money connected to Welsh farming would be in danger.

Still, while this sounds like a grim outlook for Wales, it s important to remember that at this stage it s all hypothetical. It s not known what the UK economy would look like following a Brexit, or whether Wales might still be able to enjoy some manner of trade agreement with the remaining EU.

However as of now, there are at least serious risk factors for the economic and social identities of Wales where the Brexit is concerned. Tags: Brexit, Brian Oliphant, EU, europe series678

Published on: Sunday, March 13th, 2016
Posted in: Featured Article9, Politics10.
Subscribe to RSS 2.011 feed. You can leave a response12, or trackback13 from your own site.

References

1. ^ You can read all of the series here (www.clickonwales.org)
2. ^ it would create widespread job losses and uncertainty (www.fxcm.com)
3. ^ similar polls in Wales show more sympathy for the EU (blogs.lse.ac.uk)
4. ^ contributes 217 million to the Welsh economy (www.nfuonline.com)
5. ^ effectively come to an end (www.walesonline.co.uk)
6. ^ Brexit (www.clickonwales.org)
7. ^ Brian Oliphant (www.clickonwales.org)
8. ^ europe series (www.clickonwales.org)
9. ^ View all posts in Featured Article (www.clickonwales.org)
10. ^ View all posts in Politics (www.clickonwales.org)
11. ^ RSS 2.0 (www.clickonwales.org)
12. ^ leave a response (www.clickonwales.org)
13. ^ trackback (www.clickonwales.org)

Camboriu Restaurants Ltd, are currently seeking a General Manager for the Tropeiro Nottingham Restaurant.

We are a fun, modern dynamic company who is looking for future stars to join our team. What we do is a little bit unique and we are looking for a driven individual who can emphasise the personality of our brand whilst delivering standards of first class quality.

Tropeiro Restaurants are Brazilian Churrascaria s, where our customers delight in sampling the true atmosphere of the South of Brazil. Valuing the Brazilian ingredients and regional culture, we prepare season and roast our meat to perfection.

This is a sociable way of dining that comes alive through the Rodizio concept.

This is a unique way to dine where our Gaucho Chefs Carve our fire roasted meats at the table.

Qualifications/ Experience

We are seeking highly passionate people with a desire to deliver great food and drink service to our guests. You should be a strong motivational person who has the skills to influence the people in their teams. You must have an approachable manner and a can do attitude. We expect our managers to be hands on , to have a good eye for detail and passion to drive the team and the business forward. You will need to have the ability to monitor, train and develop teams at all levels, and be able to set and maintain operational standards as part of the management team.

Ideally you should have a minimum 1 years experience as a General Manager or Deputy Mnager within a restaurant environment.

Key Accountabilities

Team

• To recruit, develop and maintain a high performing team
• Ensure a clear succession plan in place with team development to support
• Be responsible for accurate rota-planning in line with budget and forecasts and take necessary action daily to reduce/increase hours in line with sales
• Work with the team to ensure best practice is maintained and any areas requiring improvement are identified
• Motivate and lead the team to work to the highest standards at all times
• Identify and monitor training needs and ensure that current training and development tools are actively used to train, coach and develop knowledge and skills required to perform their role effectively and in line with Company standards
• Manage the day to day performance of staff and managers in line with company employee policies and procedures
• Manage the attendance of staff and managers in line with the company sickness and absence management policies and procedures
• Communicate effectively with the team using appropriate methods to keep teams up to date with company strategy, results and procedures.
• Manage and maintain employees personnel and training files
• Identify recruitment needs and actively search, select and appoint employees in line with company recruitment process ensuring all paperwork is certified, copied and completed (eg proof of right to work in the UK)
• Maintain personnel knowledge by completing in-house training and attending courses

Customer

• To deliver excellent customer service and maintain a high standard of customer management at all times
• To ensure excellent customer service is being delivered following up on both positive and negative feedback and taking any action necessary

