By Dow Jones Business News, March 02, 2015, 02:11:00 PM EDT

By Ryan Knutson and Sam Schechner

Mark Zuckerberg is trying to mend fences with the telecom industry.

Facing criticism from carriers that say Facebook Inc. is hurting their business models, Mr. Zuckerberg struck a conciliatory tone Monday, saying the only way to expand Internet access around the world is if carriers' revenue grows too.

"It's really important not to lose site of the fact that the real companies that are driving this are the operators," the Facebook CEO said at the telecom industry's main annual conference in Barcelona.

The comments appeared to address concerns that Mr. Zuckerberg's crusade to extend the Internet to billions more people is at odds with Facebook services that undermine operators' revenue from phone calls and texts.

"It's expensive work," Mr. Zuckerberg said Monday of efforts to build cellphone networks. "The only way we can accelerate that is if we can grow the operator's business faster."

Mr. Zuckerberg was joined by executives from three operators-- Telenor Group, Millicom International Cellular SA and Airtel--who have been giving subscribers free access to Internet.org, an app developed by Facebook that includes access to local content like weather and health information, in addition to a slimmed down version of Facebook.

Christian De Faria, the CEO of Airtel Africa, said the company's relationship with Facebook has improved over the past year. The Internet.org app has helped acquire new customers.

Last year, it was "like the beauty and the beast," he said, hinting that Facebook was playing the role of the beast. Now, he said, "the beast is becoming more human."

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Zuckerberg Moves To Mend Fences With Telecom Industry

FENCE heights at Grafton Public School have come under scrutiny from P&C members who say they are a safety risk for students and the school.

Belinda Philp, a P&C member and mother of two Grafton Public School students, has questioned the safety of the school fences and said there is a risk that students could hop the fences and run on to the busy road quite easily.

"Some students are at a risk of running from school," Ms Philp said.

"If they get over the fence on Oliver St, there are parked cars and obstructions of drivers' visions.

"The kids could easily run on to the road unseen and there wouldn't be enough time for drivers to adjust. It is very dangerous.

"Having a taller fence would be safe for everyone involved."

Ms Philp says that she had been in discussions with Grafton Public School principal Will Randall but he was not interested in the issue during those talks.

"I have raised this issue several times with Will but nothing has come of it so far," she said.

"If they think that half a million dollars for a fence is a lot to spend; how much do they think a child's life is worth?

"You can't put a price on it, but there is no way I'm accepting half a million."

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Grafton Public School fences under scrutiny

Yakuza - Walkthrough Part 14: Swinging For The Fences
Chapter 6: Fatherhood ~ Side missions, Including: finding a lost bag, hitting balls at a batting cage, a drunk guy and collecting/delivering a suspicious p...

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Yakuza - Walkthrough Part 14: Swinging For The Fences - Video

INBOUND Bold Talks: Pam Moore "The fences we put up"
Discover bold, powerful talks from diverse, exciting, and influential people. These riveting presentations will educate, challenge, and impress you in 12 min...

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INBOUND Bold Talks: Pam Moore "The fences we put up" - Video

Poachers are smashing through the Water Corporation's gates and fences to steal marron from creeks and dams that are supposed to be protected for public drinking supplies.

The State-owned utility has confirmed that it was grappling with the "issue" of marron poaching from properties it controls across the Perth Hills, South West and Great Southern.

Fishing for marron, a type of crayfish that is found in fresh inland waterways, is only allowed for a brief period between January 8 and February 5 each year.

LATEST MINISTER WEIGHS IN ON LIVE MUSIC CRISIS SEARCH FOR MISSING NSW TODDLER WIDENS BALI NINE LAWYER VAGUE ON BRIBERY CLAIMS WATER UTILITY HITS NON-PAYERS THOUSANDS MARCH FOR SLAIN RUSSIAN POLITICIAN FACEBOOK FEUD ENDS WITH US GIRL DEAD WILDCATS OUT AS TAIPANS SWEEP SEMIFINAL SERIES

Fishers are entitled to take five of the crustaceans a day - each with a minimum size of 90mm - in so-called trophy waters, while they can take eight a day of at least 80mm in size in all other open waters.

With this year's season just finished, the Water Corporation said it was investigating several incidents where people had illegally accessed protected drinking water catchments to pilfer marron.

In one instance, poachers crashed a four-wheel-drive through the gate of a Water Corporation property east of Albany after-dark to plunder dams that were full of marron, causing thousands of dollars of damage in the process.

