Recag/C4_11 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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“We are going to give a much more positive agenda. It can’t be just being against the Democrats… You’ve got to be for things, and we have to give them something like the ‘Contract for America,’” he said.
HOLLYWOOD star Amber Heard has endured her second breakup while visiting Australia.
Currently Down Under filming Aquaman, sources close to Heard have revealed she has split from billionaire boyfriend Elon Musk.
A friend of the pair has told British press that the couple ended their year-long romance last week.
"It's all over between Amber and Elon and she's devastated. It was his decision," the insider told The Mail on Sunday in the UK.
"He ended it a week ago. He'd heard certain things about her behaviour that didn't sit well with him.
"Amber can be very manipulative and selfish. Elon's back in LA while she's licking her wounds in Australia."
The news came after the couple attended Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay two weeks ago.
The pair have been spotted around the Gold Coast and northern NSW during their time in Australia for filming.
Yesterday, there was radio silence from both camps.
The actor was first linked to the boss of US electric car giant Tesla last summer when they were spotted together in London.
Musk made his first millions as co-founder of online payment service PayPal and currently plans to build the world's largest lithium ion battery in Adelaide.
Last month Heard's father David spoke openly about their relationship which he called serious.
"Amber and Elon are both very serious about each other. She would love to get married," he told Grazia magazine.
"One of the things they want to do is settle down and have a family. They are making plans for that."
Amber Heard with then partner Johnny Depp.
The breakup follows Heard's dramatic divorce from Johnny Depp.
Their relationship broke-down when the couple were living in Australia while Depp filmed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Elon Musk using anti-phone device at Splendour?
John Terry believes Maurizio Sarri should play Chelsea star N’Golo Kante in a more defensive position against Manchester City.
The Blues have endured a poor run under struggling manager Sarri but have the chance to win some silverware on Sunday in the form of the EFL Cup.
Defending Premier League champions City, currently top of the table, stand in Chelsea’s way and will be buoyed by the recent 6-0 win over Sarri’s side.
Kante is rated as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world but Sarri has played the French World Cup winner in a more advanced position this season.
And Terry said: ‘I’m not sure the formation [is the problem], I think it’s the personnel a little bit.
‘Having played with N’Golo in front of me and having watched him in the World Cup, he’s been the best player in that position over the last two years.
Terry also named Chelsea’s three potential match-winners in Sunday’s final against Manchester City.
The former captain says Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro are all capable of troubling City.
Asked to name the leaders in Chelsea’s dressing room, Terry told Sky Sports: ‘Within this group, you’ve got Luiz, Toni Rudiger and [Gary] Cahill, even though he hasn’t been playing lately.
PVR anticipates relatively better ad growth going ahead on strong content (stars-led movies like Secret Superstar); we peg FY18/19E ad growth at 18.0% each. Though LBT and rental cost (due to aggressive bidding, especially by Inox, our view: 8.0% YoY rise in rental cost in FY18 versus 5.0% YoY in previous years) will be key monitorables, the structural story (screen expansion) remains intact. Maintain 'BUY'.
BETTENDORF, Iowa - The annual Army Birthday Ball was held on Friday, June 17, at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center.
Maj. Gen. Yves J. Fontaine, commanding general of the Army Sustainment Command, hosted the annual Army Birthday Ball, attended by the Rock Island Arsenal community and its neighbors.
The evening began with a social hour and receiving line, enabling guests to meet and greet ASC leaders and distinguished guests. The mistress of ceremonies was Col. Regina Draper, ASC, and the invocation was provided by ASC Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Charles Rizer.
A streamer ceremony was performed by officers and non-commissioned officers. This ceremony consisted of NCOs passing streamers to officers, who in-turn affixed the streamer to the flag of the United States Army. This ceremony signifies the traditions of the Army, as 183 streamers represented over 25 million veterans, their sacrifice and their families’ commitment to freedom. The national anthem and patriotic medley were performed by the Davenport West High School choir following the ceremony.
Before dinner was served, colors were posted and toasts were raised. The toasts honored the commander-in-chief, our community and fallen comrades, among others. A Fallen Comrade Table was set and the first piece of the Army Birthday Cake was placed by Fontaine, Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen D. Blake and Gold Star family members.