Policies and Procedures

• Ensure that opening and closing procedures are adhered to in line with company policy at all time
• Be accountable for all cash management throughout the restaurant conduct thorough investigations for all cash loss issues
• To control all aspects of finance in the restaurant including sales, gross profit, stock control, wages and controllable expenditure in line with company policy
• Control all office administration procedures and ensure management team fully trained and compliant
• To ensure that all Company Policies and Procedures are maintained in line with the Company Employee Handbook
• To implement operational policies and procedures with 100% compliance through your teams
• Manage all delivery processes including checking orders, storage, stock rotation, security, loss investigation and staff training
• Manage all stock management processes including timely stock counts, wastage reports, loss investigation and staff training
• Monitor and manage all maintenance issues and manage 3rd party contractors

Health & Safety

• Ensuring that restaurant complies with all legislation regarding Health and Safety, Food Hygiene and COSHH legislation at all times and the team are fully trained
• Follow all company security procedures including loss prevention measures and procedures for security and safety of staff and premises at all times
• Be accountable and responsible for adherence to licensing laws and the training of your team to ensure legal compliance

Sales

• To drive sales and profit through local marketing and quality of food service and availability , using all company point of sales as directed, have an understanding of all promotions and work with the team to maximize sales at every opportunity
• Complete product ordering on time, every time; ensure full availability of all food, drink and no consumable items to maximize sales

Targets

• To maintain the overall accountability of the restaurant performance
• To deliver objectives as outlined by the business
• To ensure that targets for Financial and Non-Financial KPI s are achieved

Please note: You should never need to provide bank account details or any other financial information, or make any form of payment, when applying for a job. If you are ever asked to do this by a recruiter on our site please contact us1 with the advertiser’s company name and the title of the job vacancy.

References

1. ^ contact us (www.caterer.com)

A police force has settled a legal claim and “unreservedly apologised” to the parents of a 14-year-old boy who was murdered by another teenager after he was groomed through online gaming.

Barry Bednar and Lorin LaFave sought damages against Surrey Police for failing to protect their son Breck Bednar after the force did not respond properly to a call Ms LaFave made about her concerns. Computer engineer Lewis Daynes was jailed for life last year with a minimum of 25 years for the murder of Breck, from Caterham, Surrey, who was found with a fatal neck wound at a flat in Grays, Essex, in February 2014. Daynes, 19, groomed his teenage victim through an online gaming group he ran and lured Breck to his home despite Ms LaFave’s concerns and her call to the police.

On Sunday, a joint statement from the force, Mr Bednar and Ms LaFave said: ” The parties have now reached a settlement of the claim.

“Surrey Police accept that mistakes were made in how Ms LaFave’s telephone call to them was handled and responded to; and unreservedly apologises for them.”

The statement added: ” As part of the settlement, Surrey Police have agreed to implement recommended changes to their procedures to ensure that other children like Breck are protected.

“Mr Bednar and Ms LaFave hope to work with Surrey Police in order to enhance awareness of the dangers that young people face online and to ensure that appropriate training is given to staff to assist in the prevention of similar crimes against children.”

Last year, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) called for better training for call handlers after finding that Ms LaFave did not receive the support she needed when she rang to raise concerns he was being groomed online. The commission’s investigation found the Surrey Police call handler and their superviser lacked knowledge of dealing with grooming concerns and that Ms LaFave had provided information when she called in December 2013 which should have flagged the potential risk of the boy being groomed. The report found that a Police National Computer (PNC) check should have been completed and that Mrs LaFave was not provided with information about specialist agencies such as the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which provides a reporting service and advice to parents who suspect someone of behaving inappropriately towards their child online.

IPCC commissioner Jennifer Izekor said at the time: “P olice call handlers need to be properly trained to recognise the danger signs and to give the right support and information. Sadly, in the case of Breck and his family, the support they needed was not given.”