A Water Corporation spokeswoman said the utility did not keep specific records of incidents of marron poaching and could not quantify the costs it had incurred from the activity in recent years. However, she noted that extra "catchment rangers" had been employed to patrol the Perth Hills in recent years.

The spokeswoman also pointed out marron fishing was allowed "in a number" of the utility's dams.

"Water Corporation works closely with the Department of Fisheries to control illegal fishing and marroning in drinking water dams and has initiated a number of successful prosecutions," she said.

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Marron grab too much for Water Corp

Swingin #39; For The Fences - Gordon Goodwin
This is my drum cover of Swingin #39; For The Fences by Gordon Goodwin #39;s Big Phat Band. This chart is from the Gordon Goodwin #39;s Big Phat Band Play-Along Series. ...

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Swingin' For The Fences - Gordon Goodwin - Video

By U-T San Diego5 p.m.Feb. 28, 2015

The U-T story Traffic stop data show imbalance (Feb. 26) is a head-scratcher.

Is there anyone who does not know that traffic stops have as much to do with street crime and gang activity as with vehicle code violations?

Im surprised that Chief Shelley Zimmerman did not point out that population figures, versus traffic stops by race and ethnicity, show evidence of incredible sensitivity and restraint by the San Diego Police Department.

A look at crime stats will make one wonder why the percentages of traffic stops versus racial percentages could be so surprisingly close.

Joseph Wambaugh Point Loma

Data showing the relationship of some ethnic groups that were pulled over in numbers that were disproportionate to their populations makes for a good story, but I believe it does not give you a true picture.

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy.

A more accurate analysis would be to use the demographic of those who are incarcerated relative to traffic stops in lieu of the total population.

Bill Shannon Mission Hills

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Traffic stop numbers examined; mending international fences

Knuckle Puck - Fences - at Banquet Records
Knuckle Puck - Fences - at Banquet Records.

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Knuckle Puck - Fences - at Banquet Records - Video

By Cecily Hilleary, VOA

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) & King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. (UN photo, AP photo, respectively)

After years of mutual mistrust and jockeying for regional power, Saudi Arabia and Iran may be on their way to mending fences, analysts say.

Mutual concerns over the emergence of the so-called Islamic State group in the region and Irans impending nuclear deal with the West are providing stimulus for Riyadh and Tehran to head towards detente, analysts say.

If there is a deal on the nuclear issue, then this will bring Iran back as a participant in the dynamics of the international community, which will force it to become more pragmatic and more moderate, said Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. And this is in Saudi Arabias interests because the more extreme Iran becomes, the more threatening it becomes.

From friends to rivals

Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni Islamic kingdom, home to Islams holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. As such, it regards itself as the rightful leader of the Islamic world.

Iran is a Shiite Islamic republic, which has sought to exert religious influence over Shia populations elsewhere in the region.

Some four decades ago, both countries were relatively politically aligned and had friendly relations with the West. But things changed after the 1979 revolution in Iran and the return of exiled Ayatollah Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini, who resented the Saudi kingdoms relationship with the West.

The Islamic Republic quickly started exporting the revolution in the Middle East, said Khatib. They were trying to get Shia populations in the region to accept the supreme leaders [Khomeinis] model of Islamic jurisprudence as the only acceptable political and religious model for [the] population.

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Iran Nuke Deal Could Help It Mend Fences With Saudi Arabia

AUSTRALIA: Special fences built around dams in arid parts of Australia could help eradicate the menace of cane toads, according to new research.

The toads, regarded as poisonous pests, are drawn to the dams by the need for water and die in large numbers if fences hold them back, scientists said.

The animals were brought to Australia in the 1930s to get rid of beetles.

They have since spread from Queensland into the Northern Territories, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Their numbers have grown because they have almost no natural predators and their toxins kill native animals that normally feed on frogs.

Various methods to eradicate the toads have been tried, including mass culls by teams of volunteers, but have only had limited success.

Now a study led by experts at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) says toad-proof fences around dams may stem their spread because most areas the toads will invade in future are semi-arid or arid.

The dams are built to provide water for livestock but are a magnet for the toads.

Researchers built small fences from shade cloth around three dams in the Victoria River region of the Northern Territory and maintained them for a year.

They found that the toads were unable to jump over them or burrow under.

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Fences could halt cane toad menace - study