The guest speaker for the evening was retired Maj. Gen. John Scully, civilian aide, Secretary of the Army - Illinois. The official ceremonies concluded with singing of the Army Song and retiring of the colors. Music and dancing continued ‘til the midnight hour.
Since its establishment on June 14, 1775, the United States Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of our nation. The Army Birthday Ball is designed to honor the proud history and heritage of America’s Army and to celebrate the Army’s 236th birthday.
Mary Arlene Malone, 87, of Hanover Twp., died Thursday morning, October 24, 2013, with family at her side in the comfort of her home.
Born February 8, 1926, in McKees Rocks, she was the beloved daughter of the late Cora (Elkin) Beers. A homemaker, Mrs. Malone was a member of the Hanover Presbyterian Church.
Surviving is her husband of 70 years, Robert K. Malone Sr.; the couple was married December 19, 1942. Also surviving are her children and their spouses, Robert K. Jr. and his wife Gracie Malone of Imperial, Martin W. and his wife Suzie Malone of Meadville, and Jane Sanko of Hanover Twp.; seven grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her mother, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Delcie Kinter and Margaret Hadden.
Family and friends are welcome to call Sunday from 12 to 3 and 6 to 8 p.m. at MOODY FUNERAL HOME, Route 30, Clinton, where her services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. Her pastor, the Rev. Jefferson Ellis, of the Hanover Presbyterian Church, will officiate.
She will be laid to rest in the Hopewell Hebron Cemetery.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of the Good Samaritan Hospice for the loving care and compassion of their beloved wife and mother.
PONCA CITY, Okla.- A missing Ponca City girl that inspired a statewide search was found safe in Tulsa.
Police say she willingly left a basketball game with a 16-year-old boy and his mother.
Her grandmother says she has left home in the past.
Video from a Sand Springs school shows 14-year-old Kylie Jones leaving with a 16-year-old boy and his mother after a basketball game Tuesday night.
"The lady went in the restroom with Kylie and the boy went out and brought this duffle back in. And when they came out, she's got this hoodie pulled up over her head and is walking out," Susan Jones, the girl's grandmother, said.
Leaving and running away, a behavior Kylie's grandmother says is too familiar.
"She tends to deal with stuff by clamming up and running from it instead of dealing with it," Jones said.
Kylie's grandmother says she's never been far, usually ending up at a friend's house in Ponca City.
"She gets overwhelmed at times and does things like this, she always feels horrible when it's over and she's embarrassed," Jones said.
Late this evening, Sand Springs police tracked the girl down to an apartment in Tulsa using phone records.
"She knows no matter what's happened or what she's done, she can come back,"Jones says.
Police say they found the 8th grader unharmed. Now, she's headed back home.
"I don't know what's happened or what made her feel like she needed to get away," Jones says.
Sand Springs police plan to turn its findings over to the district attorney's office, who will then decide if charges will be filed.
Big hair, full heart, can't lose.
Hi, it's me, Claire, your Oily Queen, and I've struggled with my fine, limp, tangle-y mop of extravagantly greasy hair for my whooooole life.
After a day and a half of not washing my hair, someone legit asked me if I had just gone swimming because they thought my hair was wet when it was really just oily. LOL. About 50% of the reason why I don't take closeups is because I don't want to scare people away with my greasy scalp. The other 50% is because of my crippling self-confidence issues, but that's for another time. We're here about my hair.
I've heard from multiple people that they love Lush's products, so I decided to try using a Lush haircare routine to see if it could help with at least one of my hair problems.
And I'll just get straight to the photos here because Lush gave me the volume I had only dreamed of.
To the left is me without any Lush hair product, to the right I used the Big Shampoo, the Big Solid Conditioner and THAT'S IT.
Here's a slide-y, in case you wanted a closer comparison.
This time I used the Jersey Bounce Shampoo, the American Cream Conditioner, AND the Sea Spray Hair Mist. Notice the beachier waves and fuller texture.
Again, no Lush on the left, with Lush on the right.
The Yuge Hot Oil Treatment took a while to dissolve, but made my hair suuuuper soft.
Look at that shine! (My hair shine, not my face shine). You can tell my hair looks more moisturized and less frizzy after using, especially the ends. The Yuge Treatment made way more than I actually needed, and I loved that I was able to save it and use it over and over.
My hair definitely deflated after the first day, and while the No Drought Dry Shampoo did it's job, it wasn't any better than other dry shampoos I've tried.
It was cheaper though! The only dry shampoo I really love is Bumble and Bumble's Prêt-à-powder but it's $28 for 2 oz, which compared to Lush's No Drought at $15.95 for 4.6 oz, makes Lush's a significantly better deal.