The investigation found failings on behalf of the call handler that took Mrs LaFave’s call, and their superviser. It said that had both parties not left the force, they would have had a case to answer for misconduct.

After the IPCC report, Surrey Police said a number of improvements had been made in the contact centre, including introducing a dedicated training day for staff to identify risk. Ms LaFave now campaigns for awareness of the dangers of the internet. Earlier this year, she told The Guardian: “When I was worried about Breck, no one I turned to understood or knew what I should do.

“Boys may report this less but I want everyone to understand that they can be groomed and hurt – maybe not murdered but hurt in other ways – by people who are not who they say they are online.

“I want police to understand what grooming is so that when a parent calls with a name, it will go into the system.”

Foreign fighters are not responding to Islamic State calls to head to Libya rather than Syria or Iraq, the UK Government has claimed.

Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood said he believes the terror group has up to 6,000 extremists in Libya, with the “vast majority” foreign fighters rather than Libyans. But he attempted to play down suggestions that IS, also known as Daesh, is bolstering its fighting force with new foreign recruits in the north African country rather than its existing strongholds. United Nations experts believe the political and security vacuum in Libya is being exploited by IS, reporting it has “significantly expanded” the territory it controls in the nation and become “increasingly attractive to foreign fighters”.

They noted, in a report to the UN Security Council released last week, that fighters mainly used Sudan, Tunisia and Turkey to reach Libya in 2014 and 2015. Mr Ellwood, responding to a written parliamentary question, said: ” Our current estimate for the number of Daesh fighters in Libya is between 3,000-6,000.

“We do not have earlier estimates from which we could extrapolate a trend. The vast majority of Daesh fighters in Libya are foreigners rather than Libyans.

“While some Daesh figures have called for foreign fighters to go to Libya rather than Iraq/Syria, we have not seen any evidence to suggest this has happened.”

Mr Ellwood said US estimates suggest there are approximately 19,000 to 25,000 IS fighters in Iraq and Syria compared to 20,000 to 31,000 in 2014. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced last month Britain would send 20 troops to Tunisia to help prevent IS extremists entering the country from Libya. He has also offered to provide training and advice to support a new Libyan government although stated he does not intend to deploy British troops in “any combat role” in Libya.

US president Barack Obama has criticised European nations, including the UK, for failing to prevent Libya becoming a “mess” in the aftermath of the 2011 war to counter then dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

More than a dozen people have died after armed men stormed an Ivory Coast beach resort.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said there is no indication at this stage that any British nationals had been caught up in the incident. The Ivory Coast’s president Alassane Ouattara said 14 civilians, six attackers, and two special forces operatives were killed in the attack on three hotels in Grand-Bassam, a popular weekend destination for both Ivorian nationals and foreigners. Photos posted to social media apparently taken at the scene showed bodies sprawled on the beach.

The beach setting of the incident bears a resemblance to the attack in the Tunisian resort of Sousse last June in which 30 Britons were among 38 tourists killed. Meanwhile, officials said a car bombing in Turkey’s capital Ankara killed more than 30 people and wounded around 75 others. Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “I’m appalled by the devastating terror attacks in Ankara and the Ivory Coast. My thoughts are with all those affected.”

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tweeted: “My thoughts & deep condolences to everyone affected by today’s #Ankara & #IvoryCoast terror attacks. Both appalling attacks on civilians.”

Officials urged the public to remain calm after the incident in the south-eastern beach resort, about 25 miles east of Ivory Coast’s economic centre, Abidjan.

Bournemouth footballer Max Gradel, who is from the Ivory Coast, tweeted: “May God protect my lovely country in this hard moment Cote D’ivoire”. Josiane Sekongo, 25, who lives across from one of the town’s many beachfront hotels, said she ran outside when she heard gunshots and saw people running away from the beach. An American embassy delegation was in Grand-Bassam on Sunday, but the US Embassy in Abidjan said it is monitoring the situation and it has no evidence that US citizens were targeted.