The Roots Hair Treatment felt like it worked the one time I used it, but I kept forgetting to put it on (it needs to sit for 20 minutes) before showering which made it hard to incorporate into my routine.
Dayum it did make my hair look good though. In the above pic, I used the Roots hair treatment, the Big Shampoo, and the Yuge Hot Oil Treatment as a conditioner. I also didn't love the R&B Hair Moisturizer or Sunny Day Anti-Static Detangler because I felt like they didn't do anything for me.
Overall I’m incredibly pleased with the quality of the Lush hair products!
Virtually all of them were knockouts in the volume department, although my favorites were Big and Jersey Bounce shampoos and the Yuge hot oil treatment, even though I mostly used it as a regular conditioner. Something that I didn't anticipate was how little of the products I needed to use to get their full effects. With other shampoos I feel like I need to shampoo twice to really get my hair clean, but with Lush I only needed to wash once.
While I still haven't found something that will help curb my excessive head oil production, I can’t go back to looking like my hair lost its will to live. I’ll definitely keep using Lush’s hair volumizing products.
If you have any questions, Lush holy grails you wanna talk about, or anything that will help with my greasiness, please let me know in the comments!
Don't miss Lenovo's Columbus Day ThinkPad and laptop sale, plus get two Arlo Pro wireless security cameras for $239, and pre-order Call of Duty 4.
Check out more info about new Amazon Device pre-orders here.
For more great gift ideas, head to bestgifts.com.
AMMONNEWS - The Ministry of Finance labeled reports on news sites and social network platforms on plans to reduce tax on hybrid vehicles as "untrue".
There is no intention to reverse the decision on hybrid vehicles, which sets the value of "hybrid" tax by 55 per cent, according to a ministry statement put out on Wednesday.
With this proportion in place, this type of hybrid cars has a preferential price privilege in comparison with tax on their fuel-only counterparts, it added.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas lawmakers are proposing a bill that would set a maximum interest rate for someone taking out payday or other short-term loans.
A joint legislative committee studying banking and insurance issues met Wednesday to consider the bill, which would cap the annual interest rate at 36 percent, the Wichita Eagle reported.
Supporters, such as Claudette Humphrey, have said the limit would help borrowers who are caught in a cycle of debt and are unable to get out. Humphrey is the director of stabilization services for Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas and oversees the Kansas Loan Pool Project, which helps clients replace high-interest payday and title loans with traditional loans at lower interest rates.
Humphrey said her clients often report high interest debt as harming their ability to keep up with rent, utilities and other expenses.
“It is time to do what is necessary to stop the continued predatory practices” of lenders, she said.
Opponents have said the bill would effectively eliminate the payday loan industry and limit a source of credit used by many Kansas residents.
The bill would limit payday lenders to one outstanding loan to a borrower of less than $500. Lenders could charge a maximum monthly fee of 5 percent of the original loan principal or $20.
The Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner says more than 60 companies in the state provide payday and title loans at more than 300 locations.
The committee didn’t make any recommendations on the proposal Wednesday. Lawmakers could still consider it after their next annual session convenes in January.
Editors: This story has been corrected to show that the panel considering the proposal was a joint legislative committee studying banking and insurance issues, not the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.
Belgium will scrap a law that gave its courts the power to try those accused of international war crimes.
The move was made following pressure from America, much to the dismay of international human rights groups, after the US President was put forward as a candidate for prosecution.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also named and shamed in the proposed case put before the Belgium courts. Both leaders were accused of war crimes following the invasion of Iraq.
Israel's prime Minister Ariel Sharon is another high profile target accused of war crimes carried out on the Palestinian people.
However, on the first day of his second term in office, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said the “universal competence” law will be withdrawn and replaced with a whittled down version limited in scope.
Under the proposed new law, only war crimes cases involving Belgians or foreigners living in Belgium, could be tried by Belgian courts.
Belgium’s heroic stance against international injustices won praise globally, but the universal competence law greatly annoyed the US after Bush and Blair were accused, with others, of war crimes in Iraq.
Senior US officials including Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State, Colin Powell had warned that the controversial law could threaten Belgium’s standing as home to international institutions like the European Union and NATO.

“We are going to give a much more positive agenda. It can’t be just being against the Democrats… You’ve got to be for things, and we have to give them something like the ‘Contract for America,’” he said.

HOLLYWOOD star Amber Heard has endured her second breakup while visiting Australia.

Currently Down Under filming Aquaman, sources close to Heard have revealed she has split from billionaire boyfriend Elon Musk.

A friend of the pair has told British press that the couple ended their year-long romance last week.

"It's all over between Amber and Elon and she's devastated. It was his decision," the insider told The Mail on Sunday in the UK.

"He ended it a week ago. He'd heard certain things about her behaviour that didn't sit well with him.

"Amber can be very manipulative and selfish. Elon's back in LA while she's licking her wounds in Australia."

The news came after the couple attended Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay two weeks ago.

The pair have been spotted around the Gold Coast and northern NSW during their time in Australia for filming.

Yesterday, there was radio silence from both camps.

The actor was first linked to the boss of US electric car giant Tesla last summer when they were spotted together in London.

Musk made his first millions as co-founder of online payment service PayPal and currently plans to build the world's largest lithium ion battery in Adelaide.

Last month Heard's father David spoke openly about their relationship which he called serious.

"Amber and Elon are both very serious about each other. She would love to get married," he told Grazia magazine.

"One of the things they want to do is settle down and have a family. They are making plans for that."

Amber Heard with then partner Johnny Depp.

The breakup follows Heard's dramatic divorce from Johnny Depp.

Their relationship broke-down when the couple were living in Australia while Depp filmed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Elon Musk using anti-phone device at Splendour?

John Terry believes Maurizio Sarri should play Chelsea star N’Golo Kante in a more defensive position against Manchester City.

The Blues have endured a poor run under struggling manager Sarri but have the chance to win some silverware on Sunday in the form of the EFL Cup.

Defending Premier League champions City, currently top of the table, stand in Chelsea’s way and will be buoyed by the recent 6-0 win over Sarri’s side.

Kante is rated as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world but Sarri has played the French World Cup winner in a more advanced position this season.

And Terry said: ‘I’m not sure the formation [is the problem], I think it’s the personnel a little bit.

‘Having played with N’Golo in front of me and having watched him in the World Cup, he’s been the best player in that position over the last two years.

Terry also named Chelsea’s three potential match-winners in Sunday’s final against Manchester City.

The former captain says Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro are all capable of troubling City.

Asked to name the leaders in Chelsea’s dressing room, Terry told Sky Sports: ‘Within this group, you’ve got Luiz, Toni Rudiger and [Gary] Cahill, even though he hasn’t been playing lately.

PVR anticipates relatively better ad growth going ahead on strong content (stars-led movies like Secret Superstar); we peg FY18/19E ad growth at 18.0% each. Though LBT and rental cost (due to aggressive bidding, especially by Inox, our view: 8.0% YoY rise in rental cost in FY18 versus 5.0% YoY in previous years) will be key monitorables, the structural story (screen expansion) remains intact. Maintain 'BUY'.

BETTENDORF, Iowa - The annual Army Birthday Ball was held on Friday, June 17, at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center.

Maj. Gen. Yves J. Fontaine, commanding general of the Army Sustainment Command, hosted the annual Army Birthday Ball, attended by the Rock Island Arsenal community and its neighbors.

The evening began with a social hour and receiving line, enabling guests to meet and greet ASC leaders and distinguished guests. The mistress of ceremonies was Col. Regina Draper, ASC, and the invocation was provided by ASC Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Charles Rizer.

A streamer ceremony was performed by officers and non-commissioned officers. This ceremony consisted of NCOs passing streamers to officers, who in-turn affixed the streamer to the flag of the United States Army. This ceremony signifies the traditions of the Army, as 183 streamers represented over 25 million veterans, their sacrifice and their families’ commitment to freedom. The national anthem and patriotic medley were performed by the Davenport West High School choir following the ceremony.

Before dinner was served, colors were posted and toasts were raised. The toasts honored the commander-in-chief, our community and fallen comrades, among others. A Fallen Comrade Table was set and the first piece of the Army Birthday Cake was placed by Fontaine, Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen D. Blake and Gold Star family members.

The guest speaker for the evening was retired Maj. Gen. John Scully, civilian aide, Secretary of the Army - Illinois. The official ceremonies concluded with singing of the Army Song and retiring of the colors. Music and dancing continued ‘til the midnight hour.