Attacks by extremists on hotels frequented by foreigners in two other West African countries, Mali in November and Burkina Faso in January, killed dozens of people and indicated that extremist attacks are spreading from North Africa. The historic town of Grand-Bassam is a Unesco World Heritage site. The travel advice for Ivory Coast on the Foreign Office website warns against all but essential travel to certain parts of the country.

It says: “There is a high threat from terrorism. You should be vigilant after recent attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.”

For Grand-Bassam, the website says people should check travel advice before travelling. The advice was updated on February 9 and was still said to be current on March 13.

A statement from travel organisation Abta said: “We are unaware at the current time if there have been any fatalities or if any British nationals are involved.

“The Foreign Office advises that British nationals should avoid the area if possible. If they are already in the vicinity, they should follow the instructions of the local security authorities.

“Following recent attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, there is a high threat of terrorism in this area. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners, so all British nationals are advised to remain extremely vigilant.”

A group that monitors jihadist websites said al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for the attack in Ivory Coast. The SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic extremists made the declaration in a post to its Telegram channels, calling three of the attackers “heroes” for the assault.

Witness Marcel Guy saw at least four gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles on the beach. He said one approached two children, and spoke in Arabic. One child knelt and prayed, but the other was shot dead.

Yaya Toure, an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City, wrote about the attack on his Facebook page.

Writing in French, he said he learned of the tragedy with a heavy heart, and expressed regret to all the bereaved families, adding that he offered “comfort and support” to the population of his country.

“May God watch over Ivory Coast,” he wrote.

EAST HEMPFIELD TWP, Pa- Police and school officials say a student at a Lancaster County middle school threatened to bring a weapon to school.

Late Thursday afternoon, it was reported to our administration that a student attending Landisville Middle School threatened to bring and use a weapon in school. School administration reacted swiftly and spent Friday and Saturday, working in cooperation with Officer Jeremy Henry and East Hempfield Township Police, to investigate the threat, communicate with the parents of the student who allegedly made the remarks, and put in place precautionary security measures to ensure the safety of students and staff.

As is always the case with such situations, the district and police will take disciplinary and legal action if deemed appropriate per the outcome of each entity s respective investigation. In accordance with school policy and federal FERPA regulations, any student disciplinary action taken is confidential.

We are grateful when students or other members of the school community share information with us in a timely manner that allows us to take the action necessary to keep our students and staff safe. The district has a close working relationship with the local police departments, and we will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement to aggressively address any situations brought to our attention that suggest students, staff, or other members of the school community may be at risk of harm.

So far no charges have been filed. FOX43 is told police are interviewing students.

I feel I should mention, in passing, that this blog is seven years old today. It has had its ups and downs, to say the least, and some of it has sadly passed to the great blog burial ground in the sky. However it has stayed the course, seen others come and go, and plodded on, sometimes against the odds and currently behind the barricades.

Over the years I’ve been contacted by countless folk, and many council staff, who have blown whistles, or found themselves at the receiving end of that special treatment reserved for those who rock the boat. Many have been too fearful of repercussions to publicise their issues, and those that have, have had their cards marked. Long standing issues remain unresolved and the carpets in County Hall conceal many an Ombudsman report and shredded email. After seven years of writing, and aside from an imperceptible change in political colour, the council remains under the complete control of our chief executive and his side-kick Meryl, all aided and abetted by the agreeable legal department, as it has done for far too long1. To suggest that things have improved is a standing joke, take the foray into public questions as an example. This has been patchy to say the least, starting with the Plaid deputy leader defending a bung2 to the Scarlets as being ‘in the best interests of the residents of Carmarthenshire’ to the total breakdown3 of the Official Script with the questions over asset transfers. It’s an intrepid person indeed who embarks on the process and there haven’t been many.