Since its establishment on June 14, 1775, the United States Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of our nation. The Army Birthday Ball is designed to honor the proud history and heritage of America’s Army and to celebrate the Army’s 236th birthday.

Mary Arlene Malone, 87, of Hanover Twp., died Thursday morning, October 24, 2013, with family at her side in the comfort of her home.

Born February 8, 1926, in McKees Rocks, she was the beloved daughter of the late Cora (Elkin) Beers. A homemaker, Mrs. Malone was a member of the Hanover Presbyterian Church.

Surviving is her husband of 70 years, Robert K. Malone Sr.; the couple was married December 19, 1942. Also surviving are her children and their spouses, Robert K. Jr. and his wife Gracie Malone of Imperial, Martin W. and his wife Suzie Malone of Meadville, and Jane Sanko of Hanover Twp.; seven grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

In addition to her mother, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Delcie Kinter and Margaret Hadden.

Family and friends are welcome to call Sunday from 12 to 3 and 6 to 8 p.m. at MOODY FUNERAL HOME, Route 30, Clinton, where her services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. Her pastor, the Rev. Jefferson Ellis, of the Hanover Presbyterian Church, will officiate.

She will be laid to rest in the Hopewell Hebron Cemetery.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of the Good Samaritan Hospice for the loving care and compassion of their beloved wife and mother.

PONCA CITY, Okla.- A missing Ponca City girl that inspired a statewide search was found safe in Tulsa.

Police say she willingly left a basketball game with a 16-year-old boy and his mother.

Her grandmother says she has left home in the past.

Video from a Sand Springs school shows 14-year-old Kylie Jones leaving with a 16-year-old boy and his mother after a basketball game Tuesday night.

"The lady went in the restroom with Kylie and the boy went out and brought this duffle back in. And when they came out, she's got this hoodie pulled up over her head and is walking out," Susan Jones, the girl's grandmother, said.

Leaving and running away, a behavior Kylie's grandmother says is too familiar.

"She tends to deal with stuff by clamming up and running from it instead of dealing with it," Jones said.

Kylie's grandmother says she's never been far, usually ending up at a friend's house in Ponca City.

"She gets overwhelmed at times and does things like this, she always feels horrible when it's over and she's embarrassed," Jones said.

Late this evening, Sand Springs police tracked the girl down to an apartment in Tulsa using phone records.

"She knows no matter what's happened or what she's done, she can come back,"Jones says.

Police say they found the 8th grader unharmed. Now, she's headed back home.

"I don't know what's happened or what made her feel like she needed to get away," Jones says.

Sand Springs police plan to turn its findings over to the district attorney's office, who will then decide if charges will be filed.

Big hair, full heart, can't lose.

Hi, it's me, Claire, your Oily Queen, and I've struggled with my fine, limp, tangle-y mop of extravagantly greasy hair for my whooooole life.

After a day and a half of not washing my hair, someone legit asked me if I had just gone swimming because they thought my hair was wet when it was really just oily. LOL. About 50% of the reason why I don't take closeups is because I don't want to scare people away with my greasy scalp. The other 50% is because of my crippling self-confidence issues, but that's for another time. We're here about my hair.

I've heard from multiple people that they love Lush's products, so I decided to try using a Lush haircare routine to see if it could help with at least one of my hair problems.

And I'll just get straight to the photos here because Lush gave me the volume I had only dreamed of.

To the left is me without any Lush hair product, to the right I used the Big Shampoo, the Big Solid Conditioner and THAT'S IT.

Here's a slide-y, in case you wanted a closer comparison.

This time I used the Jersey Bounce Shampoo, the American Cream Conditioner, AND the Sea Spray Hair Mist. Notice the beachier waves and fuller texture.

Again, no Lush on the left, with Lush on the right.

The Yuge Hot Oil Treatment took a while to dissolve, but made my hair suuuuper soft.

Look at that shine! (My hair shine, not my face shine). You can tell my hair looks more moisturized and less frizzy after using, especially the ends. The Yuge Treatment made way more than I actually needed, and I loved that I was able to save it and use it over and over.

My hair definitely deflated after the first day, and while the No Drought Dry Shampoo did it's job, it wasn't any better than other dry shampoos I've tried.