Councillor questions are equally unwelcome and few and far between with some rejected4 for no good reason and those that get through followed by a regular warning from the Chair that councillors should really think twice before raising anything at all in the Chamber…on camera. Anything. Compare that to the latest agenda for Pembrokeshire County Council where Councillors have put forward no less than sixteen Notices of Motion and ten Councillor Questions. This is only partly the fault of councillors though, the real blame lies with the toxic culture which has been allowed to fester and flourish since Mr James arrived from Boston fourteen years ago. The question is, has this blog made any real difference? I think it has, it might be business as usual in our dysfunctional County Hall but at least we are all a little more aware of it. I also hope I’ve engendered some interest in our local authority and provided a platform for discussion. I’ve shone a spotlight here and there – public exposure is the only real route to accountability – and in respect of the court case and subsequent events, I will continue to fight my corner, despite the colossal amount of money spent on trying to silence me.
And for the record, I would have no hesitation in publishing every word again, slush funds and all. I’ve have no intention of calling it a day, and I look forward to the next seven years….
Thanks to all for visiting this blog.

and the input.

References

1. ^ far too long (carmarthenplanning.blogspot.co.uk)
2. ^ defending a bung (carmarthenplanning.blogspot.co.uk)
3. ^ total breakdown (carmarthenplanning.blogspot.co.uk)
4. ^ rejected (carmarthenplanning.blogspot.co.uk)

After asking last issue whether it was time to morph Project Griffin into a more active entity, the consultant Adrian Jones asks if that s either necessary or desirable and, if so, why? (Pictured: lion, Trafalgar Square)

I will be referring to this concept as a Civil Assistance Organisation , or CAO, so that the concept does not get too hung up on and confused with Griffin as it stands. After all, whilst Griffin seems to be the most appropriate and established platform or foundation, it is not broken so maybe it should be complemented rather than changed? As mentioned by Mark Rowe in his editorial in the March 2016 print issue of Professional Security magazine1, the object of this series of articles, (of which this is the third), is to stimulate debate, writes Adrian Jones. The first two articles (a comment on the new Counter-Extremism Strategy, followed by an examination of historical lessons from the 1940/50 s Malaysian Emergency), both contained some controversial ideas. It is hoped that readers will be triggered by these (either by corresponding through the letters columns, or by entering their own articles), into sharing their own out-of-the-box thoughts and experiences, and thus build a professional debate to complement those being put forward by more formal organisations and think-tanks .

Over the past 40 years, and particularly over the most recent 20, the nature of terrorist attack has fundamentally changed. While the old style of attack has not gone away, (we are particularly likely to see it again as we pass the 100th anniversary of the Dublin Easter Uprising), the emphasis or objective has changed from one of mainly economic damage to one of horrifying and maximised human carnage. Whereas previous manifestations of terrorism displayed, in a perverted sort of way, a consciousness of public opinion, the contemporary manifestation is the opposite. It seems that every effort is strained into offending public opinion, disregarding any concept of mercy or humanitarianism, with the intended consequence being the creation of raw fear and hatred. In this, Daesh have shown themselves to be particularly innovative in the field of horrifically intimidating video clips. Co-ordinated no-warning multi-point attacks have now become commonplace, on the Washington-New York-Virginia axis, or in Nairobi, London, Madrid, Mumbai, Sousse or Paris. What developments are likely to occur?

On March 7, Mark Rowley (National Policing Lead for Counter-Terrorism) told us that Daesh (IS) are planning enormous and spectacular attacks, and not just the types that we ve seen foiled to date . Such attacks are likely to be based on returned cadres of trained and radicalised fighters, including females, and that police and intelligence agencies are alert for this. In this context the words of the IRA statement after the 1984 Brighton Bomb still have some resonance; Remember we only have to be lucky once. You will have to be lucky always. There are other worrying trends too. Cited in Security Management Weekly (11/3/2016), Cooper and Schmidt of the New York Times (9/3/2016) observe that Daesh have already managed to source a chemical weapons (sulphur mustard) capability, and there is evidence that such capability may have been weaponised and deployed, particularly on the village of Taz in the Kirkuk region of Iraq. Indeed, it is reported that US Air Force assets have been directed against these targets.