It was cheaper though! The only dry shampoo I really love is Bumble and Bumble's Prêt-à-powder but it's $28 for 2 oz, which compared to Lush's No Drought at $15.95 for 4.6 oz, makes Lush's a significantly better deal.

The Roots Hair Treatment felt like it worked the one time I used it, but I kept forgetting to put it on (it needs to sit for 20 minutes) before showering which made it hard to incorporate into my routine.

Dayum it did make my hair look good though. In the above pic, I used the Roots hair treatment, the Big Shampoo, and the Yuge Hot Oil Treatment as a conditioner. I also didn't love the R&B Hair Moisturizer or Sunny Day Anti-Static Detangler because I felt like they didn't do anything for me.

Overall I’m incredibly pleased with the quality of the Lush hair products!

Virtually all of them were knockouts in the volume department, although my favorites were Big and Jersey Bounce shampoos and the Yuge hot oil treatment, even though I mostly used it as a regular conditioner. Something that I didn't anticipate was how little of the products I needed to use to get their full effects. With other shampoos I feel like I need to shampoo twice to really get my hair clean, but with Lush I only needed to wash once.

While I still haven't found something that will help curb my excessive head oil production, I can’t go back to looking like my hair lost its will to live. I’ll definitely keep using Lush’s hair volumizing products.

If you have any questions, Lush holy grails you wanna talk about, or anything that will help with my greasiness, please let me know in the comments!

Don't miss Lenovo's Columbus Day ThinkPad and laptop sale, plus get two Arlo Pro wireless security cameras for $239, and pre-order Call of Duty 4.

Check out more info about new Amazon Device pre-orders here.

For more great gift ideas, head to bestgifts.com.

AMMONNEWS - The Ministry of Finance labeled reports on news sites and social network platforms on plans to reduce tax on hybrid vehicles as "untrue".

There is no intention to reverse the decision on hybrid vehicles, which sets the value of "hybrid" tax by 55 per cent, according to a ministry statement put out on Wednesday.

With this proportion in place, this type of hybrid cars has a preferential price privilege in comparison with tax on their fuel-only counterparts, it added.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas lawmakers are proposing a bill that would set a maximum interest rate for someone taking out payday or other short-term loans.

A joint legislative committee studying banking and insurance issues met Wednesday to consider the bill, which would cap the annual interest rate at 36 percent, the Wichita Eagle reported.

Supporters, such as Claudette Humphrey, have said the limit would help borrowers who are caught in a cycle of debt and are unable to get out. Humphrey is the director of stabilization services for Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas and oversees the Kansas Loan Pool Project, which helps clients replace high-interest payday and title loans with traditional loans at lower interest rates.

Humphrey said her clients often report high interest debt as harming their ability to keep up with rent, utilities and other expenses.

“It is time to do what is necessary to stop the continued predatory practices” of lenders, she said.

Opponents have said the bill would effectively eliminate the payday loan industry and limit a source of credit used by many Kansas residents.

The bill would limit payday lenders to one outstanding loan to a borrower of less than $500. Lenders could charge a maximum monthly fee of 5 percent of the original loan principal or $20.

The Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner says more than 60 companies in the state provide payday and title loans at more than 300 locations.

The committee didn’t make any recommendations on the proposal Wednesday. Lawmakers could still consider it after their next annual session convenes in January.

Editors: This story has been corrected to show that the panel considering the proposal was a joint legislative committee studying banking and insurance issues, not the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Belgium will scrap a law that gave its courts the power to try those accused of international war crimes.

The move was made following pressure from America, much to the dismay of international human rights groups, after the US President was put forward as a candidate for prosecution.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also named and shamed in the proposed case put before the Belgium courts. Both leaders were accused of war crimes following the invasion of Iraq.

Israel's prime Minister Ariel Sharon is another high profile target accused of war crimes carried out on the Palestinian people.

However, on the first day of his second term in office, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said the “universal competence” law will be withdrawn and replaced with a whittled down version limited in scope.

Under the proposed new law, only war crimes cases involving Belgians or foreigners living in Belgium, could be tried by Belgian courts.

Belgium’s heroic stance against international injustices won praise globally, but the universal competence law greatly annoyed the US after Bush and Blair were accused, with others, of war crimes in Iraq.

Senior US officials including Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State, Colin Powell had warned that the controversial law could threaten Belgium’s standing as home to international institutions like the European Union and NATO.