Other news reports indicate that Daesh has been attempting to create a dirty-bomb , although apparently without success so far (such a project is not by any means easy). However, their intentions seem clear, and they are on the list of suspects for stealing some 10 grams of a radioactive isotope (Iridium-192) from a facility near Basra, Iraq, (although this quantity is reportedly believed to be insufficient to create a viable device). If anyone doubts the political will to use such weapons, it should be borne in mind that Wm Robert Johnson (2013-2015) lists some 17 poisoning attacks (on girls schools) in Afghanistan between March and July 2012, resulting in 1387 (luckily, non-fatal) casualties. Even if Daesh do succeed in developing such a capability, they still have the problem of infiltrating the device into their selected target area(s). This opens a whole new range of debates relating to efficacy, resourcing and structure of border and port controls and international co-operation. These subjects are not covered by this series of articles, but readers may be assured that they are on the agenda, and other news articles and press releases evidence that Europol, Interpol and the Home Office are actively on the case .

Joining these strands together then, it seems possible that at some time, sophisticated no-warning multi-point attacks, maybe hybrid in nature (mixed conventional-CBRN) and using a substantial number of combatants, and possibly occurring in a major western population centre, become an eventuality for which we must plan. The scenario that I now draw for you is based on a range of incidents spread over some ten years, and particularly London 2005, Mumbai 2008, Mumbai 2011, Kano 2012, Paris January 2015, Sousse 2015, and Paris November 2015. While London 2005 might be considered the odd-one-out inasmuch as there were four co-ordinated but effectively single point attacks, rather than the rolling profiles of the others, the initial paralysing of the infrastructure was similar. In this scenario set in a major city on a midweek evening, several terrorist combat teams from three combat groups attack a number of targets widely spread.

As in Paris, the scenario commences with one attack and others roll in behind it at predetermined intervals. Casualties are sustained in each of the attack areas, and a major incident is called at 15 minutes in, whilst other attacks are still developing. At 23 minutes in, ambulance personnel state their view that one of the casualties may be suffering from some form of toxicity. Attacks are still developing elsewhere, including suicide bombings and single actor marauding attacks, (including one on a first responding ambulance). At one suicide bomb site fire and rescue personnel report initial sampling of higher than usual levels of background radiation at 50 minutes in, and three sieges have been established one west of the city centre, one three miles away to the south and one in a hotel in the city centre itself. A state of emergency is declared. Marauding attacks continue moving across the city for two hours, and at least one location a suspect is known to have disappeared into the Metro-subway system. Two of the siege responses retake the hostage sites at two and a half and four and a half hours respectively, but there is heavy loss of life and many injuries. The third siege, Mumbai style at a hotel, continues beyond the end of the scenario.

While most of the terrorists are killed in gunfights or by suicide action, one terrorist is taken alive and makes the claim that they have exploded a dirty bomb. A nightmare scenario, yes, but one in which the timeline is most likely somewhat optimistic, and the marauding attacks and single actor suicide bombings may not yet be over, (certainly their effects will be felt long after the attacks have dissipated). What will the condition of the operational response be at this stage? The situation with the police at this stage is likely to be critical, and it is more than likely that the military will already be deeply involved especially Special Forces hostage response units. Military helicopter units will be deployed due to the number of incident centres and the need to live-track suspect marauders, and Heli-borne medivac units may be needed to assist with critical casualties.

Police resources will be saturated with the sheer number of crime scenes and the need to maintain safety cordons. Traffic for some distance outside of the city centre will almost certainly be gridlocked, and it is likely that the terrorists will have anticipated this (they will possibly be depending on it). Bomb disposal resources, civil and military, will be saturated. The toxicity and radiological reading reports will take all CRBN resources and will cause urgency in the response combined with some caution in operations where indeed they are able to get through, (hopefully this will not be an issue for the local Fire and Rescue services, but they will quickly reach full capacity). An outer cordon with road blocks will need to be set and staffed by military personnel, and may in some cases almost certainly require armed military support (police firearms units will be occupied to full stretch in the centre). City centre hospitals, ambulance and paramedic resources will have reached capacity fairly early in an incident of this scale. Centres and resources from adjoining towns and regions will need to be called upon, but the traffic gridlock will greatly increase response times and in some instances response may become virtually impossible except where it is possible to link with operable parts of the Metro-subway.

Movement within the combat areas is likely to be mainly by foot or motorcycle, and in any event will be slow by normal standards. The situation on the Metro-subway is likely to be changeable and cautious until such time as an attack there occurs. There will be tendency to confine public journeys away from the known combat zones for the time being, although it may be necessary to commandeer trains for casualty evacuation and use incoming trains, where they exist, to bring in additional resources. There may be debate on whether or not the system should be shut down, but it is decided to continue using operable lines as long as it is possible to do so, and for as long as trained volunteers can be found to run them. So how might we plan to mitigate the length and effects of such an incident? It should be remembered that this article is about additional resources beyond those deployed as routine in a major incident. This is important because certain pessimistic assumptions have been made:

Due to the sheer scale of the incident, all available resources are deployed in the early stages.

Operational fatigue will eventually set in, after the adrenalin starts to wear off.
Road gridlock sets in very quickly.
Emergency service take-over of the communications systems occurs within the first hour.
Emergency services particularly Fire and Rescue and ambulances are at full capacity very early and in any event can only move slowly. The toxicity and background radiation alerts exacerbate the situation, and the suicide attack on an ambulance does so further. In this scenario and at this stage we have reached the stage where the police (including the transport police) and the military are concentrating on their first priority and what they are best at responding to and containing the fluid combat situation. Police auxiliaries are deployed in the first instance on cordon control and in the second on crime scene preservation, but are over-extended in these duties. At this point a Civil Assistance Organisation (CAO), if one is available, becomes critical. Made up of volunteers living and working locally, trained in specialist tasks, managed by locals trained and selected locally (and civilian in every respect), and equipped through locally placed resource caches and centres, (on the old principle of Battle Boxes ), with excellent local knowledge of infrastructure and geography, these adaptable and committed individuals could undertake key roles to support and assist the regular emergency services.

The idea, of course, is not new. As Mark Rowe observed in the March edition of Professional Security the role is not unlike that of that played by the Civil Defence Corps in the 1950s, although the concept that I am suggesting here is more Hodges than Mainwaring more ARP (Air Raid Precautions) than Dad s Army, that is. Given the resurgence and truculence of Vladimir Putin s Russia, (not to mention the planned modernisation of his nuclear arsenal), is the regeneration of the principle of Civil Defence so outrageous? In particular, the keys roles played by the CAO could include:

Maintaining local Field First Aid Stations and Clearing Centres. Trauma trained volunteers could be based at these sites, and blood donations could take place there, too;
Setting up and maintaining Welfare Centres to assist individuals isolated because of the attacks or break-downs in the transport system, and also assisting emergency service personnel on a sustained period of duty. This could include providing temporary sleeping accommodation, food, and communications and IT links to relatives where such links are still available, (possibly subject to limitations).
Local air and environmental sampling for CRBN;
Passing real time local intelligence, including on one hand casualty statistics and air sampling data and, on the other, movements of suspect terrorists, to Control Centres;
Assisting (or wholly) staffing second tier cordon lines, and possibly setting up diversions and controlling traffic too (coordinated through police operations control);
Local firefighting (in the literal sense);
Maintaining a temporary missing and lost persons information centre.

As I stated in my last article how far do our imaginations need to take us?

But the process needs to be started now.

References

1. ^ March 2016 print issue of Professional Security magazine (www.professionalsecurity.co.uk)